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Saturday 29 December 2012

Times and Seasons







When God creates, He does so wonderfully. I love the way that he’s arranged the times and seasons in the world. Our calendar, which is based on the scientific rotation of the planet around the sun, is an example of this.

Because of the arrangement of days in a week and weeks in a year, we never experience the same date on the same day in subsequent years. I think this is a comforting thing when considering unpleasant anniversaries. We are reminded that the anniversary on the following year, e.g. of the death of a loved one will be the same date but a different day. It’s a small reminder that we don’t relive things in quite the same manner, that there can be small but positive changes for the better.

The seasons too, as the earth rotates around the sun, remind us that life changes. God in his wisdom did not make the weather the same all year around but gave us four seasons to enjoy. We delight in the emerging shoots on a dormant bough in springtime. We revel in warm days and beach picnics in summer. The tones of autumn tress delight our eyes. For those lucky enough to experience snowfalls in winter, we are never too old to throw snowballs!
Some people see the seasons symbolic of the seasons of life – childhood, maturity and fruitfulness, reaping and reflecting and old age. We are reminded that change is a part of life and that each season in itself is full of blessings and joys. As I write this I’m enjoying the summer sunshine and tropical fruits in Australia, whilst friends in the United States are shivering in the winter snows. There’s something comforting to know that summer and winter, joy and pain, youth and maturity are found in this world together.
Just as spring inevitably follows winter, so we who trust in Christ know that old age and death is not the end but will be followed with a glorious new Spring in Heaven, praise God!






Saturday 22 December 2012


A Christmas Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father God, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity, we acknowledge You and give You praise.
Thank You Father, for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to Earth, to be born as a baby in Bethlehem and to live amongst us, teaching us of Yourself. Thank You for His sacrifice upon the Cross at Calvary, honouring You and making a way for sinful humanity to be back in right standing with You through repentance and faith in Jesus. 
Thank You Father, that this was not the end, for Jesus rose again and ascended into Heaven, where He waits for us who have committed our lives to Him for eternity. 
Thank You that You did not leave us alone in this world, but soon after Jesus had ascended to Heaven, You sent Your Holy Spirit, the Parakletos, the One who comes alongside,to be with us as our Counsellor and guide throughout this life.
Father, as we approach Christmas, I pray that all our celebrations will be touched with the love of Christ. As we rejoice in Jesus' birth, may our love for You help us to reach out in love to one another. 
Especially Lord, may those who don't yet know You be touched by the truth of your existance and be drawn to relationship and new life in you.

I pray Lord Jesus, for repentance to fall afresh on this hurting world.
I pray for revival in Your church to minister where it is needed.

I pray for peace on Earth and goodwill amongst all people.

Amen 

Thankful

Thank You Father God for being our Creator, Saviour and most beloved relationship that we could ever hope to have. We worship You and give You all the praise and honour and glory that is Yours alone throughout eternity.


Thank You to everyone who has supported my venture into the world of blogging over the past eleven months and who have sent messages via my email  Khariscreativewritingpoetry@hotmail.com

Everything I write is only for God to minister to whoever He has planned to be touched and blessed by it.

I pray that everyone reading here will be blessed with a very happy and holy Christmas with your families and safe travelling throughout the holiday season. 

Thank You to my husband and family for your ongoing love and support.


Expectation

Only 40 more sleeps to go.....

 

Sunday 9 December 2012

A Christmas Story for You


The Innkeeper’s Wife

“Mattias, stop!
Martha stood in front of him, barring the passageway. His thick black eyebrows knitted together into a scowl and she knew she risked the onslaught of his rising temper.
“You have to help those people.”
“And what would you have me do woman? They came to the front entrance. Then they came arount to the back door. Still I tell them the same thing. There’s nowhere left for them.”
“But the girl, Mattias, surely you can’t let that girl go out into the night, not in her condition.”
“They’ll find somewhere else. There’s enough for us to think about right here.”
She could hear the clatter of dishes in the dining area as Zerah, his sister’s girl, ran in with steaming plates and out again with empty ones. They had not been as busy in many a long year.
“There is nowhere else, you know that. Everywhere is filled with travellers for this census. Would you have that woman sleeping on the bare ground this night?”
Behind his shoulder, through the open doorway, she could see the trio - man, woman and donkey, moving silently, wearily, across the yard of beaten earth. The man had been persistent, asking twice for a place to sleep for the night, polite with a gentle voice, walking away with a quiet dignity to his stooped shoulders.
His wife was swathed in a long cloak but Martha had noted with quick eyes the protective hand that the girl held across her bulging stomach. She’d glanced up from beneath her mantle as the innkeeper refused them, and Martha had caught a glimpse of her face before it disappeared back into the shadows. For a brief instant their eyes had met, the girl’s expression mutely pleading, exhausted and scared. Yet she had such a beautiful face, a compelling and lovely face. Why, the mother-to-be was little more than a child herself.
The donkey moved slowly in the moonlight, bearing the weight of the woman and the bulging side baskets. It must have plodded many a lonely mile that day, poor creature. Martha had always been fond of donkeys. How often she chuckled inwardly as her own jenny willfully refused to move to Mattias’ impatient commands but responded trustingly to her gentle coaxing, its furry grey muzzle nudging the palm of her hand for hidden treats. It was safely bedded down for the night with the cows in the stable. The stable!
“Mattias, the stable! Let them at least rest for the night in the stable.”
His raised his hands as if to shrug off the whole affair, then, seeing her determined expression, just as quickly dropped them.
“All right, if that’s the only way to stop you wasting time when you should be attending to your cooking pots, wife.”
She heard their voices carried on the night air through the window shutters, as she stood at stove, stirring the broth. The young man was remonstrating that they could pay for the use of the stable. Thankfully her husband refused. He was kind at heart, even if quick-tempered. They would make enough as it was with the extra visitors without having to charge for a straw bed.
.....

“Martha, there are two bowls of lentils at the back of the stove there.”
Martha smiled to herself. Her niece noticed every detail. Perhaps she had taught her too well.
“I know Zerah, I’m keeping them for later.”
“And that platter of barley cakes and fruit, are they to give to the customers? There are so many people coming in this evening we will run out of food.”
“Hush dear, there will be enough without that platter. I have kept some supper for myself for later.”
“But two bowls of lentils?”
“You ask too many questions, sharp one. All right then, I may just be going to share with someone who has need of nourishment. Be thankful that we have enough to fill our bellies against the cold night. Now stir this soup while I check on our diners.”
When the hubbub had died down to a murmur and the customers ambled to their rooms or sat together in twos and threes on the reed mats, talking and telling stories or drowsily listening; only then did she slip across to the stable, carrying her offering.
...

There was a day in her childhood, a perfect day, so wonderful that it still returned to her, remembered in dreams, especially when she fell into an exhausted sleep after working long hours. She was a child again, by the Sea of Galilee, walking down the grassy slopes, dotted with flowers, to where the rippling waves broke gently on the shore. Her elder brother Stephen was there, busy as always, mending his fishing nets.
“Come Martha, little one. Would you like to come for a sail in the boat?”
He’d never before taken her with him. For a few idyllic hours she’d delighted in the lapping water, the birds wheeling around them, the cool freshness of the wind in her long dark hair, the gentle rocking of the boat, rocking, rocking...
The rocking became violent. There was something wrong.
“Martha, Martha. Wake up!” The mounting waves became Zerah shaking her awake in the darkness, whispering urgently. “Martha, you must come.”
“What’s wrong dear?”
“That man’s at the door, the one from the stable. It’s his wife. He says she’s going to have the baby.”
She was instantly alert and on her feet, pulling a gown around herself. “I’ll go to her. Get me some rags and some water from the kitchen.” She started towards the doorway, then hesitated, remembering the young wife’s face.
Even in the darkness Martha knew every corner of her room. Carefully, so as to not wake her snoring husband, she lifted the lid of her cedar chest and easily found what she sought. The length of finely woven linen, so pure and soft, was what she was saving for a garment to wear at her cousin’s wedding in the spring. Ah well, she would make something else. The babe might be born in a stable, but it would not be swaddled in rags.

...

He was standing in the doorway, looking, Martha thought, as most expectant fathers did, anxious and utterly confused. She brushed him aside quickly.
“Go into the inn and wait, Joseph. I’ll call you when we’re ready for you.” Seeing the loving glance that he cast back towards the stable, she added gently, “It will be some hours.”
The girl’s face too, held an easily recognized expression – fear. Martha gathered her in her arms. What a place to give birth, with not even a comfortable mattress to lie on, away from home and her mother.
“Have courage, my daughter, you have much hard work to do. Let’s make you a soft bed.” She grasped armfuls of fresh, sweet smelling hay as the donkeys blinked in the lamplight, wondering.
...

Afterwards, as she returned across the courtyard to the inn, Martha could not help but pause for a moment.
It must be almost dawn, she thought, the sky is lightening. Yet, as she looked upwards, the stars were still shining. Above the stable there was one brilliant, pulsating star, like a jewel in the inky blackness. The beauty of it struck her to the core. Surely it had not been there before?  She was not surprised. Somehow it was another indication of the strangeness of that night, of the loveliness and wonder and humanity of the baby in the stable.
What was my part in all of this? She pondered silently. My hands delivered him and gave him to his mother. My hands bathed him and stroked his hair. I held him close, then he looked at me and oh! I was in love with him. I may be a foolish old woman but it really seemed that when he looked at me, if he could talk, he would tell me that he loved me too.
The cold, predawn air bathed her with its freshness and a great, hushed stillness lay upon the earth. It seemed, she thought, as though the whole world was made new.
Soon the light would break over the low smudges of the hills and the cockerel would crow and the daily chores would begin again, but she would carry the memory of this night with her always.
...

In the years to follow, whenever she told the story, and that was seldom, Martha would recall “Without being disloyal to my own children, who, of course, I love with all my heart, without a doubt He was the most perfectly beautiful baby I have ever seen.”



(copyright Josephine Collett 2012.  For personal use only. Writer asserts the moral right to be identified as the auther. Feel free to read to others but do not republish or reprint without prior permission. Copyright independently validated as per Copyrights Act with original copy.  )

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Seven Days of Creation



Light and darkness,

Water and sky,

Dry land; green plants.

Sun moon and stars go glittering by,

Fish in the ocean, birds in the sky.

Animals and man,

God's rest was in His plan.


Copyright Jo Collett 2010

This was a little song I made up to help anyone learn the seven days of creation and what was created on each day. Kids can count off the days on their fingers for reinforcement. There is a tune, which I will try to explain below in the absence of finding any easy software to create and include it (it can be easily played by anyone on a child's descant recorder):

G E G E
GG  E  G
F D  E  lowC
G EE G E GG E G
F CC F C, F F E C
G E G E G
G F C F E C

(where notes are grouped together they are quavers, and you might need to draw out the last note at the end of the phrases - if you match the notes to the syllables of the words there should be no problem)
Some writers refer to the "six days of creation". Because the Bible refers to the seventh day specifically in the context of the account of creation in Genesis 2:2, many people refer to the seven days of Creation. The concept of resting following activity is an important one and has spiritual parallels in the concept of entering into "God's rest" which is developed in the New Testament e.g. in the book of Hebrews, chapter 4.

For more information regarding creation- the creation vs. evolution debate, modern science and the Bible accounts of creation, I recommend visiting the website of Creation Ministries International at
www. creation.com  (link on this page)



Flame trees blossoming after recent rains.




Christmas presents


How beautiful the presents look under the tree! Wrapped in their pretty paper with ribbon and bows, all different shapes and sizes, they appear so promising and mysterious. Some people think that presents should be left unwrapped because the anticipation they bring often outweighs the revelation of what lies beneath. Yet we open them, and are pleased by our gifts and the expressions on the faces of our loved ones as they see what we have given them.

God’s saving love through Jesus Christ is life’s most precious gift. Don’t look from afar at the promise of what He has to offer. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Christianity is applicable only to the time following your earthly death. All the externals, the way we do church, the way we worship, the buildings and programs, these are the frills, the glittery wrapping paper. God delights to see us receive our present and discover what lies underneath the packaging – the gift of a moment by moment walk with Him, a life of relationship and hope.

Unwrap your gift. Unlike earthly ones, it exceeds all expectations and lasts forever.

John 10:10

Amplified Bible (AMP)
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Lord You are worthy


Lord You are worthy
Worthy of glory
Glory and honour
Power and might
Lord we adore You
Bow down before You
Kneel in Your Presence
Father of lights

Though we run from a love that pursues us
He is waiting with arms open wide
Seek His grace, He will never refuse us
See the wounds in His hands and His side

Healing the broken
Feeding the empty
Setting the captives
Free from their chains
When all is fallen
Forgotten and faded
Through every trial
His love remains

And His glory is filling the temple
Through His story revealed in His word
Every one that has breath, made to praise Him
All creation declares He is Lord

Heavenly Father
Blessed Redeemer
Great Holy Spirit
Threesome in One
For all eternity
Father of glory
Jesus our Saviour
Come, Spirit, Come. 


Copyright Josephine Collett 2012
(Sometimes when I write a poem it's more like song lyrics as I have a definite tune running through my mind simultaneously. If anyone wants to set this to music and use for worship, feel free to do so, provided I am acknowleged as the lyricist)

Tuesday 27 November 2012

The Hardness of Soft Things and the Softness of Hard Things

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.  Isaiah 50:7

My face is soft, but it is facing toward heaven and cannot be turned. Can a woman have a face like flint? Yes.

It is difficult to be soft. One might say it is hard to be soft. 

And it is kind and loving to be strong. To resist. To stand. One might say it is soft to be hard.

Men are often strong on the exterior and gentle inside. Women can sometimes be gentlewomen with lives that reflect their inner depth and strength.

Jesus was the gentlest person imaginable. Yet He was the epitomy of strength. The Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. The Creator of the universe, naked and nailed to a cross, risen and coming again leading the host of heaven on a white horse.

Softness and strength together. Within a person, a couple, a community. Making something special and good.



Thursday 22 November 2012

He said "Will you?"- She said "Yes"

He took her to a beautiful place that was special to both of them. They sat together and talked about all the times that they'd shared together, all the happy and sad memories, the values that they treasured and the life they'd built together.
He told her all that she meant to him. Then unexpectedly, he knelt down upon one knee, something he'd never done before, and asked her if she would marry him.
She said yes!
He asked her to close her eyes.
And when he asked her to open them again, he was holding a little wooden box with a glowing diamond ring inside it.

What makes this story so special is that the man is my husband of 32years, who decided that because he had not actually proposed to me all those years ago, he would like me to have the experience of a proper, down-on-the -knee, proposal. He wanted to give me the diamond he would have liked to have given me all those years ago. And he wanted to express that his commitment to me made in December, 1979, is as real and eternal as when he first made it.

There's something very special about a Christian marriage. When God enters into a relationship, he changes the lives that are commited to Him. He makes something lasting and wonderful. I am so thankful that even though my husband and I were not committed Christians when we married, we have grown and developed our values together, we both know the Lord as our Saviour and Lord of our lives and marriage and that we have grown in maturity as Christians, as individuals and as a couple through God's grace. We are still learning, we make mistakes, but we are each committed to making our partner feel loved, respected and supported.

My husband and I are both children of marriages that lasted a lifetime. I pay enormous tribute to both our Mums and Dads for that legacy. I hope it is a legacy that I will pass forward to my children and possible future grandchildren.

Thank You, my Darling husband.

Thank You, heavenly Father.



Tuesday 20 November 2012

Storm Bird



Cooee. Cooee,
In the still of the night, from the heart of the tree,
He sings his plaintive song, again and again,
Cooee, cooee,
A prayer for rain.
The moon behind
the palm tree shines its pattern on the blind
and tossed in fevered wakefulness
we will a breeze to damper the refrain,
Cooee, cooee, the storm bird sings for rain

Tomorrow the uneventful sun will arc
Its passage through another day, blue sky
From dawn to dusk, from dusty hill to dry
Creek bed, and
blaze its heat upon the swollen cane,
Until at eveningtime
We search the starry climes with sweated eye
Listening to the endless cry again
Cooee, cooee,
The storm bird sings for rain.

copyright Jo Collett 2003.

Birthday Party

On my birthday
My folks threw a party for me-
Cleaned the pool
Hung the decorations
Baked a special cake
Pity they never invited me along

They gave each other presents
on my birthday
I had a special gift for everyone
Expensive gift too
They didn't know
That I was there waiting

I heard my name at times
in the music playing
Saw my baby pictures
in some cards upon the wall
And everyone laughed and sang
and joked and ate
and said it was
a really great party

Oh well,
Same day next year
Maybe next year



Jo Collett 2012


Saturday 17 November 2012

Christmas Poem



Wandering through the crowds of a department store
Strangers indifferently eye one another, impatiently
turning away, jostling together in an uneasy throng
Amid the lights and gaieties, a contrivance of choirs
And piped music plays the customary overtures
Stepping past an open doorway, a blast of heat reminds us
That the snowy winter-wonderland is air-conditioned,
Not the reality of Australian December
Something more sweaty and profound lies waiting
And this is comforting
For this is the Christmas gift of Mary,
She who carried her baby among the dusty crowds,
Knowing fear and rejection,
That they who in poverty pass beyond the tinsel
Seeking the blessings of the Christ child
In an unknowing world
Will be heirs of the Magi.


Two Rivers


One of my favourite passages in the Bible is found in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, chapter 47. The prophet is led by a guide who three times makes a specific measurement and leads him into water which is progressively ankle deep, knee deep and waist deep. A fourth time he measures and shows the man a river which is deep enough to swim in.

Like many biblical passages, there are many interpretations of this symbolism. Some writers focus on the progressive discovery of the deeper truths of God. Another interpretation I have read focuses on suffering and the surrender of self-control.

What the passage does demonstrate is that God’s ways are measured, directed and for our ultimate benefit. What I find interesting about this passage is that Ezekiel is shown the deep river but not plunged in up to his neck or over his head. He is gently taken back to the riverbank and his guide describes the river:

47:9 Every living creature which swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river flows. 47:10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. 47:11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. 47:12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

We are told at the beginning of the chapter that this river has its source from the altar in the temple. What a wonderful, joyful description of not only a beautiful landscape but also the living, cleansing, nourishing Spirit of God.

In the last chapters of Revelation, we are given a description of what the New Jerusalem will look like, when the great tribulation on earth has finished and Christ has returned to claim his bride. This description includes, in chapter 21, an angel with a golden rod measuring the city. In the final chapter of the Bible we are given the description of a river which is similar to that found in Ezekiel:

22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 22:2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.”

Again, we have the wonderfully rich imagery of a physically beautiful landscape and the symbolism of energy, health, cleansing and abundance. The passages positively teem with life. Again, the source of all this is our God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

How wonderful to know Him - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How wonderful to experience life with Him every day. For He has come, not to condemn, but to release us into abundant life with Him.

Praise God.

Thank You



Thank You Father, for setting me free,

Thank You for beginning and ending

every day with me,

When things are going fine, I feel You smile,

When troubles brew I rest in You

Your arms around me all the while.

I pray that those I meet will me with You

and feel Your touch and hear Your voice

in everything I say and do.

My first thought when I waken in the dawning light,

My last one when I bid the stars goodnight,

My life’s dance to the tune of Your love song,

The One who knows and loves me all my life long.


Jo   Nov 12

(a little syncopated rhythm)

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Golden Gals Dancing in my Garden

After a record 60 odd days without rain in Brisbane, we were blessed with a much-anticipated solid downpour last weekend and the landscape is turning green again. These dancing lady orchids in my garden erupted into flower almost overnight. From a small piece given to me by an old family friend almost twenty years ago, the plants have surrounded a tree trunk.


Saturday 10 November 2012

Trash and Treasure


Once a year there is a long lineup of expectant strangers who arrive early at our church, queuing up outside the gates, eagerly awaiting them to be opened. No, it’s not on Christmas Day, nor even Easter Sunday. The crowd gathers at 6.30am to be the first ones into the carpark for the annual church carboot sale.

Like anyone, I love a bargain. My book collection has been greatly enhanced by the volumes I’ve discovered when visiting charity shops, near and far. My longsuffering husband and kids are accustomed to spending time on holidays waiting for Mum to have a quick peek into stores that we pass along the journey.

It’s good to have hobbies and interests and things that help us to learn and develop our talents. It’s not so good to make things your god – to love them and spend all your time, effort and money in acquiring them, storing them, exhibiting them and disposing of them in order to make room for new ones. It’s not so good to use things as a symbol of your success or self-worth. Things only give us a false and temporary sense of importance, comfort or happiness. Things will never love us back in the way that we love them.

More and more, I wonder what we’re doing with our church sales. The people who line up to come to church at 6.30am – are they in danger of missing out on the greatest treasure they could ever own? Are they just a source of extra income for that new building or mission trip? Or are they in themselves people that we in the church should be praying for and witnessing to and reaching out to?

Could we have something to freely give the unchurched strangers walking through our church gates? How about prayer, company, pocket testaments or other gospel materials, compassion, friendship, refreshments and most of all, the knowlege of the greatest treasure any of us can ever have - that of being in relationship with God- our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.



“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”  Philippians 3:8  

Monday 5 November 2012

Acts : Warn, Urge, Console, Encourage.

In my private devotions at the moment, I'm reading through the book of Acts. No matter how familiar one is with bible chapters, there is always something new to ponder over every time one reads and studies a book. This is one of the joys of God's word - God and His ways and character are revealed more deeply and clearly with every reading.

The book of Acts has so much to offer the reader, for it describes the formation of the early churches after Christ's ascention to heaven and the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit given to Christ's followers at Pentecost (Acts chapter 2). This indwelling Holy Spirit enabled the early believers to be bold witnesses for Christ and heal and baptise in the name of Jesus Christ. We follow with excitement as the apostles establish churches in various cities and see many converts brought into the kingdom.

What was the early church charged to do? There was much teaching of the gospel. There was much prayer. There was communion. There was sharing and ministry to the needy.

We read in Acts chapter 16 of the conversion in Phillipi of a lady named Lydia, a dealer in purple fabrics. Paul and Silas, before departing from Phillipi, stay at this lady's house, ministering to the believers there. Verse 40 of the chapter tells us that they " warned and urged and consoled and encouraged them."

Acts chapter 20 begins with Paul about to leave the city of Ephesus . In verse one we are told that "Paul sent for the disciples and warned and consoled and urged and encouraged them, then he embraced them and told them farewell."   Yet again, in chapter 20, verse 2, as Paul is travelling through the districts of Asia on his way to Macedonia, we read " after he had gone through those districts and had warned and consoled and urged and encouraged the bretheren with much discourse, he came to Greece."

When we read those four words over and over again in connection with what was being done in the early church, we must  assume that these are important fundamentals for church life.

What can we glean from this today? We are to warn one another. Against what? Throughout the epistles Paul warns against false doctrine which distorts the gospel message and false teachers who will try to draw Christians to their own ways (Acts 20:30). It is still the task of Christians to be discerning when faced with the plethora of "Christian" information, leaders and teachers available today.

Paul also warns that there is a need for repentance and moving away from sinful ways, as God will judge this world through the return of Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:30,31). We are to be alert to the fact that we all face sinfullness  and to guard our own hearts and lives. We must also guide our brothers and sisters back to the narrow path if we are aware that they are struggling with temptations or sin; and I emphasize that this needs discernment, prayer and a loving approach.

There is no shortage of people to console within a church. It should be the one place more than any other where the hurting receive comfort and healing. We alone can offer not empty words, but the real promise of hope. Thank God for those in churches who are unafraid to come alongside others who are feeling the pain and isolation of divorce, illness, bereavement, retrenchment, adultery, pornography use, abuse and a multitude of other hurts.

We are to urge each other - again, to do what? In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells his disciples "“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Our time on this earth is really so short. There is a great need throughout the world for the gospel message, both in our own local communities and overseas. God has given us all talents to use for his work. How can you use your time, gifts, resources to serve others and bring them into the kingdom? Am I living for my own desires or to do God's will?

Finally, we are to encourage one another. Barnabas, who first appears in Acts chapter 4, is one of my favourite characters in the Bible, for his name means Son of Encouragement. What a joy encouragers are! In churches they are the ones who write loving little thank you notes or send get well cards or turn up with a pot of home made soup. They will find something positive about every single person in the congregation and make sure that person knows about it, not with glib flattery but with sincere and personal appreciation. When things are going well, the encourager will be buzzing and smiling. When things have fallen into a disappointing heap, the encourager is the one who will quietly come alongside, help to pick up the pieces and remind you that you are still loved and appreciated. Barnabas gave Mark his second chance. One encourager can revolutionise a whole church. 


May I encourage you this week to think about your church community if you belong to one, or if not, your workplace, family or other group; and find ways you can encourage, console, urge and warn those with whom you interact. May your work bring fruit for the kingdom. To God be the glory. 











Saturday 27 October 2012

Jacarandas




In springtime Jacarandas, those coquettish young ladies
Dip their parasols on balmy evenings
Swirl their lavender crinolines to the waltz of the wind
Toss their purple mantillas and trail them seductively

But when the savage western gales have left
their nubile sisters shivering, denuded and forlorn
The hoary old ladies, veterans of many a lonely winter
Stand in massive eloquence
Thrusting their arms to the sky

Copyright Jo Collett 2001

 

Jacarandas in Grafton October 2012

Head versus heart, a fierce battle.


Ever done a personality test? As part of a training day I just did one, and have previously taken the Briggs-Meyer test. The results are never written in stone, but they do highlight the fact that people are not the same in their personalities and this can be useful in understanding conflict, both within oneself and interpersonal.

My own results have changed over the years. The scores on the thinking, reasoning component of my personality are very close to the scores for the emotional, creative sphere. I can be very nurturing and creative, but increasingly I have learned to be more rational and practical. I like to think of it as being that my head is well balanced with my heart. This is all very well when my head and heart are of one accord with an issue. But what if my head and heart are in conflict?

We read in Genesis that God created the world and mankind, and everything was well and good and full of life. I imagine it was an extremely well balanced world. But then Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and sinned and there were awful consequences: loss of relationship with God, banishment, the curse of sin upon all their descendents, hard work, sorrow, death.  Romans chapter 8 tells us that all creation groans and suffers decay from that point.

The good news is, of course, found in John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We who have given our lives to Jesus have the assurance of our eternal salvation and life with Him, through His death and resurrection. It is the Holy Spirit in us which enables us to resist evil.

Yet we still live in a fallen world. Make no mistake, Satan is ever at work to tempt us into sin. He is the source of confusion and conflict, the Father of lies. Whilst we live in our human bodies we will always be subject to temptation.

God made us as humans with intelligence, rational thought, and emotions, all of which are good and make us human. Since the fall we must deal with the spoiling of God’s perfect creation of these things. Humans now experience fears, mental illness, emotional instability, a lack of balance in self confidence, to name a few problems. The very God- given uniqueness of every human being can be a problem. Whilst we may cherish our individuality, we may also lack insight and empathy as to why people react or behave differently to ourselves.

I’ve learned that two people can look at a situation and see totally different things. Some people see the forest, others the trees. Some people see a physical environment as important, others personal relationships. Some people value financial resources, others time. Some people want the emphasis in their church to be worship or counselling or missions.  For some the most important quality to look for in a marriage partner is similar ministry goals, for another it may be similar family expectations. There are no rights or wrongs in many of these things, just differing points of view.

At different times in our lives we all face temptations when our hearts and heads are in conflict and may battle for a while, sometimes a long while, before the issue is resolved. It may be clearly sin as far as God’s word is concerned, for example, an extra-marital affair. Or it may be less clear – for example you may love your job but have your efforts sabotaged by a jealous colleague; you might love the social life in your church but be drawn to a ministry program in another. You may be the spouse of someone who has revealed an affair. I can think of no clearer case where the rational mind can be overcome with powerful emotions and, in some cases, a marriage and family that could be restored is abandoned.

Where we have these conflict situations much prayer, thinking through and the counsel of godly friends and professionals is important, rather than making hasty emotional decisions. Again, there is often no right or wrong decision, just a gradual move into the direction where the mind and heart are more in accord. Sometimes when the mind decides, the heart follows. I might love my old church, or former boyfriend/girlfriend, or job, but that doesn’t mean I might not love a new, albeit different one.
And when head and heart are both of one accord, look out! The possibilities exist for something amazing to happen.

 Thank goodness we have God! The end of this devotion and the most important part of it all is to emphasize that He is the author of peace and resolution and comfort through the presence in our lives of his indwelling Holy Spirit. God epitomises grace and forgiveness like no other. He imparts his wisdom into all our decisions. I love the Greek name for the Holy Spirit, the Parakletos, meaning “One who comes alongside.” He is with us as counsellor and confidante when we seek Him through prayer and meditation and Christian consultation. As He has said in His word “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). Praise God!






Friday 26 October 2012

Rescue - a wordwalk


Here I am, alone, unafraid
life’s castaway, sheltering upon
my own sandy shore, playing in wavelets, picking shells
and dancing on the tidal strand
I make my home with my own hands, a bower
of palm fronds, interlaced, sheltering
from sun and breezes, here I lie
dreaming my own forgettable dreams

Not seeing the thunderheads looming
in a darkening sky, upon the far horizons

Ah, how the air is chilled, a still silence
pervades the atmosphere, the bird calls hushed,
and nature waits

a crack of thunder heralds the
approaching storm
the lightning flashes far across the sky
and now
the mighty torrents whip the spray
of ages through my stinging eyes

I clutch
the fragile thatch that tears away
I grasp for nothing, all is gone and left behind
the wind, a mighty power lifting me
to dash on stones, I fear
my life is gone
lost

is there no rescue?

here in the dark, the lash, the cold, the old primeval fear,
I stagger like a drunken fool, no path
to guide my feet
stumbling night

then

a hand, a strong arm around me
leading me forward
firm pressure guiding, here
a sheltering cave
concealed with bushes, part them, come within

a tiny space in the storm, firm dry sand
beneath my battered body,
lay me down and breathe, deeply, breathe again
He is here, beside me
rest in the comfort of his warm embrace
arms around me, holding me close
He is here
and will never leave
He loves me so
my loved one, my champion, my strong protector
loves me so
and will shelter me in every storm
He will never let me go
Or take His loving presence from me

Beyond the storm
and into the quiet light
of resurrection
My rescuer walks with me
He loves me so


His name

is Jesus.


copyright Jo Collett 2010

( A few years ago I began to experiment with what I term "wordwalks" - narrative verse describing a situation or journey. These were  designed for visualisation and meditation to assist in distracting the mind away from pain or to provide an image to concentrate on in a hospital room. The idea was a result of my own experiences with cancer.)

Whalesong



How she loved the wild beaches -
Golden scythes of sand where loneliness questioned
and solitude answered
Shell gatherer, garnerer of driftwood
and stones that the waters relinquished
Cliff-dweller, woman of wind and spindrift
Her companions the wheeling gulls
Sun her lover

There in the depths where blue water touched horizon
Great whales came in the night like ships passing
Singing and singing again their discordant harmonies
Beyond the breakers
Whales turning in moonlight, giant shadows of the unknown
Calling her silent witness, water to earth and beyond
To the jewelled sky
Night of the whalesong

Yes, he had called her a whale, man of the shrapnel tongue
And razor eyes
Yes, she had known of the welts that a word could yield
Let him drown himself in his murderous lies.

She was dancing in noonday sun at the water’s edge, beckoning
the deep reaches, gulping great breaths of salt spray to exhale
her memory. Let the shallows encompass her
Mermaid lady, she of the seaweed hair and fish tail deftly propelling
her buoyantly
Huge waves cradle her singing her siren song, drifting and turning
She calls
Her song to the whales



Wednesday 24 October 2012

Visitors/ Beach Haiku


Visitors

Searching an azure ocean, light
dancing over the calm waves, waiting
we scan the far horizon, mirages
inhabit our dreamtime, calling the return
from depths unknown

a flicker, a shadow, catches our breath
as we conjure the images, was it only
a wish, unfulfilled of that longed for connection
the cry unheard
that we might mark your passing

and there – like a fountain, the surface broken
a spurt of joy
and a black tail, rising, turning
to thrill us with the wonder
of your being

welcome, mighty whales, we greet 
one another
with smiles and sorrow
for you, swimming freely in your innocence
have harpooned our hearts




it's hard to photograph whales! - taken from 6th floor apartment balcony with a 48x digital zoom, Coffs Harbour Oct 2012.





Beach Haiku


the sea shares secrets
whispered to the passing gull
written on the sand



the path leads onwards
shadows lengthen on the shore
October evening