Grateful

Well, it's been a while since my last post. Missed a week in there. This weekend has been great catching up a little with family I don't always spend a lot of time with.

Isn't it interesting what different things people notice about you? And how it is so often closely associated with what has changed since the last time they saw you. Now, this makes sense, but it also really highlights how infrequently you do see some people. One of my nieces whom I saw this weekend noticed my blue hair. I could have sworn that I had seen her at least once in the last nine months, but apparently, no.

 

Time really slips away from us sometimes. But at the same time I am sometimes grateful for those long absences as these people can point out things about yourself that have changed that you or others close to you might not have noticed.

We are always changing in some degree, often to our circumstances. I know at the moment I am changing in more ways than one but I cannot pin point what those changes are. Perhaps someone else I see one day might be able to point them out to me.

This is just one thing I am grateful for from those around me. What are you grateful for from those around you?

Numbed

Yesterday on the radio I was listening to a program talking about the introduction of an R18+ rating to videogames in Australia. At present, Australia is the only developed country without such a rating. In South Australia they are looking to merge the new R18+ rating with the current MA15+ rating and so scrapping it entirely in regards to videogames, so there is only M and then R18+.

Two days ago I was watching a parenting program on television looking at the affect that different videogames can have on children, 12 year old boys to be specific. It found that the majority of those who played a videogame with violence in it (World War Replica) were much less likely to be helpful, considerate, and thoughtful, in real life than those who were playing a non-violent videogame (football). It was also found that this rolled over into the way that real life violence affected them.

 

Just this morning I heard about a siege which had happened this morning near one of my family. The roads are all blocked off, a police officer was shot. Three are dead, two injured. My reaction was like ‘oh, okay’. Automatic acceptance of this violence, of the situation. It is expected.

With all the violence, all the things which should be unacceptable to us as human beings, being always in front of us, in the news, in television programs, videogames, radio, we just don’t react the same way anymore. Just how numb have we become, and how numb to such things are we making the next generation?

I am in favour of the change in ratings which is occurring with videogames in South Australia, merging the two categories. Saying this, I also understand why the R18+ category has never been in place in Australia for videogames before. The makers of such games in Australia have just had to make sure that the violence and explicit content is at a level low enough to fit the MA15+ category. We shall see how this is received. Hopefully it will give people a better idea of what they are actually purchasing as the line between M and MA15+ has been blurred for a long time.

Is a helping hand going to disappear? The friendly neighbour; the person who stops in the street to help a stranger? The results from the videogame testing may help explain where some of that culture has gone to, but also perhaps suggests that there may be a further decline in such behaviour.

So, I have two questions for you today. First in direct response is, what can we do? And second is, how do you react to violence in the world today... how numb are you?

God Bless

The Real Story

Easter is in just a couple of days, so I thought that I would share what I, and many others, consider to be the real story, the true story, the First Easter. Accounts of this can be found in the Bible.

So there's this guy whose name is Jesus. He has done many miraculous things in his life like making the blind see, healing diseases, and casting out demons. He also teaches all whom he meets with words of hope and authority. He claims to be the Christ, the Son of God. Many follow him but there are also many who are against him.

Thursday

The Jewish Festival called Passover was here! Everybody from surrounding towns had all traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate this Feast of Unleavened Bread together, in the holy city. Multitudes of people could be seen everywhere. Jesus celebrated this festival with twelve of those whom followed him and were good friends of his. He said some strange things at their supper. After taking the cup and giving thanks he said 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes' And again with the bread after giving thanks he said 'this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' And then again with the cup after supper, 'this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of my betrayer is with me on the table.'

Like I said, he says some strange things. But there are many against him and some so much, the chief priests in fact, that they wished to kill him. The betrayer which Jesus spoke of was Judas, one of those who was indeed sitting at the table. And that night, as Jesus was at the Mount of Olives with those same twelve, Judas came up and gave him a kiss, betraying him to the chief priests who had come there also to arrest him. He was praying 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.'

And so Jesus was arrested and taken away. That night the men who were to hold and guard Him mocked and beat him severely, blindfolding him and striking his face.

Friday

Well, if the day before isn't enough, now He is taken out and led into the council of the scribes, and chief priests. Here he does not deny that He is the Son of God, but affirms this and so they take him and present him to Pilate, then the head of the Roman empire in that part, and accuse him of claiming to be the King of the Jews. Again, Jesus affirms this. Pilate couldn't see that Jesus had done anything wrong but on that day as a show of goodness for the people he would release one prisoner. Pilate said he would release Jesus, but the people, the crowds, the multitudes all cried out that they wanted another man released, Barabas, and that they wanted Jesus crucified. Pilate tried to lesser this to just having him further beaten but still they called out and so he gave in and Jesus was to be crucified.

And so Jesus was lead out with two others to be crucified, taking their crosses with them. And there they were all put up on their cross'. Some mocked him, saying if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself, but others saw what was true and said 'Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom'. Now before Jesus died there was unnatural darkness for three hours, and when he did, there was something like an earthquake at the same time and the temple curtain was ripped in two. This is a big deal for the Jews, it is the barrier between them and God, and now it is broken. A man came and claimed Jesus' body and laid it in a tomb once it was all over, some women who had also come observing where the tomb is and how his body is laid that they might come back and prepare his body properly for burial.

Saturday

Well, the day before was certainly a big day. This day is known as the sabbath. It is Jewish custom and law to rest on the sabbath and do no work. And so, everyone rested. The women prepared spices for Jesus' body just before the sabbath day began that they might complete this duty as soon as the sabbath is over.

Sunday

The day is here, the day to go the tomb and finish of what is to be done to lay Jesus to rest. Why has such an end come to such a great man? The women arrived at the tomb and found that the boulder which had been blocking the entrance had been rolled away. They hadn't thought how they were going to do it, being so overcome with grief, but it is huge, who could have rolled it away? They went inside and found no body but there were two men in shining garments who said to them 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be cruicified, and the third day rise again.'' The women remembered what Jesus had said and taught them many days ago they ran to tell Jesus' good friends the wonderful news.

Finally, the were starting to understand what Jesus had been trying to tell them. Jesus appeared to them, to the women, his friends, and many others including crowds of people over quite a few days to follow. He had his wounds from when he was crucified but he was healed. He had a new body, was different in some way, but the same man.

Later

At the end of these days Jesus said to them, a crowd of people, of friends and others, 'Thus it is written, and this it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you' but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.' And then after saying this he blessed the people and as he blessed them He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

Now isn't that an amazing story! And better yet, it is all true.

My question to you is does this story change anything in your life?

God Bless.