No Remorse
Isn't it disappointing when people wrong you, hurt you, etc - and then when they see you for the first time in a long time they behave as though nothing ever happened? I find it to be very disappointing, especially when it is someone for whom you have done a lot, stood by, etc.
This happened to me just recently ~ the person concerned carried on in a manner as though she was still my best friend, that she had done nothing toward me that could be regarded as appalling behaviour and that somehow there was nothing ill between us as a result. It saddened me and disappointed me greatly.
My strongest desire was to simply show her that I still cared about her and to embrace her, however, I knew this would not be the best course of action as it would allow her to get away with continued poor behaviour without even the slightest display of remorse ~ and I certainly have no intention of being used as a friend of convenience or worse still, to be used as a doormat.
To be sure, I do not despise this person and she knows that I do not. I have made it abundantly clear that should she need me for anything I am here for her. However, there is no way that her continued poor behaviour toward me is to be deemed acceptable in any manner whatsoever and an explanation and an apology are in order ~ and they to be marked with sincerity and truth. Without these things, I cannot help but think that I have overestimated the worth of this person, though I am sure that within her is the potential of someone who is to be valued beyond any words that I can possibly hope to give voice to. At the moment I am left disappointed and dis-illusioned by this one in whom I believed and in whom I had placed so many high hopes.
The way to reconciliation remains open, but it must come via the true path of reconciliation as I have already mentioned in this posting. I am certainly ready to receive her with the trappings of the most sincere, open and warm-hearted friendship that I have
Bringing Out the Iconoclast
Isn't it interesting how Protestant churches seem to be doing their utmost to return to Papist ways? OK, that might be going slightly overboard ~ or is it? When you begin to think about the sorts of things that kicked off the reformation, especially in places like England, you see that the early Reformers sought to reform the church away from the corrupt abuses that were going on in it - things like the rampant corruption through the teaching of purgatory, etc.
There was also the movement to get away from idolatry, with the Roman church actively encouraging the worship of saints, Mary, images, relics, etc. I find it interesting (not in a good way) how many Protestant churches have moved back toward this sort of thing, though most certainly they would protest the charge of idolatry most vehemently. You could say, 'well, didn't the Roman Church also protest in this manner?'
What am I thinking of? Why is it that some (indeed many) Protestant churches have a lump of wood (a cross) set above the buildings in which they meet and some even have a lump of wood as the direct focus of the congregation at the front of the building. I remember in a lot of church histories that I have read, how the Reformers would object strongly to such items in the church, yet now we seem to be throwing them up all over the place.
You could also mention here the prevalence of pictures of 'Jesus,' in direct violation of the Ten Commandments and other Scriptures, where it is clearly forbidden that such images should be made. Yet how many of the them do you see in churches? They may very well be very important stain glass windows as far as historical significance is concerned, but does this make their existence any less a violation of the commands of God?
So you see, this sort of thing when I see it really brings out the iconoclast in me.
There's An Ash Tray - What Hinders Me?
This is something I really shouldn't have been thinking about today - yeah, I was in church. So what is it with all of the ash trays in some churches? OK, I know what you're thinking, 'they don't really smoke in churches - do they? Well, not that I know off ~ but it could be possible that some American Pentecostal and/or Market Driven Churches are into it, after all, it would be a good way to get some unchurched folks into the church. Alright - not so funny.
So anyhow, there I was thinking about this ash tray - should I sneak in sometime and put a butt or two in it. I don't suppose that would go down too well. Depending on whether or not water was kept in the ash tray, at least it is possible that there wouldn't be too much of a fire hazard.
That's right people, I was thinking about the 'baptismal font,' if that is what they are called. It's an item that can be used for all manner of purposes and not just as an ash tray. It could be used as a free standing 'dip' bowl for crackers and the like, though it could be argued it is already being used for 'dipping' I suppose. It could be used as a small bowl for keeping fruit, such as grapes and berries - certainly not water melon because it isn't designed to hold a whole lot of water :-)
It got me to thinking, why was it that the Ethiopian eunuch 'struggled' to get baptised after Peter had explained the meaning of various Scriptures to him - could it be that it took such an awfully long time to find a suitable small body of water. Perhaps eventually he was able to say, 'Peter, there's an ash tray - what hinders me from being baptised.' I imagine Peter might have said, 'Well, there isn't enough water for a proper baptism buddy.' Hence they waited until they found a considerable body of water for the sign to be carried out correctly.
OK, so you're thinking - 'typical Baptist!'
Now hang on, I could also say what is it with all of the concealed baths and spas that are often hidden under pulpits? Since when did baptisms get conducted in a bathroom?
Isn't it likely that the sign of giving a public testimony via baptism was meant to be carried out, well, publicly? Isn't it an outward sign of what has happened inwardly, a public testimony to all that something has happened of a spiritual nature and that you are giving a public testimony of the fact?
Obviously such 'open air' baptisms are a thing of the past for many denominations and churches - which is rather sad. What you get these days is some highly ritualised sprinkling, dipping and/or dunking in some fairly hidden away receptacles.
But you could probably go further and ask why are churches these days tied to 'church buildings?' Why are churches so concerned for material property, spending far too much time on property matters than on the mission to which they have been appointed? But I guess that is a possible subject for another day.
Procrastinating Calvinists
OK, I should mention right at the outset that I would be classified as a Calvinist, though I am more correctly defined as a Particular Baptist ~ none-the-less, my refined invective is aimed directly at myself, as well as other procrastinating Calvinists. So please, if you are a Calvinist, do not think that this is an attack from someone who doesn't know what a Calvinist is - I'm smack bang in the middle of your camp. Of course some would say I'm not because I'm Baptist and not a Paedobaptist, but let us not get too bogged down in that on this occasion.
I have had occasion to reflect (meditate) on a particular issue that is found across the board today in Reformed circles and that is on what I am calling procrastinating Calvinism. I was thinking of calling it Procrastinating Hypercalvinism, but that would be extremely inaccurate, for most of the procrastinaters that I am thinking of, whether they be individuals or groups of individuals communing together in churches, actually do believe in evangelism - at least in theory. In practice there seems to be very little of it actually happening however.
I was thinking of what the churches of yester-year got up to and in particular the pastors/elders of these churches. They seemed to be made of a different mettle to people of today. I've been involved in works where there has been opposition to evangelistic efforts because people were too busy, too tired, had too many other things to do (mundane things), etc. Now in my opinion, this would seem to be a far cry from the attitude and approach to the lost world by Christians, churches and pastors/elders, than what was the case in days gone by. In fact, I would say that we should be down-right ashamed of ourselves that we have allowed other things outside of our Christian calling to dominate our lives to such an extent that we have forgotten to practice our theory in the area of evangelism - not that this would be the only area affected by such sentiment.
Reformed churches have become just a little (maybe extremely) too comfortable with their present lot and the committment to evangelism, church planting, missions, etc, has been allowed to slide away to the point of almost non-existence because we care too much for the things of this world, whether it be entertainment, sporting activities, etc - many of which are perfectly acceptable liberties in and of themselves. But the world perishes and the church's mission is cast aside while we do so.
We are very keen to make a convert of an erring brother or sister, to enter into a debate among ourselves as to whether we should address pastors/elders in certain ways, as to what a person should be wearing in church and the like (sounds a bit like the Pharisees and Sadducees doesn't it?), etc, but when it comes down to making an effort and self-sacrifice - well, we are just a little too busy for that.
I remember a time when I was extremely horrified by a church that was prepared to loose what had become a fantastic outreach ministry to the surrounding community, because people just had too much on their plates outside of the church ministry - what an absolute disgrace! Yet this was a supposedly Calvinistic Baptist church that believed in evangelism! The outreach ministry had already proven successful, had already established itself in the community and had already brought a multitude of people into contact with the church - yet it was threatened by people being too busy. This proved to be the last straw for me and I left the church not long after. Interestingly, there has been no outreach ministry of the type held since.
Are we just too plain lazy and have we become procrastinating Calvinists? Or have we become practicing Hypercalvinists, believing that no matter what we do the Church will grow because the elect will be brought in by God? I am fearful it is both.
I long for the day when Reformed churches again take up the baton that we have all too easily dropped and left behind in our comfortable little groups that make war on one another ~ and being a Particular Baptist, I am especially thinking of Particular Baptists/Reformed Baptists. We have a heritage from the Lord and we have the truth passed down to us by those that have gone before, yet we are failing to walk worthy of the calling we have in Christ Jesus.
Moving On - I don't think I want to
There are times in life when one just simply has to move on. What you have become comfortable with simply remains no more. What you want is simply not available. No matter how much you protest, the reality is forced upon you and you must find a way to move on.
I know what it is like to have to abandon a dream or to admit that something you wish for just isn't going to happen - and you have to move on. It is a painful readjustment of your life that you don't really want to make. You would rather be able to go back somehow and turn things around, do something different, say something incredibly important and all would be back to the way it was or should be. Moving on is simply not an option on your agenda - yet it forces itself upon you.
Circumstances often govern that which you do in life. Your plan for your life, your dream perhaps and most certainly your current thoughts and routine are changed by what life throws at you. Moving on becomes a choice that you no longer are able to freely choose, for your circumstances make it inevitable and you simply have to move on.
But what an overwhelming sense there is to simply cry out, 'I don't want to move on, I want things to be as they are or as they were.' But alas, there is no compromise with the new reality, you simply have to move on.
I love that scene in Braveheart where Wallace's wife returns to him in a dream and she tells him he has to wake up. Wallace says something like, 'I want to stay here, with you.' That thought resonates with me from time to time and I find it so hard to move on from certain situations that I don't want to see change, certainly not in a direction I don't want them to.
As I was saying yesterday, I have lost my friend - she was my closest friend ever and I cared for her more than I have cared for anyone ever. I miss her terribly, but it is a reality I can do nothing about. I am left with my memories and these are exceedingly precious to me, as indeed she is. It is a reality that I had no choice in. I believe in real friendships that have real meaning and this reality has no meaning to me. It has come without explanation and I am now forced to move on, though it is not the direction I ever wanted to go in.
People will say that I cared too much and that I believed in her too much - but no, that was never true. I didn't care enough and I didn't believe enough, though I did with all that I was and am. My choice of friendship demanded my all and I freely gave it with depth of heart. I believed in her, she was my friend.
I fear I failed her in some way and that perhaps I hurt her without even knowing I did. I have never tried to do so and indeed I tried ever so hard not to. Yet sometimes it is possible without even knowing it. I would never intentionally hurt her and I would lay down my life for her if it was required to help her. I adored her and she meant the world to me, but all that seems over now and for no reason that I can see.
It is time to move on, though I don't think I want to. It is a reality I have no choice in, it was a decision made for me my another - so move on I must. This I will do, but I don't think I can forget her and I know I will always be here for her, whenever she needs me or wants me. She is my friend, I can do no other - my heart and my soul will not sever the bonds that bind me to her, and I am happy with that. Yet, I still must move on.
The Loss of a Friend
I have been reminded tonight of a special person in my life who is no longer my friend. It was not that I had forgotten her, just that I had stopped thinking about her - there is a difference.
There was a time when things were quite low for me and she came into my life and brought joy back to it. Her smile was enough to brighten my day and really made me feel happy - just seeing her smile. Her smile and her dimples were priceless. She had her moments, moments when she brought me not so much joy, as disappointment and sadness. But overall she was a person of immeasurable worth and value, a priceless gem in a world of valueless rocks.
Just being around her made me feel good to be alive. I could sit with her and listen to her stories time without end. It was good to be with her and it was time never wasted. Whatever of me that was spent on her, was an investment in a person that was worth all and more. I never knew what she saw in me, but she valued me more than I was worth. She made me feel real and I was her friend.
I miss her and that is all.
Branching Out
We began the big clean up at work today after last weekend's cyclone. If today is any indication, it would seem that we have the rest of this week and well into next, to look forward to, in order to clear the grounds of debris - which is mostly branches and fallen trees. We have created several large piles of green waste which I hope to have chipped and put back onto our gardens - nothing should go to waste out of this exercise.
We are looking at replacing the roof on our five wing Aged Care Hostel after finding it had at least thirty leaks in it, as well as the two large holes from skylights which were torn off during the storm. This should go a long way toward repairing the issues in that particular building. We have placed a tarp over the worst section of the roof (as well as the previous two tarps covering the ruined skylights). There were also three other buildings to date that had roof damage during the storm - that we know of thus far.
More debris to clear tomorrow with yet more piles of green waste to be chipped and returned to our gardens.
Leaves Come from Trees
As always there are some funny things that happen, even in the midst of major natural disasters. Take for instance this story. During work to clear roads of trees and debris in our retirement village, one of the village residents got his gas BBQ operating (there was no electricity for quite a long time - 24 hours) in order to give his neighbours a hot coffee or cup of tea. Maintenance staff also got an opportunity to get a hot drink.
One woman came down and began to speak of how she had been picking up leaves all morning from near her place. At this point another woman pointed out to her, 'the leaves come from the trees.' Well this was one revelation that we were all thankful to get, not knowing where all these leaves had come from.
Later on, one of my staff decided to take a seat on the roof we were cutting a large tree branch from (it had gone through the roof). Incredibly he decided to sit in the hole that the branch had made through the roof - he says he didn't know it was there. Well, that had me stumped, especially since the hole was the reason we were on the roof in the first place.
Thanks to ABC 1233
Throughout the chaos of the cyclonic storm that hit our region on Friday and Saturday, and beyond, Radio station ABC 1233 continued to cover the disaster 24 hours a day. All the information on unfolding events, evacuation centers and shelters, emergency services, etc, was broadcast across the air waves providing invaluable assistance to all.
I for one offer them a hearty thanks, as I know many in the region also offer them.
Drought Continues in a Sea of Water
As incredible as it may sound, there seems that relief from the prolonged drought that has held eastern Australia in its vice grip for over four years is still a long way off, this despite the cyclonic activity of the last few days.
Though catchment areas in the hunter received up to a year's supply of water thus far, other catchment areas have received very little in comparison. Sydney's Warragamba Dam is still only about 37% full and many other areas remain on extremely strict water restrictions. In my region, water supply capacity is already at 100% in many areas, but our supply was already very close to this level prior to the wild weather of the last few days. The regions that needed the rain have largely missed out.
Ten Dead in Cyclone Chaos
Ten people are now confirmed dead following the cyclonic storm that hit Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast on Friday and Saturday.
A family of five were killed when the car they were travelling in was swept away in flood waters when the road they were driving on simply fell into a swollen creek. The old pacific highway near Sommersby gave way beneath the car and a thirty metre section of the road simply vanished into a chasm. The father, mother, two children and a nephew of the parents were all killed in the road collapse. There were reports that the father could be heard yelling out for help for a short period, but there was no possibility of rescue.
An elderly couple were drowned when their 4WD was swept into flood waters near Clarence Town and their bodies found on a farmer's property a day or so later.
Among the other fatalities, one man was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle and another man drowned after having managed to escapse from his car which was being swept away, he was then washed into a drain and sucked under.
Twenty one men were rescued from the stricken bulk carrier at Nobby's beach (see picture of the ship in an earlier posting), when helicopters were called in to rescue them from mountainous seas that saw waves breaking over the ship.
Hundreds of other people were saved from drowning in their cars, shops and homes, by the heroic action of people they didn't even know. The city abounds with stories of people who only survived the disaster with moments to spare, thanks to the actions of strangers.
It is incredible that only ten have been confirmed dead in this disaster, given that thousands of cars were swept away, flooded and submerged within seconds of when the flooding actually started. I know, I was caught up in it at one point.
People were forced to stay wherever they could find a spot to stay. Some slept in shops that had beds for sale, as shop owners allowed people to sleep on them for the night as their shop was cut off by rising flood waters. Others slept at their place of work or in cars on high ground.
It was an experience that Novocastrians will not want to repeat anytime soon.
Looting Lunatics
As the death toll from this weekends cyclone rose to 10, it has now become clear that during the chaos that engulfed the region on Friday and Saturday, abandoned cars, homes and shops were being looted by thoughtless, self-cerntred lunatics.
In one of the worst affected areas (Wallsend) security guards were posted as it became clear that looters were helping themselves in the abandoned town centre. There were reports of merchandise of various descriptions being swept down the main street and suburban roads from the towns shopping complex and main street. I heard a story that a large amount of 'new' work wear was floating down the main street at one point.
In another story, one looter was seen wading away with three pumpkins from a flooded green grocer shop - they must have been extremely rare pumpkins! Why would anyone risk there lives in a flash flood to steal three pumpkins? Just one of the weirder stories to come out of the disaster.
During my futile attempt to get home early on Saturday morning, I saw security people patrolling the abandoned town center of Cardiff - obviously in an attempt to keep looters away from the heavily damaged shops.
Other stories of heroism have emerged in contrast to the looting lunatics mentioned above. One person I actually know, rescued a woman and a young child from a submerged car at Warners Bay, suffering an electric shock for his troubles in the process. He and his friend just dived into the water to get the two trapped people out of the car that was being swept away.
In another story from Mereweather, a guy rescue twenty people from a swollen city street by jumping on his jet ski and going up and down the road, pulling people from sinking cars, etc.
Clearly, such events bring out the best and the worst of people.
Storm Boredom
Some strange things can happen when you are stuck in a storm and can't get out. It seems like sanity is lost for a brief period as you try to keep yourself amused. So a strange game of bingo in the middle of the night playing for a piece of a chocolate and wearing strange head gear was the way to go in our opinion.
You also need to find somewhere to crash and sometimes an aged care air chair is all there is available - not too comfortable.
Some Speed Hump
Even in the midst of damage caused by the massive storm described in a previous posting, there is opportunity for a laugh.
We have often felt that traffic moved too quickly through our village - now we have the answer. Tree Speed Humps!
Going to Extremes - Flooded In 2
Hey there,
Is this a long weekend? It sure feels like a llloonnnnggg weekend - like it will never end. I feel like I have been battling this cyclone for weeks already (but only 3 days), yet there is a mammoth task still ahead. However, it is great to know that the major services are all up and running as they should be, which has made the effort of the past three days worthwhile.
I am however extremely exhausted after all of the effort. I have been on roofs in rain, lightning and buffeting winds, been in buildings that were being flooded, hailed in through the roofs and having parts of the roof blown off. I've been near swept away in the work Ute, faced torrential waters raging towards me and rapidly rising, and travelled behind cars that began to float away in the torrent. There have been moments when I thought the building I was in was about to be swamped while desperately trying to hold the water out shoulder to shoulder with quite a number of my staff and other employees of my workplace, watched as one of our vehicles was enveloped in flood waters and later abandoned, and wandered around our retirement village in the early hours of the morning surrounded by devastation (yet with very little building damage thankfully). As I say, its been a very, very long weekend.
During the heat of the battle on Friday afternoon we attempted to prevent further damage to one of our buildings, having already lost 2 large skylights. We managed to stop two more being blown away just in time. At one point we thought we were going to loose the fight to save three wings of the five wings of the building, as water was about to come flooding into two of the wings and water already entering the centre wing through the dining room and the kitchen. These entry points in the centre wing were then sand-bagged. All hands were on deck trying to hold back the waters - then thankfully the rain stopped for the time being and the looming immediate disaster subsided, though it again threatened during the night.
I was unable to reach home for over 40 hours as the entire neighbourhood around Cardiff was inundated and became a battlefield. At about 5pm on Friday afternoon I tried to get home, but soon discovered that the already wild weather was intensifying rapidly and that I wouldn't be able to get back to work where I would be needed. So when I got to the main street of Cardiff I needed to turn around in torrential train and extremely strong winds.
As I approached the main street the road I was travelling on began to turn into a river complete with rapids. The car in front of me 'blew up' and began floating away. It was necessary to get onto the median strip to get through the rising waters. Cars were beginning to go all over the place and float away. I managed to get into the main street of Cardiff and to turn around, but I had to return the same way.
As I got back onto the road it was clear that something unusual was unfolding, with water levels rising all over the area. Water was flowing across the road in an area that seemed to have become a large river and infinitely wide. I tried to travel across it, having already become stuck in the middle of it without even trying to enter it. Incredible amounts of water was coming at me and as I approached the Cardiff 'subway (the road passes under a railroad bridge),' the amount of water was incredible and it seemed I was not going to get through. Cars were being swept along on the opposite side of the road and the depth seemed impossible to get through. the truck in front of me parted the waters like the red sea and I was able to get through right behind the truck - the car behind me didn't make it. The journey ahead was something of a battle of trying to get through the next few miles/kms without being swept away in what was now a raging torrent, as water came roaring out of the properties and yards on the side of the road. Cars were being abandoned everywhere, as cars began to float away in the torrent and people fled for their lives looking for higher ground.
I managed to get through, just minutes ahead of the even greater chaos that was to follow. As I reached the village, the scene behind me rapidly became that of a major disaster. Locality after locality was transformed into raging rivers and lakes, with multitudes of cars being swept or floating away, swept into drains and buildings, becoming completely covered in water and being tightly packed against each other in some areas. Building after building was quickly flooded and thousands of people became stranded, trying to get home in the gathering darkness.
Throughout the night the winds continued to grow stronger and the rains got heavier. Finally the storm seemed to just stop. It seemed to reach its greatest strength at about 2am and then suddenly stopped - no more rain and no more wind (for the rest of the early hours anyway). I ventured out at about 3am into the devastation. The grounds of my workplace were littered with fallen trees, mountains of branches and endless debris.
In the early hours of Saturday morning I tried to get home again, managing to find my way back to Cardiff, travelling through eerie streets and suburbs. There were cars all over the place - cars crashed into telegraph poles, cars all over the roads facing all manner of directions and angles, many had hazard lights on but all empty of people. There was debris everywhere, with all manner of obstructions on the roads. There were trees and branches littering the footpaths, yards and roads.
As I approached the main street of Cardiff it became clear that I wouldn't be able to get through that particular street. Ahead of me was a locality that resembled a lake with cars floating here and there, with others resting on various parts of the road and footpaths. I turned off onto a side road and tried to go home another way. as I approached another street towards my house and turned into it, I wasn't prepared for what I found. Ahead of me was an abandoned ambulance which had been washed down the road. Surrounding it were a multitude of cars in various directions and angles. The large carpark near the road was full of abandoned cars that had been swept into it and which rested wherever they hit something or the water levels lessened. A car had been swept of the road and was lying against the chemist in the main street of Cardiff. There was no way through what was left of Cardiff and I had to turn back and return to work.
It was an incredible sight as I was required to weave my way through a maze of cars and other debris on the way back to work. At one point I looked down the main road leading to the region's major shopping complex only to see water, abandoned cars and darkness going off into the distance. There were no people anywhere, there were no lights except for the occasional hazard lights of vehicles and debris everywhere - it was like travelling through an abandoned city after some war.
I was of course stuck at work - not able to get anything to wear, having been drenched through about 24 hours earlier.
Such then were some of the 'highlights' of this incredible storm event.
Under the Weather - Flooded In
So here I am stuck at work due to flooding all over the region. Something like 300mm plus of rain in the last 24 hours around the Newcastle - Lake Macquarie area. I have the building I am in sand-bagged at the moment, as water has already entered via several doors earlier in the day. I also have two holes in the roof tarped up because the skylights were blown off earlier in the day as well. We have all manner of containers catching water throughout the building - something like 30 leaks all over the building. There are laundry tubs, cooking pots, buckets and other various containers deployed throughout the building.
There has also been a tree from our property fall over the neighbours fence and destroy their pool. There are branches down everywhere and much localised flooding all over the grounds here were I work.
The surrounding region is a natural disaster area at the moment, with massive amounts of localised flooding and severe wind damage - there is the equivalent of a category 1 cyclone here at the moment.
As the title suggests I'm flooded in and can't go home so I'm stuck at work for the rest of the night - along with a few other people. Not likely to be able to go home anytime soon I'm afraid.
Hilton Escapes Prison
No surprises here I would expect - after only three days Paris Hilton has been released from her jail sentence and allowed to go home under house arrest in her mansion. Now there's a severe punishment. She won't be doing anything wrong again, not after being punished in such a severe manner.
Now if the same rules apply to everyone, isn't it wonderful that criminals can be released under house arrest for suffering such trauma as Paris has in three days of her short sentence. Reports have it that she was suffering a rash of all things - by all means, she should go home and not suffer such severe treatment at the hands of authorities. How shocking, why should criminals have to serve out there sentence when they have such a life threatening illness. All criminals who suffer a rash should be released under house arrest immediately.
Of course, there was also a report of some type of mental illness/stress related condition. I suppose you would be somewhat stressed if you were in prison because you committed a crime - how would it be a punishment if there was not some stress involved?
Reports have it that the judge who sentenced her is not happy that Paris has been released under house arrest and that she should have served out her entire sentence - no disagreement from me.
Teachers Know to Say No to No
Did you know that saying no is a no no in NSW schools? I didn't know that until recently, as only those in the know knew that to say no was a no no because it was so demoralizing to kids. That's right, there is no such thing as saying no to students because it can be physcologically harmful to the development of students. So now you can't say no and any real discipline of children is also frowned upon... one can only think what the next generation will be like - extremely self-centred and poorly behaved I would suggest, certainly in the majority of cases.
I would expect there will be plenty of people saying, 'yeah, so what ... it should be that way. A child's dreams can be shattered, blah de blah de blah...' In short, more of this ridiculous physco babble that is making society a bunch of cream puffs and wuses.
All across the length and breadth of modern society we are constructing a culture of weakness - poor social development, no social responsibility, disregard for authority, lack of respect, poor manners, an inability to behave in any acceptable manner, etc. All this because we have cast off those values which were once regarded as that which made a person decent and respectable. Sure, there was plenty that needed to go, but that which made real men and women has also been cast off, and in it's place we are raising up generations of self-centred, ungrateful, obnoxious, dis-respectful cream puffs and wuses.
We now have young people out there who think nothing of ganging up on girls and raping them, of belting up older people for fun, of de-facing anything and everything they come accross, that have no ability to speak to others in a respectful manner, etc. I know of people in their thirties who behave like self-centred, tantrum throwing little children because society has allowed them to be brought up in such a fashion that that is all that they could become - adults who are nothing more than spoilt, immature and self-centred juveniles.
Just thought that was something to ponder tonight :-)
New Found Faith in Paris?
I read with barely veiled scepticism a report in today's paper regarding Paris Hilton carrying a Bible and sporting a jacket with Faith across the front of it - has Paris Hilton now got faith? Does the Hilton heiress read the Scriptures in a serious manner? Wouldn't it be wonderful if this was true?
However, my first reaction was probably right - and it would seem that the writer of the article probably had the right idea as well. Is this yet another attempt by Paris Hilton to gain some form of public sympathy for her plight (she is about to go to jail for three weeks), or perhaps an attempt to gain leniency from the justice system because she has now found a reason to be 'rehabilitated?'
How many times have people sought clemency on the grounds that they 'have found God?' Becoming a 'Christian' or declaring a new found faith seems to be a common way in which some people try to gain favour with the justice system, or to garner sympathy for themselves and thereby gain a lesser sentence, fine or the like.
In Indonesia, an Australian arrested for possession of drugs, attempted to gain the sympathy of the judges by declaring she had embraced Islam and was now reforming her way, even going as far as to wear the traditional Islamic dress for women. Incredibly this was all cast off the moment she was released and returned to Australia.
Is this yet another manifestation of the same sort of tendency? Time will of course tell with Paris and I would expect it will only take a day or so after her release from prison for it to become clear as to just how deep her interest in the Bible goes.
Sausages
What is it with sausages? You go to the butcher and you buy a kilo of sausages for a BBQ. You then take them home for the BBQ and start to cook them on the BBQ, only to find them loose half their weight from fat that leaches out. Now that of course is a good thing - loosing the fat. What I want to introduce into society is an international standard for sausage weight that states a sausage cannot be any less than such a weight when cooked for it to be a legal and compliant sausage.
Why do I say that? Because consumers are being ripped off all over the country by purchasing sausages that are less in weight after they are cooked than what they weighed prior to cooking. Some sausages shrink to half their size or more. Consumers everywhere should rise up against such injustice and demand change. Only when sausage eaters everywhere do so can we expect a fair go for the average sausage eater, the little bloke of sausage eating who just can't get a good banger on the BBQ anymore.
Now don't get me started about the quality of meat in a sausage!
Reforming the Church
One of the things you would expect a Reformed Church to be doing is reforming after the Biblical model, whether they be Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, etc. But is this the case or have the Reformed Churches lived up to their name - Reformed? Have they already reformed enough - hence the name Reformed? This is a question that we perhaps would do well to ponder - especially if we like to regard ourselves as reformed.
As a Particular Baptist I would be classed these days as being pretty much a Reformed Baptist ~ as much as I would like to protest that I do not believe I am like many modern-day Reformed Baptists, this is still a fairly accurate description. However, I am committed to the idea of constantly reforming after the Biblical model. Now this doesn't mean that I have to adopt 1st century music, a Grecian Bible, etc. It simply means that I would like to put into practice those principles that are outlined in the Bible as being the Biblical method of doing church, of living, etc.
Now the point of this particular posting is to do with the organisation of the church and church practice - is the modern-day reformed movement being Biblical in its approach to the organisation of the church and church practice? From my observations of the Reformed Baptist movement and those who could be loosely described as such, I would have to say, probably not. A way has been found to do things and there is great reluctance to change that way, even though the Bible would suggest that it isn't quite right, etc. This would certainly indicate a Reformed Church in so much that it has moved from an error to a certain point and stopped - reformed. This would be like the Church of England in the days of the Reformers and Puritans. There were many men who would have liked to have had the church reform even further than it had done, but this was prevented by the powers that were then in place, hence the withdrawal of these men from the established church and the formation of other assemblies that sought to further reform after the biblical model.
We need today a new committment to one of the principles of the reformation and the reformers, a committment to be constantly reforming after the model of the Scriptures. This is simply an implication of the great reformation catch cry of 'Sola Scriptura.' We see what Scripture says should be the way we do things and we then set about to do it. Perhaps this should be a 'UGR (unwritten ground rule)' for the church, except it is written, for it is what the Scriptures would have us to do. We read and study the Scriptures, see what it says, and then we set to do it in the true spirit of 'Sola Scriptura.'
Are we reformed (as in stopped) or are we reforming, as the name was originally seeking to suggest? In what way can we still be reforming in the modern-day reformed setting as churches with a reformed heritage?
This was one of the things we were seeking to do when the 'Northlake's Reformed Baptist Church (NRBC)' was seeking to become established (sadly it is no more) - to be reforming after the model of the Scriptural way of doing things.
One of the things we sought to do was return the Lord's Supper to the context of the fellowship meal as was the practice of the New Testament church. We would observe the Lord's Supper as part of our fellowship together, having a meal together after a worship service on a Sunday. It was something we all looked forward to. Now there is no command for that I admit, but it was something we saw great advantages in and so we changed the way we did things and adopted the practice - it was a case of reforming after the biblical model, even though it wasn't expressly commanded.
We also sought to learn as much as we could from the Biblical text regarding the Lord's Supper, spending several Lord's Days preaching through the Corinthians text relating to the Lord's Supper and seeking to put into practice, both individually and as a church, the truths taught there. Again, an example of reforming the church instead of remaining reformed (reaching a certain point and stopping).
I am not suggesting that NRBC was the perfect model at this sort of thing, no not at all - I am simply holding up the example of NRBC as a church committed to the principle of always reforming the church after the Biblical model. I'm not convinced that we were really brilliant at the task of reforming the church, but we did seek the Lord's will through prayer and a careful consideration of the Word of God, as well as seeking the ability from the Lord to actually put into practice what we discovered in the Word of God.
There are so many areas that we need to carefully consider again in the light of Scripture - things that have now become merely the tradition of men, rather than the tradition of the apostles (meaning after the biblical model).
When I first got onto the Internet some years ago now, I came across a site that really encouraged me and our church in this area of reforming the church. It has changed URLs once or twice since that time, but I keep returning to it. It is a site called 'A 21st Century Puritanism,' operated by a guy called Mitch Cervinka. Obviously what is presented needs to be carefully considered in the light of Scripture and I certainly wouldn't agree with everything that Mitch presents, yet there is a lot that I find myself having to agree with (gladly) because it is founded on the Scriptures.
The link is:
A 21st Century Puritanism
There are two articles that I really like on the site and these are:
There are some excellent points made in these articles and they should really be considered by reformed churches in this matter of perpetually reforming the church.
Marketing the Church
So I have been reading a book entitled 'This Little Church Went to Market: Is the Modern Church Reaching Out of Selling Out (as mentioned in an earlier post during May 2007)?' One of the things that the author (Gary Gilley) points out fairly early in his argument is that the church has moved from the perspective of worshiping God and teaching the elect, to entertaining those who go to church and bringing the unchurched in through various gimmics.
This appears to me to be a completely sound point. The focus of the truly godly churches throughout the ages has been on informed worship (in spirit and in truth), with a heavy focus on teaching true worshippers (those who are actually saved - the elect) about the God they are worshipping and what our response to Him should be (admittedly that is a simplistic summary).
What we have in the so-called churches of today is an increasingly market-driven approach in which it is necessary to out-entertain the world, in order to keep the world in the church (that is, those who are not saved, coming to church). Only this way can churches of today be considered successful. The emphasis is no longer on apostolic teaching, fellowship, prayer and the breaking of bread, but on those people 'out there' that we must get in here at almost any cost. So now we find that the church does 'the world' better than the world in many respects.
There was an Andrew Denton special on the ABC I think it was, just a week or so ago, in which he visited this major 'Christian Convention' in the United States. The mind can only boggle at what any intelligent person could be thinking when observing the amount of rubbish that is going under the name of 'Christian worship and service' these days. This picture of Christianity in America, did nothing for the true cause of Christ and his church, for those of the world watching such a program that accurately portrayed what was happening at the convention, can only be thinking, 'what a bunch of wackos are these Christians!' I was thinking it myself!!! One guy tried to show Andrew Denton the specks of glory on his hands that were reflections of the glory of God by virtue of him just being there - of course, Andrew Denton couldn't see any of it, nor could the viewer - because it wasn't there!
It is this sort of stupidity that has weakened the church in this day - yet in another sense the true church has not been weakened at all. As always, the remnant that is the true church of God endures, through all the difficulties that surround it and it will continue to do so until it is itself glorified and freed from all of this religion that has nothing to do with the true cause of Christ and his church.
Pizza Mark II
So I decided to order another pizza tonight - in fact, the very same deal that I mentioned in an earlier entry (just a couple of entries back in May 2007). I decided to use another outlet of the same pizza chain in order to avoid the trouble I had the other night.
So there I was, printing out the pizza voucher from the web site and then I made the call.
Piza Guy: Hello, this is __________ ____________ (he says the suburb and store name).
It turns out the store I rang the other night has somehow had my call directed to them - I couldn't believe it. So, thinking quickly I ask to be transferred to the other store in the area.
Phone Message: I'm sorry, your call failed to be connected.
I couldn't believe it - this had to be a joke, right? How could I be subjected to the same incompetence as the other night when I had deliberately called the other store. So I hung up and rang again - the same store again. Thankfully, this time they managed to get the call through to the other store.
So while I'm on the phone placing the order with the other store it all starts going 'pear-shape' again.
Pizza Girl: What would you like to order?
Me: I have a voucher for a large pizza and a cheesy garlic bread - $9.95 AU. I'll have a deep pan ham and pineapple, pick up.
Pizza Girl: I don't think we have a voucher for that. She puts her hand on the phone and yells out, 'Do we have vouchers for a large pizza and a cheesy garlic bread for $9.95 delivery?' There is a whole lot of confusion in the background and then a correction - 'no, pick up, pick up.' There is is the final conclusion.
The pizza girl then confirms with me what I already knew - there is such a voucher. I had a fair idea that this was the case since I had one in my hand. Then I had to go through the spelling of the name again and I'm thinking, 'haven't I been here before?'
So I go to the pizza shop and they can't find my order. Then all of a sudden the guy who is putting the orders together out the back yells out my name - 'That would be it there,' I say to the pizza guy who can't find the order. Would you believe the name then pops up on the screen - yeah, it is wrongly spelled again, despite me spelling it out to the pizza girl.
I think I need a break from ordering pizzas for a while - too stressful!