You can learn a lot from a baby…

in Thoughts  by Ruth 0 comments

You can learn a lot from a baby. Seriously. A baby will practice over 10,000 times to perfect a skill. That’s why they repeat the same exercise over and over again. They are skill-building experts.

Every morning they wake (EARLY) rearing to go practice. My 14 month old has learned to open the child proof safety latches on our cupboards. Thankfully he has also learned to listen to mom on which cabinets are his to open.

Did you know that your brain is wired for practice? I recently watched a talk on Neural Pathways.  Every time you practice a skill your neural pathways become more efficient at sending those signals to the parts of your body that allow you to do that specific skill.

How exactly? It is similar to when insulation is bound around cables wires. The thicker the insulation the less likely the signal is likely to be lost.

When you practice a skill such as music, singing, dancing, language, etc the insulation around those associated wires in your brain become thicker thus allowing you to master a skill over time with ease.

Have you ever seen a painter, pianist, dancer, orator, etc and said ‘They make it look so easy.’ That is the result of years and years of fortifying those neural pathways that give them that fluid skill.

Science is revealing the magnificence of creation on a scale never seen before. Yet King David in the Bible said ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Psalm 139:14 and he didn’t even have a microscope!

So now it is your turn to put that ‘baby fortitude’ to work and make something ‘look’ easy for the benefit of others.

Corrections and counsel

in Thoughts  by Sharyn 0 comments

I don’t often think of the Bible as the kind of book that would use the word stupid.

Oh, perhaps in an indirect sort of way with synonyms for stupid. I know the Gospels are full of parables about foolish builders who can’t keep a house standing, foolish bridesmaids who can’t keep their lamps lit, and foolish servants who can’t help being undone by their own schemes.

But … stupid?

So I was surprised when I came across this verse in Proverbs that seems surprisingly blunt:

“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1)

The key thing here is that stupid is not a lack of knowledge – it’s an attitude. And it’s an attitude which stems from a lack of self-knowledge and a lack of desire to change that state. In other words … it’s less about what you know rather than what you do when you’re faced with the fact that you don’t actually know it all.

So… being stupid in this sense isn’t about intelligence at all. It’s an attitude of pride that scorns, resists and avoids opportunities to learn.

If you couldn’t handle being corrected, you’d never learn anything. Although we often think of learning as something that happens inside a classroom, the truth is every day is an opportunity to learn. We can learn from other people, learn from experience, learn from past mistakes. However the only way we can learn any of these things is if we recognise that there is something there for us to learn from. 

Proverb 12:15 goes on to say – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.”

Wisdom is defined by listening and responding to a wisdom beyond ourselves, just as knowledge comes from instruction. If you never open your eyes to other perspectives, you’ll never see beyond your own line of sight.

 

The Faith of a Child

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

UmbrellaClosedBlack3dmodel01.jpgd63121b3-70ae-4292-910e-a3960e98653bOriginalA few weeks ago, one of Micah’s friends was having an outdoor birthday party.  The forecast predicted rain for that day, which would have really put a damper on the party.  So Micah and I prayed that it would not rain so that our friends would not be stressed or sad.

As we were leaving for the party, I looked outside the window and saw dark clouds rolling in.  I grabbed an umbrella, just in case.  Micah looked at me putting the umbrella in the boot and asked, “Mommy, did we pray for no rain?”

I paused, trying to think of an answer that didn’t include a theological exposition on prayer, God’s will, or faith and works.  Finally, I just said, “Yes, we did.”  But the inquisition continued.  “Are you taking an umbrella, mommy?”

“Yes.”

“For the rain?”

“Well, just in case.”

“Just in case?”

“We prayed that it wouldn’t rain.  But God might have other plans.  So if it does rain, then we have the umbrella.  Prayer is not about getting God to do everything we want, but about us talking to God like a friend.  That means God as our friend does things for us, but sometimes we as His friends have to change what we want.   So if He needs it to rain, we have an umbrella.  But if He doesn’t need it to rain, then He will say yes to our prayer and it won’t rain.”

Micah had stopped listening by this point and was looking at diggers on the side of the road.

But I had learned my lesson.  When we arrived at the park, I took out the pram, the nappy bag, the glider, the present, the two boys … but I left the umbrella in the boot.

Although it was overcast, there was not a single drop of rain until the party was over and we were home.

Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms,placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Having the faith of a child is not about being naive or simple.  It’s about embracing the full possibility of what God promises – and experiencing the blessing of His presence.

To Err is Human

in Thoughts  by Ruth 0 comments

2014-Feb-08_0828_edited-11“To err is human, to forgive Divine.” (Alexander Pope, “Essay on Criticism“)

We all experience mistakes. Big or small we will both author and receive mistakes. Yet, mistakes give us the opportunity to experience the power of forgiveness.

The past week we had our hot water system burst. I walked into our tiled bathroom and slipped haphazardly on a thick and expanding film of water. My wobbly-legged one-year-old son followed close behind me. He grinned with excitement before I whipped him up out of the danger zone to his disappointment. After speaking with the real estate agent to contact a plumber, she asked me if I could access the hot water heater and turn it off. I quickly said yes but after hanging up it dawned on me that I have never turned off a hot water heater.

The first challenge was accessing the unit. It was behind a heavy wooden board in the bathroom tucked away behind the washing machine. To my surprise I shifted the washing machine away with ease. However, lifting the heavy wooden door was the real challenge.  I tried several times to lift the door but to no avail. I only managed to budge it a little. More water poured onto my tiles. I pushed harder. Sweat poured down my face and I remember thinking a dress was a poor choice for today. Finally the door budged and I could lift it out. What a relief! Now, it was just a matter of finding the water valve.

There were no clear instructions as I had hoped.

I quickly ‘Googled’ for the answer. A YouTube video instructed I would need an electrician! Meanwhile, water poured through the bathroom and the carpets were getting saturated around the outer bathroom walls.

Just then my husband walked in the front door from work.  After disappearing into the bathroom, he reappeared seconds later and said he turned the valve off. To my credit it was behind the cylinder making it difficult to see. I was so relieved it was off. Later that evening we learned that three units below us received water damage due to a defect on the building’s piping.

This drama did not come as a complete surprise to us. Three months prior we had the water heater assessed as we noticed rust in our hot water. Our real estate agent called me the next day to apologize. She had received approval from the owners to replace the hot water heater months ago but had forgotten to action the request. She asked if there was any damage to our personal items. There wasn’t but the carpets just needed to be dried. She remained professional but I sensed how disheartened she felt about the situation. I empathized with her and told her how things can slip through when you are juggling a number of requests. In addition, she was new to her role.

Later that day the owner called me directly and apologized. She was angry with the real estate agent. I did my best to try to sooth the situation.

The drama gave me thought on how easy it is for us to err and how difficult it is to either ask or grant forgiveness. Jesus said while instructing his disciples how to pray ‘Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:4) He also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” (Matthew 5:9)

We live in an angry world. A world that demands repayment when they are wronged or even offended these days. In our moments of loss (or victimhood) we feel we must be compensated swiftly. It is not unnatural to feel this way nor is it unjust to demand a wrong to be fixed.

Yet in moments where we stand as the victim of someone else’s mistake or offence, we should remember the Lord Jesus Christ’s mind-blowing words to those that crucified Him.

He requested that they be forgiven. (Luke 23:34)

The Purge

in Thoughts  by Bronwyn 0 comments

Screen Shot 2017-02-12 at 10.33.11 pmOver the past few weeks I have noticed moths flying around the kitchen and pantry. I had been swatting them down when I could reach them and been pretty happy with myself when I got them. Then I started noticing the cocoons attached to the sides of some of my containers, and upon closer inspection, webbing in the dry powdery contents. Then I looked at a container of buckwheat and beans that I hadn’t opened in a while and to my disgust I found that inside the container there was not only webbing from the cocoon but actual moths that had hatched and were flying around trapped inside! How had it gotten to this?

I did a quick wikihow search and thus began the 8-step purge while Darrell kept my son out of mischief. First I had to throw out everything in my pantry that was flour, sugar, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or anything that had any sign of the moths at any life-stage. That included anything that even looked like eggs. It was bagged and put out in the trash immediately (which went out that night since apparently it shouldn’t even be too close to the house).

Anything that looked clean but was still a likely target went into the freezer.  All the containers were scrubbed in hot soapy water with a toothbrush and left to dry completely. The shelves, doors and hinges were scrubbed as well, then sprayed with vinegar and tea tree oil. The whole surrounding region and any cracks or crevices were sprayed with bug spray and pantry moth traps were set.  Then the whole area left to air for 36 hours.

All the remaining items (bottles and cans) were inspected closely and sprayed with vinegar and tea tree oil for posterity.

Finally my pantry was looking incredibly clean (and empty) and the tension from the ordeal oozed away as I realised that the my kitchen and home were contaminant-free. But it was a somewhat guarded sense of relief as this was not the first time this had happened. And if the comments in the wikihow section were anything to go by, the moths would probably come back again.

Often moth eggs are in the flour and dry goods you buy and you don’t even realise it. Sometimes they are on the packaging. Some people recommend putting everything you buy in the freezer for a week before you shelve it so that any eggs inside will die.

I couldn’t help but think how similar this is to my life. Sometimes a couple of sins flit around. I smack them down and then continue on. But in reality those visible sins are often the metamorphosis of some tiny egg of a sin deep in my pantry. Who knows how they creep in. Perhaps it’s the lyric in a song or an ad in a magazine. It is often all wrapped up in life’s daily routines and slips in undetected. And if it goes unchecked it could hatch into a niggling worm of discontent that eventually metamorphoses into outbursts of anger and a broken relationship. Or perhaps a bit of stress and dissatisfaction leading to greed to fill the void.

Then the situation comes to a head and the only thing that will help is a complete surrender and overhaul by our Cleanser and Healer. After that, to keep things under control, I need to let Him examine my heart daily and keep the ‘moth traps’ set.

I may have lost hundreds of dollars worth of dry goods but a bad attitude could make me lose a lot more. Hopefully I have learned more than just a lesson on pantry cleanliness and will be more careful about the state of the storehouse in my heart – keep me in your prayers!

Inspired living

in Thoughts  by Sharyn 0 comments

I got a store catalogue in the mail this week. Inside were an array of lovely (and oh-so-affordable!) homewares – everything from cushions, furniture, kitchen items, clothing and accessories. Nothing I need, but lots of things I could potentially convince myself I did.

As I was looking at it, the title of the catalogue caught my eye: Inspired Living.

Inspiration is certainly a go-to word right now: we use it to describe everything from celebrities to juice cleanses. Of course, the question behind any inspiration is – what is its source? In the case of the catalogue, the inspiration is driven by the latest design trends… lasting only as long as the trend remains trendy, before it’s replaced by the next latest thing.

True inspired living is not about owning a scented candle in the Pantone colour of the year (…Greenery, if you were curious), arranging framed motivational posters or gracing your kitchen with geometric fruit bowls in rose gold.  

Being a Christian is all about inspired living – it’s a life that is inspired, as a follower of Christ, to lead a life inspired by something greater than this world.

You won’t find it in a catalogue, because it’s not something that can be purchased with money.
You won’t discard it once a new season arrives, because it will stand the test of time.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

That’s what true inspired living looks like.

The Glad Game

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

pollyanna“When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.”  

This is my favourite line from one of my favourite childhood movies, Pollyanna (1960).  The film is based on a book written in 1913 by Eleanor Hodgman and features a little girl named Pollyanna who chooses to look for the good in all people and all circumstances despite being orphaned, crippled, and criticised.

When she comes to live with her rigid aunt in a small town in America, she explains this “Glad Game” to others: Her parents had been impoverished missionaries in the West Indies. Pollyanna had wanted a doll so badly that her parents wrote requesting a doll for a little girl.  When the missionary barrels came, there had been a mistake and instead of a doll, there was a pair of crutches.  Pollyanna was deeply disappointed.  Her father then made up the “Glad Game,” where whenever she was upset, they would think of something to be glad about.  What was there to be glad about crutches?  Well, they could be glad that they didn’t need to use them.

Pollyanna’s “Glad Game” catches on and the town that had been fractured and full of cranky people eventually becomes a caring community who find the good in each other.

The Glad Game.  At first, it’s a very difficult game to play if you’re used to playing the Self-Pity Game or even the Blame Game.  Many of us are champions of the Whinge Game.

What if we started to play the Glad Game?  What if we looked for the good not only in difficult circumstances but also in challenging people? What differences would we see and experience?

The wise king said, “Whoever seeks good finds favour, but evil comes to one who searches for it.”  Proverbs 11:27.  Or, as one translator paraphrased, “Anyone can find the dirt in someone.  Be the one that finds the gold.”

After all, God chooses to see the good in us and believes we are worthy dying for.  Glad tidings, indeed.

For Such a Time

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

What do you do when you belong to an organisation, company, or country whose leader you don’t support or whose culture is contrary to your values and beliefs?

Do you run, quit, or protest?

Those may be valid responses.  But I’d like to present another option:

Have you ever heard of Obadiah?  I know, unusual name.

Obadiah was the chief of staff in King Ahab’s palace (~ 5th c. BC).  Ahab is infamous for being the most wicked of Israel’s kings.  As a high official, Obadiah has to carry out Ahab’s orders – but he also has the means to be faithful to his own beliefs.  When Ahab’s wife Queen Jezebel orders the prophets of the Lord to be killed, Obadiah hides a hundred prophets in two caves ad provides them bread and water until the crises abates (1 Kings 18:3-16).

A better known figure is Esther.

Esther was the Queen of Persia when Haman, the right man of King Ahasuerus, tries to annihilate all the Jews in the Empire (~5th c. B.C).  She courageously risks her life to expose Haman and to plead for her people.  The Jews still celebrate the Feast of Purim to honour the historical event (Esther 8,9).

Obadiah and Esther were at the right place at the right time to save lives and make a difference.

We may not be high officials or royalty.  But we can still exert our influence in a corrupt environment to bring about some good.  Of course, if being in that setting starts to poison us, it is time to get out.  But until then, could it be that we are where we are for a reason?

Time to Grow Up

in Thoughts  by Ruth 0 comments

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Has ‘growing up’ ever made your New Year’s resolution list?

I recently finished Aldous Huxley’s classic dystopian novel, Brave New World.

Here, adults are kept simple in their thoughts and impulsive in their relationships.

In essence, they are kept child-like for the sake of societal stability and control through entertainment, sensations, sensual pleasures, and games. On the surface there should not be any discontent. Despite this, a few of them craved deeper relationships and their thinking began to diverge.

They were like children wanting to grow up but caged in a type of Neverland.

Maturity isn’t a process we think about too often. It has never made my New Year’s resolutions. We typically limit maturity to physicality instead of spirituality.

The apostles longed for spiritual maturity in the church.

Paul states we are to  “… become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

“Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14:20)

“…we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Colossians 1:9-10)

Put simply, we are to grow up. We are to graduate from milk to solid food and not remain infants in Christ.

There is a time to be children as Jesus instructed for our humility and faith but we are not intended to stay as such.

The world needs spiritually mature adults. Only as spiritually mature adults can have deep relationships, connections, thoughts, and reasoning. As mature adults, we should bear fruit.

Whatever your New Year’s resolutions are, you are essentially desiring to grow up in an area that needs maturity: fitness, diet, relationships, finances.

In 2017 I encourage you to seek spiritual maturity. May you resolve to grow up by searching the scriptures to increase your knowledge of God.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14-15)

Has the Christmas Story Been Lost?

in Thoughts  by Naomi 2 comments

So I decided to take my three year old son Andrew to see the Myer Christmas Windows in the city. Something that’s been a tradition in my family for years, as my Grandmother used to take me when I was a little girl. This year was as popular as ever with quite a few people, many of them families watching each performing window. The theme this year incorporated Luna Park & a Melbourne Christmas in the 1960s. It was quite well done.

After we watched the last colourful, musical window which ended the story, there was then a prominent single window of three lovely gold figurines of baby Jesus in his manger and Mary and Joseph looking down at him lovingly. Andrew and I talked briefly about the scene (and I was glad that Andrew recognised the baby as Jesus). It then hit me that nobody else was stopping to look. I saw in the reflection of the glass that a couple behind me glanced at the window as they walked past but they didn’t stop. Nobody stopped. It really saddened me and unexpected tears began to well. Here we had all these parents and children eagerly watching the “Luna park” themed Christmas story just adjacent to us but nobody was interested in stopping to look at the true Christmas Story. Not even for a brief moment. I thought to myself, “What has our society become? Is it really that secular now?” It seems that we are fast losing our Christian faith, and it’s sad, it’s concerning.

A bit later, Andrew and I arrived at Christmas Square where to my delight there was a nativity scene, and the story of Jesus’ birth was written on a board next to it. I noticed a young boy of about 10 years reading it and then I saw a Mum exclaiming to her young child, “Oh baby Jesus. Look, there’s baby Jesus!” This warmed my saddened heart and it restored my “faith” in our society a little.

I still wonder though if the true Christmas story has been lost amongst the masses. Amongst all the present buying and Santa Claus excitement, does the average person even pause to give one thought to the true meaning of Christmas? To the significance of the birth of Jesus and what He has done for us/for them?

I suppose it’s up to the rest of us to teach the true story and to encourage such thinking, such recognition and the true acknowledgement of Jesus.