It's Christmas time!

Countdown to the big day. Which here is a really big day, what with end of year, annual holidays, summer etc as well as Christmas.
And there are the Christmas parades which actually only have a passing connection with Christmas. We got involved in the whole thing with Ruby and Besty called in as fairies. Yes random I know but they had fun.

Back to Fiji; Forward to the Future

Just cruisin' around Fiji and along comes Sunday. About 50 Westerners go ashore from a small cruise ship to a village. The local Methodist church welcomes us. I'm sure part of the reason Fijians love church is because they get to sing their hearts out.
The service plods along on a hot afternoon. Language is an effective barrier to real particpation. They do a couple of segments in English for our benefit. The speaker welcomes us and speaks about John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
It strikes me as bizarre that in this remote village, a Fijian is presenting the core message of the Gospel to Westerners. I feel sure that some of our group have never heard about John 3:16.
Just to make sure we did not miss the point, the young man also quoted Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I change not"
Then I reflect that this is the future and that many developing countries are starting to send missionaries to countries in the west, especially the old countries, because that is how the balance of faith is. It is sometimes quoted that the average Anglican is female, aged 25 and lives in Africa. Certainly that is where some of the absolutes of faith are being defended.
Welcome to the future!

Look Both Ways

Toodling along in our automobile we met a Pukeko flying across the road. I watched in slow motion as this ungainly bird flapped towards the road intersecting my path as I cruised south at 100 kmh. These birds are always on roadsides unworried by traffic. By the thump as I hit this one, I knew that it should have been more cautious. We stopped. Zane said " Well, I''m not cleaning up that mess." I thought,"I'm not either". 140km later at home, Pukeko was still there, as seen on blog TV.
Life often takes an unexpected turn. For Mr Pukeko on sunday night, it was a terminal turn for the worse. Several people of my aquaintance have had similar experiences in the last year. Apparently, the first indication of a heart attack for one third of people is that they are dead. Some really good people have had cancer this year. Politician Rod Donald shocked New Zealand by waking up dead recently. We are just one heartbeat from eternity. Interesting how in western society we have a well oiled funeral industry which basically removes death from sight, like garbage removal. People seldom go to the graveside anymore for the people who are buried. Too final I guess. Yet we love visiting cemetaries and seeing the markers of lives gone by. Way better than scattering ashes in weird places. " We threw half your grandfather off the side of a hill. The other half is under the fruit tree on the house we sold 5 years ago." How does that help younger people find their place in the world and reinforce their identity?
Look both ways before you cross the road.

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5

Zane turned 15 today. That is a landmark in New Zealand because it is the age that one can drive a car. The first step is to pass a written exam then you can drive on the road if a fully licensed driver is with you.
Tonight I started thinking. 15 years, 9 months and a bit before that. It actually has been quite a long road already. With the blessing of God, I might enjoy a bit more of the journey.
In a land and time long, long ago.......
Thinking about Zane my first memory was of that awful ultrasound. Then I remembered other things. Like buying Merinos. In '89 and '90 I went south to buy sheep at the annual Merino fairs in Otago. They were in Feb / March. Why this comes to mind is that I remember Kerrie complaining that "Doesn't your father know we are trying to start a family and how is being away going to help?" I can't remember what or why but Kerrie came on one trip as we brought sheep and visited the stations that they came from. Anyway, back to Zane.
Next thing you know, it was time for a scan. There he was in glorious black and white on the monitor. I thought it was getting a bit hot in the room. Well, as the patient was semi dressed, it seemed reasonable that they would have the temperature a little higher. It all got rather hot for me so I decided to go out for some fresh air. I stood up and walked out to the corridor. As I walked I started to see white spots. Realising I could pass out and unable to find a door to the outside I located a chair and sat down before I fell down. That is the story of how I almost blacked out at the sight of a TV monitor.
As first time parents we went to ante natal class which was pretty much a waste of time except for the revelation that no indigenous people were there, despite the hospital wards being full of them with new babies. Lack of education starts young.
Apart from endless arguments about suitable names, pregnancy went smoothly. At least I felt no pains. Kes was working and planned to stop 3 weeks before the due date. We were getting the baby room ready. I had sensibly added extra sound proofing to aid sleep post baby. At this stage there was a 3 day weekend trip with the farm forestry association to Taupo. I had arranged to drive the bus. Although Kerrie was getting on, I had suggested she come along. She declined. While I was away she wanted to paint the baby room. Well, saturday came along and the trip was scheduled to visit Rangipo Prison Farm's forestry operation. As we went In I got a pager alert. I phoned Kes from the prison. She had been painting the room and when she squatted down her waters broke. Zane was on his way. Nothing I could do I thought, I'm driving a bus 300Km away. We went into the forest for the day. I got numerous pager alerts but could not respond. Eventually we got back to the accommodation and a phone at 5.30pm Kes was advancing in labour and my sister in law Lynette was with her. My oldest sister had convinced my Dad that I should be with Kerrie for the birth. Having come close to passing out at the scan, I was not so sure.... Anyway, Dad found a substitute driver. The only problem was he was at a party and scared stiff of flying which was the only way to get there in time. Dad chartered a plane which flew the driver from Auckland to Taupo. I met him with the bus. We swapped and I flew home. I got to the hospital 10 minutes before Zane was born. He arrived at 11.45pm on the 3rd November. The bus driver and I were relieved.
Actually, seeing a woman bring forth life is possibly the most amazing miracle that is part of our existence. To think that fathers used to be denied being part of that. And most women never get to see another woman give birth ( not their own). Lynette was there and set a trend. She was at all our childrens births except one. It became a bit of a tradition.
So Zane arrived three weeks early and introduced us to SCBU - Special Care Baby Unit. That became home for a week before everything came right.

Giving Peace a Chance

Here is a sign that made me think as I went past a church yesterday. Thoughts like " What are other churches then? Conflict churches?" Actually my first thought was that this must be one of those "Save the Gay Whales " churches to put up a sign like that. Though depending on the love of Christ is a good point. I just can't help thinking that the mission of the church is first to change people hearts, transforming lives to be more like Christ. Political statements and action come cheap in Western democracies today. Many churches in Germany in the 40's were all for peace as well and their witness was pretty wimpy to say the least. It has been said that in the concentration camps the best people died first. That seems quite probable because good people would seek to defend the weak. They would share their meagre food. They would not be scamming them. They would die early. It is one thing to stick a sign on the side of your church. It may be another to live sacrifically.

Fire and Ice

Zane gets some air

Snow melt river fresh off the volcano

Betsy got back into skiing and enjoyed the snow

Checking out the beginner runs. The twins show lots of potential

Here is the team in action at the village Kindergarden. It was a great trip with opportunities to pray with people for healing, deliverance and filling with the Holy Spirit. Several awesome healings occured including a woman who was paralyised from a stroke. From 30degC in Fiji last weekend, Kerrie and Ruby joined the family in near zero temperatures at Mt Ruapehu this weekend. A great holiday and a bit of a contrast!

Good News In Fiji

Well , after a lot of preparation Kes and Ruby have gone with a team of 21 people from our church www.encounter.org.nz
to the Yasawa Island group in Fiji. It was important that Kes went because she started it all 2 years ago. Heather, a friend of ours was born there but left when a young child. Although Heather is now a grandmother she had never been back. Kes and I have been going to the Yasawas for several years. Kes asked about family connections and we made a video about the islands and her family. The video motivated Heather to go back. When she did, she prayed with some people who really felt the presence of God. A local pastor pleaded to Heather to return again with a team to touch the people. The current trip is a result of all this background. We celebrate the opportunity to help the local people experience real encounters with God.

Happy Anniversary Baby

Heres a pic of me dining out at the local foodcourt on our recent wedding anniversary. It had to be a bit downmarket because my lovely wife wasn't actually there. In fact she was not even in the country, she was in Colorado. Instead I was dining out with my daughter and a girl visiting from another country. You could see her but she is behind the camera. All a bit strange for a wedding anniversary but it worked out ok. MSN is a wonderful thing and thanks to help from friends overseas the anniversary was memorable for both my wife and I.

Room where the "lots" were discovered. 

What went down at Masada

We recently visited Israel. A trip to Masada near the Dead Sea is inspiring. The history is awesome from Herod, the Romans and the iconic story of resistance by the Jewish Zealots. Under seige by the Romans for 3 years the wall was finally breached by a seige tower hauled up an enormous man made earth ramp. That night the zealots had to decide their fate; prisoners or death at their own hand. They chose the latter. Men women and children killed by others. Then the final 10 drew lots to decide who would kill the other 9. The final man committed suicide. The Romans arrived to a hollow victory.
Today some Israeli Army units take their oath of alleigence on the summit of Masada. The cry is "never again" If anyone thinks that Israelis are going to surrender land that endangers their survival then they ignore history.
The past does affect the future. Even actions from 2,000 years ago can affect the choices made today.

“Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice...We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom.”

Elazar ben Yai

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1

wassup with that?

There are many mysteries that make me stop and ponder. Living in New Zealand gives one an interesting perspective but an unfortunate political environment. Thankfully, I am interested in a longer timeframe with a spiritual dimension. The way of a man interacting with his God. After all, you look at life swirling around you and there has to be more eh? The really interesting bit is that despite the western view of me, myself and I as the only significant thing, we are shaped by others. Other generations reach down and touch us by genes and the choices they made. Curse or blessing. A powerful force touching us from the past. Do you think we are alone on our own? Or are your ancestors affecting the way you live now?

winter at the beach