Memories and frustrations at technology

Looking back on photos makes me remember all the good times my husband and I have had together. This photo is of us when we graduated recently from Malyon Theological College where we met. I found myself taking a trip down memory lane, and reminded myself to remember the good things, and not focus on the bad things.

On an alternative note, I made a wedding scrapbook awhile ago, and wanted to add some new photos to it. Well, it didn't work, and long story short I lost the whole album. Now I have to start all over again!!! Well, I have the low resolution version saved on facebook, but what happens if I ever want to print it? :-( ARRRRGGHHH!!! I hate computers sometime, this time it was the internet.

I also have my sister in law Jen Buchanan with me today, so we're both doing work on our computers. Me getting frustrated with Picasa and Scrapblog, her getting frustrated with computers in general. We can be frustrated together, and eat the yummy bickies on the plate in front of us. Aren't sister's wonderful?

Genesis 1:1-7 - Could man have lived forever if they had not sinned?

I was reading in my Bible this morning from Genesis 1:1-7, which says:

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

^2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ^3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

^4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ^5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

^6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ^7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

When I saw that, I saw the words "You will not surely die" (verse 4) and thought, 'Well, straight away we know that he was lying, because they did die...spiritually.' But then the thought crossed my mind, 'Well, they also died physically, but not straight away. I wonder if sin had not entered the world, would Adam and Eve have lived forever?'

That thought really caught my attention. Then I was reminded of the verse sin Romans 5:12, 18-21:

(12) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned...

^18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ^19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

^20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ^21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I realised that had Adam and Eve not done wrong by God, everyone would have lived forever without death or suffering. It was our mistake that brought death into the world, not God's.

 People might ask, 'Why does God allow pain and suffering?' Well, we were the ones who brought it here in the first place. By placing that tree in the garden, God was giving us a choice from the very beginning. He loved Adam and Eve so much that he couldn't bear the thought of a relationship that was anything but choice. Don't we know that when you choose to love someone is far better, rather than being forced to love someone because you have no other option? It is the difference between a dictatorship rule where allegiance and obedience is forced out of you, and a loving rule where you are not obligated to love, but only encouraged. If you believe God to be the former, then you are SORELY MISTAKEN. God is not a dictator. He could not dictate to Adam and Eve that they WOULD love Him because they had no other option. God gave them the way to opt out of a relationship with Him if they so wished. And opt out they did.

So if you want somebody to blame for all the pain and suffering in the world, look no further than humanity. We cannot blame God for something He did not create. If everybody just showed a little more love to the people around them, those people would be making a difference in that there would be less suffering and pain in their little corner of the world. Think about it: human beings are the creators of pain, but they can also be the creators of love. God gave us that capacity. What are you going to do about it?

New book musings

(Photo: me editing my previous book)
This new book idea has me hooked!!

The idea surrounds the topic of divorce, and its effects on children. I want to look at it from a different perspective, one which has NEVER been done before; but you'll have to wait until the book comes out before you find out what that perspective is :-). The breakdown of marriage is one of the greatest tools the enemy uses against us. Good christian marriage is one of the core aspects that drives our society, and as you know, the value of marriage is becoming less and less; something that is quite possibly due to the rising divorce rate of the 90's. Divorce not only effects parents and their marriages, but all their future relationships, as well as their children. Few people ever truly get over the effects of divorce, and the impacts can last for a lifetime unless properly dealt with. Satan attacks marriage because he knows he is attacking the core of Christian society, and beginning a chain reaction effect that impacts many other areas of Christian lives, and the effectiveness of those lives in the kingdom of God.

But in this book, I don't want to focus on the effects upon the parents. Divorce impacts children in the short and long term, both of which will be discussed in the book. This is just an off the cuff idea God gave me the other week (in the early hours of the morning, and I think I scared my husband when I suddenly called out "yeah" and sat up in bed. It was an idea that suddenly hit me when I was dozing off).

I am very excited about this idea, and can't wait to see it come to fruition. It is totally a God-given idea, as the idea came to me IN TOTAL, at a time when I wasn't particularly thinking about anything, and was actually almost asleep. That state is where I was when God first told me to write. The book has no title, but a clear message.

Challenges

You don't realise until you are married just how selfish you can be. I have never been faced with so many of my own faults, and have found marriage to be incredibly challenging to my own selfish pride and sense of 'comfortability'.

If you don't want to be challenged, I suggest you don't get married. Challenge is good for the soul, and brings an awareness of yourself that you didn't have before. But along with this, it brings an incredible depth of relationship between you and your spouse, one that you cannot have with any other human being on the face of the earth. Marriage is beautiful and deep, and is worth every sacrifice you have to make, including your own pride. Let it go, it isn't worth sacrificing your marriage in order to secure your pride. If you are fighting with your spouse, as much as it hurts, let them have the last word (even if you DO think they're wrong). Your pride is not worth the loss of your marriage. Think about it, and the vows you made to love. In letting go, you are loving... think about it..

I just spent a whole heap of time uploading and updating photos to Picasa. I had a somewhat productive day, but it was mostly organising photos, washing up, a couple of loads of washing. Mainly housewife duties.

I am learning what it means to be a good wife, and watching people around me so I can learn how to be a good mother. It can be difficult sometimes when you are separated from many things that have been familiar to you in the past, like my church family. That is why I really enjoyed family camp, because I was back with people that I knew, and territory I was familiar with. There are a lot less people in my life now, but it is good because it means that I can develop more in depth relationships with those around me. I even noticed how God was changing the demographics around me, wheras before I was around a whole group of young adults, now I am surrounded by young mothers. I am learning that change is not a bad thing, and that different stages of your life require different people around you. While I love my Fairfield church family, I now realise that I need exposure to young mothers and families, so that I can learn what it means to be a good wife and mother,
and a good friend.

God is good to us, even when we don't recognise it. Don't forget to look for His blessings on your life; I know I do...

Family Camp - Fairfield

This weekend Dave and I went to the Fairfield Christian Family church camp. It was heaps of fun, and great to catch up and socialise with old friends that I don't see too much anymore. We enjoyed some worship, hanging out, great food, sport, games, and lots and lots of photos :-D


It was good to see a church that had a real family atmosphere, that would make new people feel apart of a good community of people with a genuine love for each other. It was good to see a broad range of ages, a broad spectrum of nationalities, and a broad range of capabilities and gifts. If you could get any church, diverse as it is while still still maintaining unity, this is it. Just sitting around the campfire, everybody got to sing their own national anthem (and I think I counted at least 7, if not more). A church with a strong focus on overseas missions, and also a passion for reaching their local community, this is it. I love my church! And yes, even though I am not a regular attender anymore due to having recently been married and moved away, I still consider this my home church. (http://www.fcfchurch.org.au/)


Dave and I had a great time. God really spoke to me on the camp, and as a consequence, I have finally started researching for my next book. No title yet, just a God-given idea that needs chasing up. Will keep you posted.

Coral