Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Little things to be thankful for
I’ve often heard it said that you should make a list of all the things you are thankful for. I decided to make a list of some of the little things I’ve had to be thankful for over the last few days.
So now it is your turn. What are you thankful for today?
- The random clubs handing out free donuts and mineral water at university clubs day that did a wonderful job keeping us sufficiently sugar high to keep going promoting our organisation.
- A new room this year that is bigger than i expected (and has an ensuite and air-conditioning!)
- The ant spray i borrowed that works really well making the millions of ants that invaded my room go away.
- The markdowns shelf at my local Christian bookstore.
- The perfect beads to use in a new jewellery project for only $2 a packet at a discount store.
- Entertaining twitter messages.
- Student discounts on software.
- The bad sunburn i got yesterday doesn’t hurt nearly as much as i expected it to.
- A very cute puppy cheering me up when i'd been having a frustrating morning.
So now it is your turn. What are you thankful for today?
Monday, February 23, 2009
Update on the fires #3
Thank you all for your concern and prayers surrounding the fire situation here in Australia. The death toll from the fires is now at 210. The majority of the original fires are now out however some more have started. One of the new fires poses a serious threat as is getting into a populated area on the edge of Melbourne. Please pray that the remainder of the fires would be put out quickly and that there would be no further damage caused to towns and homes.
The disaster has brought out the best in so many people. The generosity expressed by individuals, organizations, companies and governments in Australia and around the world towards the victims of this disaster has been amazing. Organizations have been running all sorts of fund raisers, some businesses have been working for free to help survivors at great cost to themselves, some companies donated a whole days profit from all their stores around the country and even communities from Queensland who have been suffering a natural disaster of their own in the form of bad flooding have been sending donations. Some charities have even had to ask people to stop bringing goods in because they are overloaded with more than they can give out. It is wonderful that the material needs of those who survived can be well looked after as a result of peoples generosity.
Unfortunately the fires also brought out the worst in people. There has been issues with hate groups setup online against people alleged to have started the fires. Some have gone as far as to provide publicly the names and addresses of suspects and to make graphic threats of violence against the suspects. While it is understandable that people are upset that someone would deliberately light a fire they knew would probably turn fatal, this behavior is not at all helpful or healthy for anyone and also risks prejudicing the criminal investigations. There has also been a number of Christians who have also behaved badly in response to this tragedy. A few groups from Australia and overseas have made public pronouncements that the fires were God's judgment on the state for passing less restrictive abortion laws and other sins they say have been going on. One group was even threatening to picket memorial services but thankfully that hasn't seemed to have eventuated. It is really bad theology and very insensitive. It would likely be very upsetting for those who have suffered in these fires. It also badly damages the reputation of Christians, the great majority of whom do not agree with them at all and have been fundrasing and praying for the victims.
For those of you who are praying, as I previously mentioned please pray about the fires that continue. Also please pray for the emotional healing for those involved. Many victims and emergency services personnel have seen things and experienced things no one should ever have to. So many have experienced loss on an incomprehensible scale. Conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder are a risk. Please pray for comfort and healing for all those who have been traumatized by these events. Also pray for the counselors and chaplains that will be assisting people through these difficult times.
The disaster has brought out the best in so many people. The generosity expressed by individuals, organizations, companies and governments in Australia and around the world towards the victims of this disaster has been amazing. Organizations have been running all sorts of fund raisers, some businesses have been working for free to help survivors at great cost to themselves, some companies donated a whole days profit from all their stores around the country and even communities from Queensland who have been suffering a natural disaster of their own in the form of bad flooding have been sending donations. Some charities have even had to ask people to stop bringing goods in because they are overloaded with more than they can give out. It is wonderful that the material needs of those who survived can be well looked after as a result of peoples generosity.
Unfortunately the fires also brought out the worst in people. There has been issues with hate groups setup online against people alleged to have started the fires. Some have gone as far as to provide publicly the names and addresses of suspects and to make graphic threats of violence against the suspects. While it is understandable that people are upset that someone would deliberately light a fire they knew would probably turn fatal, this behavior is not at all helpful or healthy for anyone and also risks prejudicing the criminal investigations. There has also been a number of Christians who have also behaved badly in response to this tragedy. A few groups from Australia and overseas have made public pronouncements that the fires were God's judgment on the state for passing less restrictive abortion laws and other sins they say have been going on. One group was even threatening to picket memorial services but thankfully that hasn't seemed to have eventuated. It is really bad theology and very insensitive. It would likely be very upsetting for those who have suffered in these fires. It also badly damages the reputation of Christians, the great majority of whom do not agree with them at all and have been fundrasing and praying for the victims.
For those of you who are praying, as I previously mentioned please pray about the fires that continue. Also please pray for the emotional healing for those involved. Many victims and emergency services personnel have seen things and experienced things no one should ever have to. So many have experienced loss on an incomprehensible scale. Conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder are a risk. Please pray for comfort and healing for all those who have been traumatized by these events. Also pray for the counselors and chaplains that will be assisting people through these difficult times.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Song of the week- Marvelous Light
Apologies for the reduced content lately. In the last few weeks i have moved house, have had limited internet access for an assortment of reasons and had a few other dramas. Normal amounts of content will be reappearing soon.
Charlie Hall-Marvelous Light
Charlie Hall-Marvelous Light
Monday, February 9, 2009
Update on the fires #2
The scale of the disaster just keeps mounting. So far there's been 173 confirmed deaths. There will probably be more as the fires continue to rage on and as bodies are found in the rubble of newly accessible parts of the disaster zone. It is so heartbreaking to watch the news as there are so many tragic stories. People whose children died while in the care of someone else, people who had their own houses burned to the ground while they were firefighting to protect someone elses home, people who could not escape their own homes in enough time to help their best friends who lived next door, people who left their beloved pets locked inside while they went out for the day and came home to find the house burned down with their pets dead in the rubble...the stories go on. It is hard enough to comprehend the tragedy of one life or home lost but to comprehend the magnitude of whole small towns almost completely burned down with 15% of their residents dying is just impossible. Victoria and possibly all of Australia has never experienced a disaster this extreme before.
It is made harder to comprehend by the fact that the authorities believe that many of the fires were not accidents of nature, but caused by arsonists. That shocks me how anyone could be so evil as to deliberately light a fire on an extreme fire risk day knowing that the fire would almost definitely cause the loss of homes and quite likely cause the loss of life. If caught it is likely that the arsonists will not only face arson charges but murder or manslaughter charges too.
I'm still feeling a bit shaken by it all. Anything that smells remotely like smoke is making me nervous at the moment. Houses got burned down within 2 miles, maybe less, from our house. As an Australian, you know that bush fires are a hazard of life here. You just don't ever expect them to come near you, especially if you live in suburbia as we do and as did some of the people who had houses burned down in my town. It could have so easily been us, especially since in wind conditions like occurred on the day burning embers can be carried by the wind and cause new fires some distance from the main front. I never want to feel like I did when we first spotted the very large and ominous looking plume of smoke again, it was such a scary and helpless feeling. At first we thought that the fire was quite close and we might have to evacuate. Trying to quickly work out what to take in the event of an evacuation was overwhelming, It took me a while to work out where I'd put my important documents because I was so frazzled.
While the loss of homes in my town was significant, it is some blessing that the main sports stadium had fire come right up to it but was not burned, nor did the rubbish dump which would have been very hazardous had it burned catch alight despite fire in close proximity. The mood amongst people here seems to be one of shock. You could not buy a newspaper anywhere here this afternoon as people snapped up all the copies in an effort to understand what had just taken place. There's also a lot of sadness because most people know someone who was impacted ether by the fires here or by fires elsewhere in the state.
I want to thank all of you who have prayed. It is wonderful to know that we are joined in prayer by people around the world. Your prayers are still very much needed. A few things you can pray for are
Donate to Red Cross fire relief fund
It is made harder to comprehend by the fact that the authorities believe that many of the fires were not accidents of nature, but caused by arsonists. That shocks me how anyone could be so evil as to deliberately light a fire on an extreme fire risk day knowing that the fire would almost definitely cause the loss of homes and quite likely cause the loss of life. If caught it is likely that the arsonists will not only face arson charges but murder or manslaughter charges too.
I'm still feeling a bit shaken by it all. Anything that smells remotely like smoke is making me nervous at the moment. Houses got burned down within 2 miles, maybe less, from our house. As an Australian, you know that bush fires are a hazard of life here. You just don't ever expect them to come near you, especially if you live in suburbia as we do and as did some of the people who had houses burned down in my town. It could have so easily been us, especially since in wind conditions like occurred on the day burning embers can be carried by the wind and cause new fires some distance from the main front. I never want to feel like I did when we first spotted the very large and ominous looking plume of smoke again, it was such a scary and helpless feeling. At first we thought that the fire was quite close and we might have to evacuate. Trying to quickly work out what to take in the event of an evacuation was overwhelming, It took me a while to work out where I'd put my important documents because I was so frazzled.
While the loss of homes in my town was significant, it is some blessing that the main sports stadium had fire come right up to it but was not burned, nor did the rubbish dump which would have been very hazardous had it burned catch alight despite fire in close proximity. The mood amongst people here seems to be one of shock. You could not buy a newspaper anywhere here this afternoon as people snapped up all the copies in an effort to understand what had just taken place. There's also a lot of sadness because most people know someone who was impacted ether by the fires here or by fires elsewhere in the state.
I want to thank all of you who have prayed. It is wonderful to know that we are joined in prayer by people around the world. Your prayers are still very much needed. A few things you can pray for are
- Many of the fires continue to burn and are a threat to a number of towns. Please pray that the fires would be put out quickly and not do any further damage. Please pray for peoples safety as they evacuate as many people have been killed unsuccessfully trying to outrun the fires.
- Please pray for comfort and provision for the many people who have lost loved ones, homes, possessions and pets. Please pray for peace for those who are still waiting to find out if their loved ones or homes were lost in the fire.
- There are quite a few people being treated for very serious burns, please pray for their healing.
- Authorities are searching for those responsible for lighting the fires. Please pray that they would be able to correctly identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
- Please pray for those responsible for working out where to go from here in regards to the cleanup and rebuilding as the job is massive, complex and will likely provoke a lot of emotions in many.
- Please pray for our firefighters and other emergency services personnel. They have been working very hard in a very difficult environment and it is often quite a traumatic job as many have lost their own houses, have had friends or relatives die or have discovered bodies of the dead in the rubble.
Donate to Red Cross fire relief fund
Saturday, February 7, 2009
An update on the fires
Those of you following me on twitter would yesterday have seen my prayer alerts in regards to the fire situation. It was quite an eventful day.
Yesterday smashed temperature records across the state of Victoria. It was 44 ºC (111.2ºF) in most of Victoria, more in many parts of it. There was also a lot of dry hot wind and minimal rain in sight. Everything was quite dry as we are in the middle of a drought. Fires are a big risk in Australia because many towns are surrounded closely by bush (forest) which often burns very rapidly and the weather just made it so much worse. Authorities had warned this was going to be on of the highest risk days ever for fires. They weren't wrong!
We came out our back door to see a massive plume of smoke filling the sky. We sent off some of the family members to check how close it was while some of us stayed behind listing to the radio for updates and making basic evacuation preparations. We discovered that while our home was safe, our office in another part of town was at risk (it ended up not being damaged). We then had to sit at home for the rest of the afternoon, watching and smelling the smoke and listening to the radio as the fire was announced to have been burning in or at risk of spreading to yet another part of town where friends lives.So far we know of one family we are friends with loosing their house. Nether they or their pets were there at the time so they are safe but were unable to rescue anything. We've also heard stories of several near misses- in one case a friend having the houses both sides of them and behind them burn to the ground, and others that were at such a high risk that they had emergency services personnel knocking on their doors. One person was killed by the fires and at least 50 houses were burned down in my town alone. A lot of these were in poorer areas where many people won't be insured or have the resources to start again. I'm still trying to work out the truth of rumors of significant damage to schools and sporting venues.
My town wasn't the only one experiencing serious fire problems. Major fires were experienced all around the state. In some places it was so bad that most of the buildings in a number of small towns were completely destroyed. There has been 173 known deaths around the state and many hundreds of houses lost with authorities suspecting that the actual number of deaths and lost homes will be higher. There has also been a lot of cases of people getting badly burned. The electrical infrastructure around the state has been quite damaged so we are loosing power every couple of hours. The fires continue to burn in a number of parts of the state.
Please pray for those that have lost their loved ones and homes and for the healing of the injured. Please pray for the firefighters and other emergency response staff whose role is often difficult, extremely tiring and traumatic. Please also pray that the remaining fires would be able to be put out quickly and not cause any further damage.
Further news on the fires
UPDATE: It is now reported that there have been 173 confirmed deaths with more people missing, suspected dead.The fires continue to burn in many places putting more towns at serious risk.
Yesterday smashed temperature records across the state of Victoria. It was 44 ºC (111.2ºF) in most of Victoria, more in many parts of it. There was also a lot of dry hot wind and minimal rain in sight. Everything was quite dry as we are in the middle of a drought. Fires are a big risk in Australia because many towns are surrounded closely by bush (forest) which often burns very rapidly and the weather just made it so much worse. Authorities had warned this was going to be on of the highest risk days ever for fires. They weren't wrong!
We came out our back door to see a massive plume of smoke filling the sky. We sent off some of the family members to check how close it was while some of us stayed behind listing to the radio for updates and making basic evacuation preparations. We discovered that while our home was safe, our office in another part of town was at risk (it ended up not being damaged). We then had to sit at home for the rest of the afternoon, watching and smelling the smoke and listening to the radio as the fire was announced to have been burning in or at risk of spreading to yet another part of town where friends lives.So far we know of one family we are friends with loosing their house. Nether they or their pets were there at the time so they are safe but were unable to rescue anything. We've also heard stories of several near misses- in one case a friend having the houses both sides of them and behind them burn to the ground, and others that were at such a high risk that they had emergency services personnel knocking on their doors. One person was killed by the fires and at least 50 houses were burned down in my town alone. A lot of these were in poorer areas where many people won't be insured or have the resources to start again. I'm still trying to work out the truth of rumors of significant damage to schools and sporting venues.
My town wasn't the only one experiencing serious fire problems. Major fires were experienced all around the state. In some places it was so bad that most of the buildings in a number of small towns were completely destroyed. There has been 173 known deaths around the state and many hundreds of houses lost with authorities suspecting that the actual number of deaths and lost homes will be higher. There has also been a lot of cases of people getting badly burned. The electrical infrastructure around the state has been quite damaged so we are loosing power every couple of hours. The fires continue to burn in a number of parts of the state.
Please pray for those that have lost their loved ones and homes and for the healing of the injured. Please pray for the firefighters and other emergency response staff whose role is often difficult, extremely tiring and traumatic. Please also pray that the remaining fires would be able to be put out quickly and not cause any further damage.
Further news on the fires
UPDATE: It is now reported that there have been 173 confirmed deaths with more people missing, suspected dead.The fires continue to burn in many places putting more towns at serious risk.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Meet my furry friends
I thought i'd take a break from the usual and show one of the things i enjoy other than writing, animal photography. Thankfully i have two very co-operative cats who don't seem to mind me practicing on them!
Sparkle
Sparkle
Jessie
Jessie
Schmitten (he isn't mine, he belongs to my auntie)
Monday, February 2, 2009
Beyond the "Christian music" debate
If you have ever spent much time on music forums frequented by large numbers of Christians you will have no doubt seen the never ending "What songs are Christians allowed to listen to?" debate. Normally the criteria run something along the lines of is it sold in a Christian bookstore, put out by a Christian record label and has an appropriately high JPM (mentions of Jesus Per Minute) count. I pity any previously accepted artist who gets played on MTV or fails the JPM test. The online fallout from rioting Christian music purists can be really nasty.
I would suggest that these tests are not a good way to work out whether we should be listening to something. Firstly significant part of whether a CD gets sold in Christian stores or a song gets played on Christian radio is not a decision about the theological soundness of the lyrics, rather a business decision as to which grouping of media and sales outlets they will send it to that will get them the most sales and fans. Some Christians who haven't compromised their lyrical standards at all choose to put their music out in the mainstream arena rather than the Christian one because that is where they believe it will make the biggest impact. Secondly, just because the CD is in a Christian bookstore doesn't mean what they are saying is biblically sound. This is the case for Christian books too, it is starting to seem like a lot of the time the more copies a book sells in the Christian market the more likely it is to have serious theological flaws. The Jesus Per Minute test fails because there as a lot of topics for songs that are totally biblical and appropriate for Christians to listen to but don't lend themselves to mentioning Jesus every few lines.
So if that doesn't work, how do we assess the appropriateness of the music we listen to? We tend to think about what we've been listening to, the lyrics get stuck in our heads and they can start to subconsciously impact our beliefs. Because of the impact of music on how we think, Philippians 4:8 is an excellent place to look.
Based on that, here's some questions I think we should ask.
Is this song telling the truth?
Is this telling us the truth about God as he is revealed in the bible rather than some of the popular but false images of God that are around? Does the worldview it expresses line up with the bible or is it some other view (eg. Life is all about you/getting stuff/having fun)
Does this song encourage you to view people the right way?
Does this song speak about people in a respectful way or does it portray groups such as women or ethnic minorities in a disrespectful or degrading way?
Does the song encourage noble and praiseworthy behavior?
Is this song glorifying behavior that is inappropriate for Christians such as violence, revenge, hate or greed? Is the activities described in this song even legal? Would acting like what the song encourages make you less or more Christ-like?
Does this song encourage purity?
Does this song go into an inappropriate amount of detail in areas that are likely to cause me temptation to do the wrong thing or dwell on wrong thoughts? Does it encourage sexual activity outside of marriage which is inappropriate for Christians?
How much excellence can be found in this song?
Is this song actually good enough musically and lyrically that it is actually worth listening to repeatedly or is it just mindless rubbish?
Sometimes these criteria will agree with the traditional guidelines. Many times it will not. I've heard stuff that is sold through the Christian industry that never should have been due to inappropriate lyrical content and music from outside the Christian industry that is totally suitable and worthwhile for Christians to listen to and think about. Let's ditch the fights over the labels someone has put on it and instead start choosing our music based on what it actually says.
I would suggest that these tests are not a good way to work out whether we should be listening to something. Firstly significant part of whether a CD gets sold in Christian stores or a song gets played on Christian radio is not a decision about the theological soundness of the lyrics, rather a business decision as to which grouping of media and sales outlets they will send it to that will get them the most sales and fans. Some Christians who haven't compromised their lyrical standards at all choose to put their music out in the mainstream arena rather than the Christian one because that is where they believe it will make the biggest impact. Secondly, just because the CD is in a Christian bookstore doesn't mean what they are saying is biblically sound. This is the case for Christian books too, it is starting to seem like a lot of the time the more copies a book sells in the Christian market the more likely it is to have serious theological flaws. The Jesus Per Minute test fails because there as a lot of topics for songs that are totally biblical and appropriate for Christians to listen to but don't lend themselves to mentioning Jesus every few lines.
So if that doesn't work, how do we assess the appropriateness of the music we listen to? We tend to think about what we've been listening to, the lyrics get stuck in our heads and they can start to subconsciously impact our beliefs. Because of the impact of music on how we think, Philippians 4:8 is an excellent place to look.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Based on that, here's some questions I think we should ask.
Is this song telling the truth?
Is this telling us the truth about God as he is revealed in the bible rather than some of the popular but false images of God that are around? Does the worldview it expresses line up with the bible or is it some other view (eg. Life is all about you/getting stuff/having fun)
Does this song encourage you to view people the right way?
Does this song speak about people in a respectful way or does it portray groups such as women or ethnic minorities in a disrespectful or degrading way?
Does the song encourage noble and praiseworthy behavior?
Is this song glorifying behavior that is inappropriate for Christians such as violence, revenge, hate or greed? Is the activities described in this song even legal? Would acting like what the song encourages make you less or more Christ-like?
Does this song encourage purity?
Does this song go into an inappropriate amount of detail in areas that are likely to cause me temptation to do the wrong thing or dwell on wrong thoughts? Does it encourage sexual activity outside of marriage which is inappropriate for Christians?
How much excellence can be found in this song?
Is this song actually good enough musically and lyrically that it is actually worth listening to repeatedly or is it just mindless rubbish?
Sometimes these criteria will agree with the traditional guidelines. Many times it will not. I've heard stuff that is sold through the Christian industry that never should have been due to inappropriate lyrical content and music from outside the Christian industry that is totally suitable and worthwhile for Christians to listen to and think about. Let's ditch the fights over the labels someone has put on it and instead start choosing our music based on what it actually says.
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