A sermon entitled......"It's time to move". I sat through to the very end......am still waiting for the logical object of the sentence.....move to where?? Move, why?? It started out talking about the current troubles in the world,etc and I thought to myself - wow, it's actually going to be a sermon on the end-times and how to recognise the age we're in and some solid expository Bible teaching.

Boy, was I wrong.

Yet another motivational speech about how you should not be afraid to "go for it" even though the world seems to be fearful of financial crises. He wouldn't actually come out and say what the point of the message was, although a couple of comments revealed the thinking.

One comment was that the difference between wealthy and poor people is that poor people always keep changing their decisions, so they never manage to become wealthy. By implication, this was something his listeners should avoid as becoming wealthy was really important. Referred to wealth creation a couple of times. So, basically, poor people are losers and rich people are winners, right? Yep, Peter and John were losers because they had no silver or gold to give the lame man at the gate. And some cut-throat, ruthless shark like the bunch at Goldman Sachs is a winner, right?

R-i-iiiiiiight.

By that point I'd realised this was going to be yet another "get rich and don't be afraid to take risks" corporate motivational speech. Not sure why people need to go to church to get more of that....they surely get plenty of it in their workplaces.

Second comment was that "we" (meaning the church) could increase our members while other churches in the country were losing theirs (referencing a recent newspaper article).

Not once was there a presentation of the Gospel message, the fundamental doctrines of the faith, the need for serious and diligent scripture study, exhortation to be ready "in season and out of season", eschatological teaching, etc.

I could've gone to a Tony Robbins seminar and got this......this is what church is becoming....an extended corporate motivational club where nobody teaches the Bible, and we have a whole generation of biblically illiterate people who are unable to discern and will be unable to endure sound doctrine.

Maybe it is "time to move"...?? Me going to pray seriously about this.

Another birthday yesterday.....36 years old. Hmmm......

So, I've just crossed over to the other side. I wonder whether they urges I've been having in the last few weeks have anything to do with the early onset of the 'mid-life crisis'?
Nope, no desire for a Harley for me - I don't even know how to ride a motorbike.

No, I've been thinking of learning how to use firearms, handguns specifically and, also, shotguns. Been thinking of paying a visit to the Lone Ranges shooting ranges and taking up onoe of their introductory packages. For $100, I can learn to fire a 9mm handgun, along with a 30 minutes instruction and a specific number of rounds.

I'm interested. Why? I'm not quite sure. I've told myself I may need to know how to use a gun some day, maybe to protect my family, maybe to be ready for any eventuality or emergency. And, perhaps, that's largely true. But, it seems to me I simply - want to.

Naah!

He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. He who lives by the Glock will die by the Glock.....or Desert Eagle, or Walther, or Beretta....

Ok, I know waaaaay too many gun names.

Writing this from Grand Toyota in Wangara while waiting for my car. It seems they're still busy doing the wheel alignment, so I've got time to kill. What a disaster it would have been if I'd decided to stick around and wait. As it is, I hitched a ride on the courtesy bus to Joondalup, got me a mango smoothie and a mini club sandwich for a mid-morning breakfast, sat in the food court and worked a bit on "the novel" (hey, that sounds good to say!), and then walked across to the movies and watched Clash of the Titans. Good special effects, but otherwise a lousy storyline and lousy acting. Interesting theme, though. Are men everywhere being subliminally prepared for the 'Great Rebellion"??

Watch this space.

Tis been a while......sigh. I wish that I was more conscientious in doing this, unfortunately I'm not!!!

Anyway, here I am now. And I don't have much to say right now. Too tired and heavy-eyed.

Maybe in a bit once dinner has digested, and I've had some coffee......

Can't wait for tomorrow evening.....and look forward to 4 days off...Friday to Monday.

Yay.

I'm thinking of the scripture in Luke 6:38. It goes:

"Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete whithal shall it be measured to you again"
This is often quoted to state that God is emphasising a principle of 'give money, and you shall receive money'....or words to that effect.
According to e-sword, the word 'give' in Luke 6:38 is explained as below:
didōmi
did'-o-mee
A prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternate in most of the tenses); to give (used in a very wide application, properly or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection): - adventure, bestow, bring forth, commit, deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer, have power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+ with the hand), strike (+ with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield.
It's not about money.....it means exactly what it says. What you measure out, is what will be measured out to you. And that's a principle for life......Do unto others what you would have them do unto you....familiar?? That's Jesus in Luke 6:31.

Storm or no storm......it was truly great to step out of the house into the backyard after the rain had ended on Monday night and smell the fragrance of freshly washed grass and trees...there's something special about the scent in the air after rain....

Wow, that was some storm! Check out the pics on www.perthnow.com.au - looks like Chennai during the monsoon!