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.

Shaun the Sheep

Shaun the Sheep is a gorgeous little show on ABC kids at the moment. Shaun is a cut above the rest – proactive and a leader with some silly antics.

Unfortunately we are referred to as sheep by our maker. We all like sheep have gone astray.

In a way it’s comforting to know from Psalm 23 that the Lord is our shepherd and he understands our waywardness and frailty. He makes us to lie in green pastures. He restores our soul… His rod and staff comfort us. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. ‘My cup runs over’… God is a good shepherd.

I think of a lamb when I read that the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. When a sheep is all alone, or on the outer, the lion or the enemy can attack with little resistance. There’s protection in staying in the flock.

I’m happy with the sheep thing.

Who do you Trust?

I remember it was a very quick work the day my father and my brother fell off their pedestals in my life. They were no longer the gods I made them to be. It was not so much by their action or my attitude but just a dawning that, yes, they were indeed human with some failings and the only one to be worshipped is God. Other various family members were also up there and had to be brought down. God is a ‘jealous God’ by his own admission.

Jeremiah 17 has a wonderful key to life. Here goes..

‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man…
he will be like a bush in the wastelands…
…dwell in the parched places of the desert

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
Whose confidence is in Him
He will be like a tree planted by the water…
It does not fear when heat comes
Its leaves are always green
It has no worries in a year of drought
And never fails to bear fruit.’

What's happening in France

The 700 Club from the ACC channel last night tells us France has set up a new law recently which could affect evangelism in that country. In an effort to crack down on cults it has brought in stiff new legislation and as much as a five year jail sentence to deal with those who try to force or coerce people into their beliefs. As a result one of the biggest churches of believers in the South are under surveillance. An Australian missionary over there has changed the name of his church from Christian Life Centre. Many churches are changing their names eg. Evangelical. Even the Catholic charismatics are under suspicion. It looks like the gospel message may have to go as it did in the days of early Apostles, underground. (See Foxes Book of Martyrs).

On another note, The 700 Club went onto show the amazing conversion of a top male model from Belgium. Jules was a young man when he went to France. He began modeling and was the face of many products and on the front of vogue and so on. In his loneliness however Jules began to drink and then got onto cocaine, then prostitutes. He really came to the end of himself far from home in every way. A woman in France gave him a book by Billy Graham. While on a plane ride he read just a few lines and then something bizarre happened thousands of feet up. The presence of God enveloped him. He responded to a question he heard while in this euphoric state. The trip was a blurr as he encountered God for the first time. His life was totally transformed. He ended up marrying the girl who led him to Christ and they have a beautiful son. It was lovely to hear him tell his sincere and open story.

Who is the One Person who Christians Rely on for Their Journey

No it’s not Jesus.

No, the one person Christians rely on for decision making, counsel, comfort and advocacy is the Person of the Holy Spirit. He was promised by Jesus before Jesus was about to ascend into heaven. ‘If I go away…I will send the Comforter… etc. He will remind you of everything I’ve said…’

The Holy Spirit was sent as a deposit for things to come. He is gentle. He convicts of sin. Without Him nothing could be changed in a person’s life because when he puts his finger on an area of your life which needs changing all you want to do is yield… it’s easier than a merry-go-round of conviction.

We can grieve Him with wrong attitudes, wrong behaviour etc. We don’t want to do that because like a dove he may take leave. We can quench him by not obeying his wooing for certain action. Every born again Spirit filled Christian loves the precious Holy Spirit.

It's my Party

Nellie Furtado writes a great song, 'why must all good things come to an end' - for me it's the forties... and then she says 'I'm whistling a new tune.' This is what I want for the start of my jubilee year today 7th 7th 2007. In the Bible, the 50th year meant freedom from all debt - wow what a grace concept. I want this vision for my year ahead. Build the Kingdom of God, seek him first and all things will be added to me - freedom from debt too would be a nice side product. I thank God today for restoring to me everything that was lost, (through dysfunction to stupidity), when I invited him to take me under His wing.

How to Get Prayers Answered:

Have you got a problem you can’t fix?
– you may need a miracle, a healing, a reconciliation but the odds don’t look good.

Don’t Try to Work it out yourself..’Lean not on your own understanding.’

You’ve Got to Mean Business

My kiwi flatmate once told me a little story. She was buying a property in Romsey Victoria. She met a Real estate agent who told her the story of when his son was diagnosed with some hideous disease, leukemia? Anyway he went to a large church in the city and poured his heart out to God in a simple statement. ‘I will give you all my money (which was round a million) if you would just heal my son.’ He cried out with all his heart. From behind him in the empty church came a voice. The man looked around to see an old lady, ‘God has heard your prayer’ she said. He was kneeling and turned back to the front. On turning back again, the old woman had disappeared, or made a unnaturally quick exit.

The miracle happened. The boy was healed. Don’t know whether the man lost or gave the money but I suspect he didn’t need to, knowing God’s grace.

‘Whoever calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved.’

Get a Word from God about your situation

Easier said than done… ask God for a specific word for your situation, the jargon is ‘rhema’ and seek and expect to find the answer. It may come through the Bible, through friends, children, TV, any number of ways.. even through nature.

‘Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.’

Keep a clear conscience. Forgive those who sin against you and God will hear you from heaven. If unforgiveness remains it’s like a barrier between you and God.

Believe that He is. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

If wanting healing. There are spiritual gifts listed in Paul’s Letters and one is the gift of healing. Look out for those with that gift and get them to pray for you. Even in a large church they’re not easily identifiable. Ask God.

Pour Your Heart out.

The following excerpt shows an example of one sentence that changed God’s mind. It also shows a relationship (from the New International Version)

1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5 "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

His Mercies are new Every Morning and …
all power is in his hand despite the mess we create

He Knows

When you feel as if you’re under siege with a spate of events that knock you one by one, read the book of Job. He is the ultimate example of suffering and he was blameless. His well meaning friends came up with their theories as to why this was happening. And they were all wrong. Job passed all the tests, nor did he blaspheme as his wife suggested. Job went on to be restored though nothing could bring back his children. Job said ‘Though he slay me yet will I trust him.’ Like in the Refiners fire Job came forth as pure gold.

Sorry it is So...

I apologise to all you blog readers out there for the fact that I am writing through my own peculiar glasses or my autobiography. I know that’s what blogs are for, but just browsing at other blogs is a stark reminder of the uniqueness of the individual.

Having a quick flick through The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People also, I had to remind myself: Seek to understand before seeking to be understood.

Listening is divine.

As human beings we may have similar basic needs and desires and spiritual vacuums seeking to be filled but the tastes and talents of the human race are infinite. Assuming stuff about you is likely to leave me with ‘egg on my face’.

I suppose that’s what comments are for. This site is not SEOd and so I don’t attract much traffic. As I am studying this subject for other reasons may be one day I will apply tricks of the trade for lots of visitors apart from content, and with it negative comments as well as hopefully uplifting ones.

How to Make Decisions

Some people are blessed with the ability to know instinctively how to make the right decisions. I had this idea today that okay if I had to choose between drinking tea and coffee I would have to use my imagination to taste both and then make a decision.

Then I thought may be decision making has a lot to do with the power of imagination. Anyway I am very decisive as a rule - does that mean I have a strong imagination? Probably. That doesn’t help those of you who are undecided and who probably hesitate for the main reason that you are wise and don’t want to make a mistake. Some mistakes are costly but then you can learn from them.

Some of us find out too late that despite everything appearing rosy the decision in retrospect was a bad one. I’ve done that with some major decisions but life is full of opportunities and by God’s grace, second chances.

One thing I have learned is that your gut feelings are the ones to go by. A feeling of chaos or unrest when considering something is a definite ‘no’ for me and, again contemplating a choice which gives me a sense of genuine peace is the way to go.

I also bear in mind this Scripture: ‘Acknowledge Him in all your ways and he will direct your paths.’

Recently I was in limbo about buying a pair of shoes. I was swinging between the idea of the bigger pair and the smaller pair. There was no in-between and they were on special! My heart said buy the smaller pair, my logic said ‘no get the bigger pair and I can put insoles in them, thick socks etc. Well I bought the larger pair, wore them once, felt like Bozo , ‘some clown from the 60s’ (George Costanza), and haven’t worn them since. As I see those shoes I sigh. I learnt a valuable lesson as there is no exchange at that shop.

Desal Disaster?

Inge Light sent me this today

Desalination No Answer to Water Crisis - WWF

GENEVA - Removing salt from sea water to overcome a worldwide shortage of drinking water could end up worsening the crisis, environmental group WWF warned on Tuesday.
Desalination, the filtering and evaporation of sea water, is very energy-intensive and involves significant emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists say are a factor in the shrinking supplies of freshwater, the Swiss-based group said. Spain, Saudi Arabia, Australia and other arid countries should rely more on water conservation and recycling and avoid huge desalination projects that have been linked to pollution and ecosystem damage.
'The quite possibly mistaken lure of widespread water availability from desalination ... has the potential to drive a major misdirection of public attention, policy and funds away from the pressing need to use all water wisely," it said.
Concerns about global warming, which could exacerbate droughts and erode the world's icecaps and glaciers, which provide 69 percent of global freshwater supplies, are expected to spur investments in the technology.
Some farmers have used water from desalination to grow "unsuitably thirsty crops in fundamentally dry areas," the WWF said, an unsustainable trend given its high energy costs: "It seems unlikely that desalinated agriculture is economic anywhere".
'Regions still have cheaper, better and complementary ways to supply water that are less risky to the environment," it said.
The WWF, or World Wildlife Fund, estimated there were more than 10,000 desalination plants around the world. It said the sector would likely grow exponentially in coming years as governments seek to supply water to fast-growing arid areas in the United States, India, China and elsewhere.
Half of the world's desalination capacity is in the Gulf area, where wealthy oil-producing nations use it for about 60 percent of their water needs.
Australian cities have also relied heavily on the technology and Spain has used it extensively to support real estate development, agriculture and even golf courses along its Mediterranean coast.
Large-scale desalination engineering could also endanger sea life, the WWF said, urging further research into the tolerance of marine organisms and ecosystems to higher salinity and brine waste, byproducts of the salt removal process.
While desalination could have important uses in some cases, such as environments with brackish water, the WWF said that big plants ought to be approved only in circumstances where they meet a real need and must be built and operated in a way that minimises broader environmental damage.

Story by Laura MacInnis
Story Date: 19/6/2007

All Contents© Reuters News Service 2007

Check out Planet Ark on the web at www.planetark.com

What Matters?

All that matters in this life is RELATIONSHIPS.

This was the first point I read in Simon McIntyre’s book, ‘Know All.’ Pondering this idea is life changing because it puts things into perspective. It’s nice to have a roof over our heads, clothes and food but that’s not what counts. When we develop healthy relationships we can achieve so much more than a lone ranger. And it’s not even about achieving.

And it’s not about us or how many friends we have but about seeing ourselves as God sees us – valuable and out of that comes respect and love for others either for a small circle or on a larger scale.

If we are in partnership with God and others there’s a better chance we will do the special things designed for us. And hopefully keep a good attitude while doing it. We are carefully placed, as in a jigsaw puzzle. Occasionally we will experience the harsh sandpaper effect certain others will have on us but it is for our benefit.

Some Legacies...

A guest speaker at a recent women’s conference, Marie Cartledge (who was married to the late great Australian faith man David Cartledge) said ‘It’s all about what you leave behind,’ the legacy. Everything else melts away.

David had brain cancer and though he couldn’t read, write or even talk in the end, out of his Spirit came songs to God on his way out. What a sweet man he was. He left a great impression in the earth. I knew him a little from brief phone conversations over 5 years when he wrote articles for Evangel/Now magazine where I worked. I had a file of his photos going back and when he formed Southern Cross Bible College, Melbourne, I enrolled.


And then there’s the wonderful lady Irene Gleeson who as a widow took off overseas sat under a tree in Uganda and drew orphans to herself. One day as she sat in a caravan some aggressive natives burst in. She called on God and was saved from what could have been. Now, what has grown from small beginnings is a phenomenal work - orphanages, water wells etc. Those beautiful children will grow into fine adults because of Irene – not by herself but in partnership with God. Of course she's still going strong. Her heart was with those orphans. We can’t all be ‘Irenes’ but find our own niche. We can all be as Rev Awdrey says ‘really useful engines’ from Thomas the Tank Engine. Sorry, couldn’t help the comparison.

Divine Connections and Widows and Orphans

I wasn’t going to put this into my blog but when Joel Osteen talked about the story of 'Ruth' last night on Austar in a message titled Divine Connections I felt it was a timely word…

When Rick Warren wrote ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ it was so popular worldwide that a by-product was fortune and also fame. So Rick asked God what was the purpose of all this and the answer came, fame (not exact wording) comes to people who then can defend the powerless and those who can’t stand up for themselves.

After Saul’s radical conversion and a name change to Paul (what a good idea considering Christians didn’t trust him after he killed a few of them), this man wrote. ‘Pure religion and undefiled is to look after the widows and orphans’ – (among the poor, bruised and broken hearted).

When my best friend I’ll call Sue lost her sister in a head on crash, she was called upon to look after two little children and to live in a remote place. God had prepared her well, living with a single mother, being a nurse. Some Christians and others scorned her when she married her brother-in-law many years later, but she had a dream some time before which was clear and interpreted easily. She would marry John and when Sue went to church on one occasion, the teaching was on ‘Ruth.’ Ruth, a widow, went to look after her widowed mother-in-law and ended up meeting Boaz as a result. Boaz was known as the ‘kinsman redeemer’. God is merciful and rewards those who do his will. Life has its storms and we don’t always know his plans but he works everything to the good of those who love him. Sue went on to have 2 boys of her own. She is very blessed.

Jesus came to do those things he read out one day from Isaiah’s scroll after a stint in the desert: Luke 4: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.’ When Jesus was on the cross he let one of his best mates, probably John, know that he should look after Jesus’ mother. He was to be a son to Mary when she was about to lose Jesus. Mary wasn’t that old at the time and had a number of other children. Jesus was merciful in his last breath, a defender of the poor, bruised, brokenhearted such as orphans and widows and I’m sure, single parents. There was a prophecy about Him in the Old Testament, ‘a bruised reed he will not break,’ such was his mercy and gentleness.

Some ways to Deal With Depression

• As Dale Carnegie says from eternity ‘Live in Day Tight Compartments’
  This is coming from the Scripture, ‘Don’t worry about tomorrow. There’s enough evil in today to deal with.’
• ‘Cast all your cares on Him because he cares for you.’ List your problems and burn them.
• ‘Be Anxious for Nothing.’ also the title of Joyce Meyer’s book
• Consider this: ‘I’m a miser, I count my blessings every night.’ A lovely old Englishman from Sherwood called Eric (94)
• ‘Resist, Reject, Replace’ negative thoughts Phil Hills, Richmond, Vic
• Look forward, not back.
• Write down some good goals and visualize them
• Consider Jesus, that is the rejection and physical suffering he endured for the prize at the end
• Think about what you can do for someone else today
• Think about those you love today
• Think about the needs of others today
• Ask someone for help
• Get someone to pray for you if you feel powerless and feel captive
• Try not to say negative things or complain
• Think: Am I getting enough exercise, sleep,vitamins etc.
• Try to ascertain what is the cause of your depression and process it logically

It Doesn’t get Much Better than this

Broadbeach Blues Festival in its sixth year was filled with casual happy family crowds, more people than I remember 2 years ago when we saw Matt Taylor from Chain sing ‘I remember when I was young.’ He sure had rhythm and rhyme sorted.

It was a very dark overcast afternoon when we arrived last Friday to witness an amazing band and I tell you if they’re not already they will be HUGE - Marshall and the Fro. I know they’ve been associated with Byron Fest. but are also at Mermaid! Just a few young guys but great voice, music which I think is original and yes a fro or two. A local young girl got up to harmonise a few songs and that was a breath of fresh air.

Our favourite local blues guy Mason Rack with Jay Conway and Ray Goddard were having a ball, throwing out T shirts etc. and did some riveting stuff with Mason’s sincere story telling and lots of their faithful fans about. Good to see them all dressed in black with white tie like Humphrey Bogart. It was lovely to see Mason’s beautiful wife there and my son and Jade, their daughter, hit it off running around and dancing together and both future musos to be sure.

Blue sky, Sat 4.30 we saw Canned Heat! A rare treat - though not all original members, (a few have died), they stayed true to songs and played some classic boogie – ‘Going up the country’ where a girl came to play flute. ‘Do you want some Woodstock?’ the main guy queried like a Californian Beachboy. A few Vietnam Vets were round about. It was received well and they satisfied the hungry crowd. The drummer, the original was incredible and he had refined his act to perfection. We thought it was funny when one guy was introduced several times as an ‘original 1985 to 95 Australian member.’ They also played the 1970 hit which inspired Bryan Ferry’s ‘Let’s Stick Together’

As the sun disappeared and we stood on the friendly, flattened grass dancing around I thought, ‘It doesn’t get much better than this.’

Please note this blog is not dated correctly. The event below happened on Tuesday night about 5pm.

Miracle at Currumbin Beach just Last night

Last night my sister rang me about 6pm. and told me a horrendous story. She and my older sister, Mary, had just been for a walk on Currumbin beach when a lady was yelling over to them, ‘Which beach are we on?’ ‘Currumbin!’ Caro yelled back.

They noticed another young girl next to her and a body lying on the sand. They promptly ran over to the scene. A young boy of about 15 with red hair was laying on the beach with leg rope and surfboard attached. He was blue in colour. The young girl, about 18, had dragged the boy from the water. A nurse had been walking by with her mother and young child and seeing the situation ordered her mother and child to 'go' as it was not a pretty sight.

A blonde boy was standing by who had assisted the girl in getting hold of the floating body. His face covered in a white froth also on the face of the victim.

Caroline had a chance to put her hands gently on the boy. She prayed quietly ‘Please God give this boy back his life.' After that she prayed unceasingly. The nurse got my sister, also a nurse, to take the 000 call and Mary relayed instruction for CPR to the nurse with encouraging words also given by the person on the end of the line. Mary is a psych. nurse.

Finally a lifesaver appeared with gadgets including pumps and applied his CPR Again to no avail. Much time had passed – about 40 mins when the ambulance came. Adrenallin was injected into the boy. Mary and Caro went behind a van agreeing he was dead and began praying rebuking the spirit of death etc. Caro looked over and the boy’s stomach began moving up and down slightly.

As the ambulance officers loaded him into the van, Caro asked him if he was alive. ‘Yes,’ the officer said. They continued to pray for the boy. Both have sons of their own.

This morning I heard the news that the boy was recovering in Tweed Heads hospital. The girl who rescued him from the water was a 20 year old hairdresser. Her mother explained that she was terrified. She didn’t know where she got the strength from. The body was so heavy she had said (in the paper) It was front page news in the GC Bulletin.

The nurse was on holiday from Coolum. The girl who normally goes to Burleigh for a walk, never Currumbin called it ‘God.’ Don’t know about the boy or lifesaver but I do know they all went into making the ingredients for the miracle! Who knows how long he was in the water after being knocked out by his board? He is now in a stable condition. Glory to God.

Twenty things you need to know if you’re making a sea change and heading North in Australia

1. Try renting for a year to get a feel for the area.
2. Make your dwelling geographically Tsunami proof.
3. Don’t leave water or buckets of water or shallow pools of water around in Summer when snakes are out and thirsty.
4. Get to know your snakes. I’ve had a carpet? snake living 2 doors down, a green snake slither across my beach towel and I’ve run over a large bush python snake elsewhere. They're all okay.
5. Get to know your insects eg. cockroaches, mossies, midges. You can get a well researched paper/PDF on midges from Gold Coast council.
6.Winter snaps bring tiny field mice who run as fast as your eye will travel. They are looking for warmth.
7.Put undercover any prams, cars, bikes and objects that will rust in salt air
8.Invest in some hats and sun cream…You will get used to the sun
9.Net fruit trees from fruit bats
10.In purchasing land look for infrastructure, you know hospitals, shopping, etc and zoning of land and future developments via council and Main Roads etc.
11.In Qld there’s no daylight saving. People are early risers and you can expect locals to call in and phone before 8am and think nothing of it. It gets dark around 6pm most days. With no daylight saving Qld can watch the same show twice on TV as the rest of Australia is on time an hour earlier between Oct and March. Near the border there can be problems with appointments and rosters with these differences overlooked between states
12. Swim between flags or perish. Stats are high with lots internationals drowning
13. Surfers should go in pairs to look out for one another as it’s dangerous out there with inexperienced surfers crashing into others and other hazards.
14. Travel booklets are available at most resorts which will have meal discounts
15. Good area maps can be found in Op shops
16. Be prepared to travel for work if need be
17. Get to know people through joining groups of like minded people
18. Don’t be disappointed or surprised when tradesmen don’t turn up in smaller populated areas.
19. If buying a house pest control is vital – termites, cockroaches etc are a common threat
20. Learn to live outdoors lifestyles ie. BBQs and picnics

I See Trees of Green

My father’s favourite personal Scripture was John 10:10. It was as though the verse was designed just for him as he changed his name from Jacques to John to be accepted more in Australia in business from the 60s. He also had a green van he called ‘the old ten ten’ when we were little.

Dad gave his life to Christ in 1978. He then relished the verse as a motto for his life – so much so that Mary my sister, and I chose Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World to sing to him on his 80th Birthday.

So he quoted the Scripture on birthday cards etc. John 10:10b says, ‘Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.’

Water, water water wanted

I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains
Of rugged mountain ranges
Of droughts and flooding plains...

Dorothea McKellar wrote that a long time ago. It didn't mean much to me then but it does now as Australia faces over a decade of drought. I drove through it recently and the sky was livlier than the earth in inland Australia.

It spoke loud and clear to me being a Christian.
When I had previously looked up some relevant words in my concordance I found the Scripture
"If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

The context is drought and is associated with a form of judgement from time to time, like when Elijah called for three and a half years no rain, God was in agreement and so it came to pass.

This has been heavy on my heart for a while and since I was awakened to the fact when a desalination plant was placed in my face, without any public consultation.

While the local Hinze dam is full and will even be heightened, near me Brisbane will have 7% water next July. So why? Well if God is 'the same yesterday, today and forever' and there is a spiritual connection with the drought then may be it has nothing to do with heathens in this nation.

This Scripture could hold the key to the dire situation we have here...

'If my people who are called by my name'
My comment: Christians are called by his name

'Shall humble themselves'
Admit their dependency on him? Address pride and get rid of it?

'And Pray'
And pray

'And Seek'
Spend time in the morning preferrably seeking God in worship, asking of him, reading his word and expecting His answers. 'Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your paths.'

'And turn from their wicked ways'
Repent ask forgiveness for sin and waywardness.

One little bit of leaven raises the whole bread batch.



...Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

Stuck in the Middle

Well just came back from trip from Vic/NSW. It was so drought stricken the other side of the Great Dividing Range. From say Parkes going South, the grass was pale and the trees sickly looking, there was very little activity and not a whole lot of cattle etc.


We were on our way down to golf tournaments when it was pitch dark on Saturday night. We were travelling down the Newall Hwy after leaving Narrandera when the car began making screeching sounds round hte left wheel and became increasingly distressed.

We were in the middle of nowhere, in fact there were not even farms visible just dreary drought conditions, dry and lifeless. We were on our way to Jerilderie which was another one and a half hours from our destination.

We were feeling sick in the stomach not knowing what to do. Sleep on the side of the road, keep pushing the car. Trucks were speeding up from behind Thankfully their lights could be seen half a Km coming behind us. We could pull over and drive ever so slowly. The brakes then started failing.

We were desperate. We needed a miracle. We called on God, our Saviour. First we started solemnly praying quietly. Sam had fallen asleep in the back seat. We prayed in tongues. We prayed quoting the scriptures such as 'YOu are the author and finisher of our faith.' 'You supply all our needs according to your riches in glory.' etc. Then we both agreed we felt we should sleep at a rest area just past the Urana/Jerilderie sign.

It was cold and the moon was just visible. It was quiet, eery and dark. I slept the back seat and got Sam to lay beside me, moving his booster seat to the front and Doug decided to sleep on a concrete slab against a wall but open nevertheless in a sleeping bag. (Glad we packed it)

Trucks came and went. I heard about 2 but when I woke there were three and another arrived. It was a long cold night with towels and a thin child's blanket but at last it was light.

We drove the car up a side road looking for a farmhouse - to no avail. Then we went to a nearby house surrounded by cars but all was still and we decided not to wake them up at 7.30 Sunday morning.

The car seemed to go all right at about 40km. So we drove and drove and drove. FInally we made it!

A relative recommended a motor mechanic in Numurkah. We saw a young man, David there and he informed us the wheel bearing disintegrated as he got to it and he thought it was an utter miracle we made it. At a playground in the town was the word Miracle on each yellow tin step.

Our faith was stretched and God met us and helped us. 'He is an ever present help in time of trouble. '