Don asked Mum how come not one of her 5 brothers was ever called to serve in the army..
She replied immediately with, "Because I prayed they would`nt have to. "She said when she heard that they were calling young men to go to war, she immediately prayed & asked God to not let them be called..they never were, pity she didn`t pray for her brother`s in law, coz 2 of them went to war..
One of them was our Uncle Reg who told the story that one night while crawling through the heavy scrub, he felt a hand touch his head, then a voice said, "It`s alright digger"
Don seems to think that it would have been a Polish soldier, he said they were the best soldiers ever, they were noted for being able to slip into the enemy territory without being detected.
Don said that they would have known what kind of soldier he was by his hair cut..as they touched his head they knew he was an Aussie..
Is`nt that incredible?
Chris my son in law says there is a book I can purchase that asks all manner of questions of the older generation to bring out any history we might want to know, he has left the site on my computer, I will buy that book very soon..it will be good to see what questions they have & my mum`s response to them..Thanks Chris!

Mum was telling us of a very old song our Dad used to sing, it`s called "Paddy McGinty`s Goat" This is what she remembers of the words...there are a lot more in the original, but I think it`s amazing at 93 she remembers as much as she does..

Paddy McGinty an Irishman of note
Came into a fortune & bought himself a goat
Now this goat of Paddy`s had,
a very large appetite
One morning for breakfast
He swallowed some dinamite
A big box of matches & a pint of kerosine
He laid down by the fire side coz he was all serene
He did`nt give a hoot & he didn`t give a hang
Till out jumped a spark
And he went off with a bang
And when you get to heaven
Bet you a dollar note
The angel with the whiskers
Is Paddy McGinty`s goat.

42nd Wedding Anniversary

Today is a very special day for me, as I reflect back to the time I first met my precious hubby, it was to be one of the best days of my life..

We have enjoyed every minute we have had together, I have discovered him to be the most generous, kind, thoughtful & loving man I have ever known. Not having a Father figure in my life from a baby, I noticed the men around me, being mostly Uncle`s or neighbours Dad`s, to be mainly angry people, or grumpy might be a better word, so was not overly impressed with men really. Thought they were all that way for a long time..

God knew what He was doing when He caused me to meet Geoff. He knows exactly what we need.

Geoff has always been a hard worker, provided well for both myself & our 4 children, now our 6 grandbabies as well..we have not lacked for anything, he doesn`t complain about money (much) hahaha He eventually will let me have whatever I want, so it puts the responsibility back on me to be careful not to take advantage of his generosity.

I can talk to him about anything, he is a good listener, when no-one else is around...hahaha
I try not to ring him at work too often, but lately there have been many a moment when I just needed his reassurance & understanding concerning our oldest daughter Lisa, who gives me grief a lot of the time..just to hear his voice or have him pray with me about the situation, helps tremendously.

He is my closest friend, apart from Jesus of course..we have a very close bond, seem to know when the other is hurting or in need, even when we are apart.

Thank You Lord for bringing Geoff into my life, he has become my life along with You!!

Captive No More.

Captive No More

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Is there a certain sin that seems to have a foothold in your life? And does it almost seem as though the sin is getting more and more powerful each month, each year, and tragically, each decade?Do you wonder if you ever will gain victory over it? Or worse, are you beginning to wonder if you are really a Christian?Sin is a horrible master, and it finds a willing servant in the human body. Sin wants to dominate you, but the good news is that as a Christian, you don't have to be dominated by sin any longer.The Bible says, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6 NIV).There is a part of us that is drawn to the holy things of God, and there is a part of us that can still be drawn to the unholy things of this world. We all have that struggle. It is almost shocking, especially if you have been a believer for many years, that there still can be an attraction to sinful things.Here is what we need to remember: We will never get to a point where we are temptation-proof. But I do think we can get to a point where sin will not be so alluring. It comes with growing deeply in our faith, learning more about Jesus, and being so enraptured with His love that we see this world for what it is.I think the classic hymn says it well: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."To overcome sin, we need to know, we need to reckon, and we need to yield. Romans 6:11 says, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NKJV).
To know has to do with the mind, and it is implied in the phrase, "likewise you also." These three words refer back to the truths in Romans 6:1–10.The apostle Paul laid the groundwork, showing us that we are no longer under the jurisdiction of sin, and it no longer has a rightful claim over our lives as children of God. For Christians to live out the fullness of their new lives in Christ, they must realize what God has done for them. We are not merely remodeled sinners; we are remade saints.To reckon focuses on the heart. The word "reckon" used in Romans 6:11 means "to take into account," or "to count as true."Reckoning is not acting as if it were so; it is acting because it is so. Reckoning is not claiming a promise as much as it is acting on a fact. God does not command us to be dead to sin. Rather, He tells us that we are dead to sin and alive to God. Then He commands us to act on it. And even if we don't act on it, it is still true.To yield deals primarily with the will. Romans 6:13 tells us, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God" (NKJV).The word "present" means "to give into." God is saying, "Yield to Me. Present yourself to Me." Each and every day, we are to present ourselves to God.Think of those in the Bible who presented their lives and their bodies to God and how powerfully they were used. For example, a sling in David's hand defeated the Philistines. Paul's dedicated feet took him from city to city to proclaim the gospel. John's eyes saw visions of the future, his ears heard God's message, and his fingers wrote it all down in the Book of Revelation.It is your choice to what and to whom you are going to yield yourself. And it is an intelligent decision to base your actions on what God has said in His Word.You have more than enough power to live this Christian life. You have the righteousness purchased by Christ with His own blood. So start taking hold of what God has already given you. Live in the newness of life for which Jesus gave His own.
Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write to let him know!Greg@harvest.org

True Repentance.

True Repentance
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."
— Luke 3:8 What do you think of when you hear the word "repent"? Maybe you think of someone wearing a sandwich board with flames on it who is yelling, "Repent!" It's a word we don't hear very much today.You might be surprised to know that the first word to fall from the lips of Jesus Christ after He began His public ministry was "repent" (see Matthew 4:17).The word "repent" means more than mere regret or sorrow. You can be sorry for something and not be repentant. You can feel sorry about a certain sin, especially if you reap the consequences of it. The person who gets caught in a lie is sorry. The criminal who gets caught is sorry. But the question is whether that sorrow leads to change. It might not. The liar might just be more careful. The criminal may plot his next crime with more foresight. There are people who are sorry for reaping the consequences of what they have done, but they have never made any changes in their lives.Real sorrow, according to the Bible, will lead to repentance. It will lead to change. John the Baptist preached to the multitudes, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance . . . " (Luke 3:8). Many people have never really repented of their sins. They have never really brought forth fruit in keeping with repentance. But this is absolutely necessary if you want to be forgiven of your sin. Recognition of personal sin is always the first step in receiving forgiveness.However, you can recognize that you need to repent and still not do it. You can recognize your personal sin and not necessarily take action. The two need to come together. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!Greg@harvest.org

Forever the same!

Thursday, November 5, 2009 Forever the Same
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
— Hebrews 13:8 The Bible describes a time in Israel's history when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6). But I also think that is a good description of our time. Rather than living by a set of absolute standards like the Ten Commandments, many people are making up their own standards and using a sliding scale for morality, thinking they are at least better than the next person.It reminds me of the prophet Isaiah's warning, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). That is where our culture is today. We mock what is good and pure, and we celebrate what is wicked and sinful. Good is called evil and evil is called good in our upside-down world.That is why I think our generation could easily be called the iGeneration, because we think it is all about us. It is all about our getting what we want, when we want to get it. Now that we can get our information on demand, we don't want to be told what we can see or hear—or let others decide when we can hear and see it. We want what we want, and we want it when we want it. And many are taking the same approach to morality. So how do we reach a culture like this? Answer: we reach it the same way Christians reached their culture 100 years ago and 300 years ago and 500 years ago and 2,000 years ago. We reach our culture with the authority and the message of God's Word, because that never changes, no matter what. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!Greg@harvest.org

When we doubt!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 When We Doubt
Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
— Acts 12:16 Some people say that when you pray, you must have faith, and if you have even a doubt, then your prayer won't be answered. But that is simply not true.How much faith did Lazarus have when Jesus raised him from the dead? None. How about the people at the tomb who were weeping? Probably not much. How about the man who said, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24), and Jesus answered his prayer anyway?We all will have times when our faith isn't as strong as it ought to be. But God can work, even when we don't have as much faith as we should. That does not excuse us from having faith. We still should pray with faith. And we should pray with persistence.When Peter needed a miracle to get out of prison, God waited until the last moment to deliver him. And you really have to admire Peter. Not knowing what his fate would be, he still was sleeping so deeply that the angel had to wake him up. Psalm 127:2 tells us that God "gives His beloved sleep," and He certainly gave sleep to his beloved Peter.So even though the early church prayed with passion and persistence, they still were shocked when God actually answered their prayers and saw Peter standing before them. Obviously they had prayed with some doubt. But even though their prayer was weak, it was mightier than Herod and mightier than the forces of hell.That gives me great hope, because I am not always a man of great faith. There are times when I will pray for something and wonder if it would really happen. And it is encouraging to know that even when I am weak, God can still intervene and answer my prayer. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!Greg@harvest.org