The Coach

The quarter time and three quarter time breaks in an AFL match can be almost as fascinating to watch as the game itself.

The body language of the players usually reflects the pattern of play in the preceding quarter as they either trudge towards where their coach and trainers are gathering, ‘the huddle’, or they run energetically accompanied by back-slaps.

Some initial words of wisdom may be spoken, players take a drink or get attention to injuries or sore spots. Then comes the coach’s address.

For some reason, what the coach has to say to his players is a source of immense curiosity. In the professional ranks, spectators aren’t allowed onto the playing field, so knowing what is said remains a mystery. Even the TV cameras, which are allowed just about everywhere else these days, aren’t allowed to film what the coach says in the huddle. Hence the curiosity.

But on suburban grounds, large crowds will often gather around the team to listen to the instructions, encouragement or admonition of the coach to his players. Every player’s eyes are fixed on the coach; he has every player’s attention; it’s a time to focus on what is being said. They want to know what advice the coach gives for the situation, what the strategy is to come out on top, what the instructions are and what part they each have to play in this team game.

At junior football it’s a slightly different story. While the huddle still happens, while the crowd still gathers, while the coach still offers instructions and encouragement, it is usual for the attention of the young boys to be all over the place. Partly because they struggle to receive instruction without accompanying pictures, but mostly because they couldn’t really care what the coach was saying. They are easily distracted. Many of them seem more interested in what is going on around them, who is doing what, where mum is standing etc. They just want to run back out and get on with the game. Little less talk, little more action please.

Most of us plough through life the same way – we don’t want advice, we don’t want instruction, we don’t to be critiqued – we just want to get on with playing the game of life how we want to play it. We’re not so concerned about how we might best fit and contribute in a community sense – we just want to get a kick ourselves. We are often easily distracted by what everyone else is doing, and have no real interest in receiving instruction.

What if there was an all-knowing ‘coach’, who had prepared a book of instructions that gave us all the advice for living a good life we would ever need? What if this ‘coach’ knew all about us, and outlined for us what was going to work best for us, and for the ‘team’ of the community around us? What if by taking a quick break from the action every now and then, we could listen to his words and use them to bring out the best in ourselves?

God is my coach. And I take a break from the action every day to read his instruction book, the Bible. It instructs me, critiques me, advises me and encourages me. I just need to stop, focus, hear what God says, and then go and put it into action. And I find it helps me get the best out of myself.

Perhaps if you’re struggling a bit, finding the going tough, not getting a kick, playing below your best – it might be time to seek out the ‘coach’ for some instructions. Join in the huddle at a local church, grab yourself an instruction book and go kick yourself some goals.

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

The Best Beauty Treatment

As someone not really keen on needles, I haven’t ventured down the path of being injected with Botulinum toxin type A, more commonly known as Botox.

Those who had received Botox injections were largely a subject of derision some years ago, but the practice of having this toxin injected into our faces is now not only acceptable, but a desired and regular practice by a growing number of people worldwide. Wikipedia estimates have the global Botox industry growing to $2.9 billion by 2018.

While some of this is for genuine health matters, much of it will be injected to smooth out the wrinkles in foreheads and eyes and lips – wherever we think our face needs a touch-up, in search of a more youthful look. Treatments can last as little as six weeks to as long as eight months, but ultimately, to keep up appearances, botox injections must become a regular feature in that person’s life.

There are some potential side effects, and the substance itself is actually pretty nasty. Produced by bacterium, it is one of the most acutely toxic substances known, with the potential to cause botulism if used incorrectly. But that doesn’t stop people from trying it in their attempt to look better.

In the Bible is the story of the selection of a new king. God directed the prophet Samuel to go to a man named Jessie’s house, where God said he would show Samuel which of Jessie’s sons to anoint as the new king. The first son he saw was Eliab, a strong and handsome young man, and Samuel thought this had to be the one. But God said, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.”

From God’s perspective, what’s on the inside far outweighs our external appearance.

Wanting to look good is not a bad thing, it’s just not as important as how we look on the inside. We are willing to pay big dollars and make certain sacrifices to look beautiful, but are we prepared to do anything about having a beautiful heart, a beautiful character?

Instead of injecting ourselves with toxins, we should be injecting our lives with love, patience, compassion, unselfish kindness, faithfulness and self-control.

This is the work of the Spirit of the God. When you turn towards God and walk in tune with Jesus, this spiritual work of character refinement and enhancement begins. For some like me it’s a slow process, others get some miraculously instant results.

For all it’s a journey of continuous soul beautification.

And the side effects of this beauty treatment are all good.

And there’s no needles!

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

A New Thing

Sitting atop a chest of drawers in my bedroom are two old fashioned porcelain vases. Covered in a floral design, with a couple of chips here and there, these two vases sit by side as ornaments, much to my wife’s chagrin.

“Can’t we get rid of those ugly things?” she constantly asks.

My oft-repeated reply of, “No. They belonged to my great grand-mother,” is always met with the question “so?”

So – why do I keep them? I paused to ponder this very deep question recently. Why should the fact that these vases once belonged to an ancestor I never met or knew have enough relevance for me to hang on to these things (which are rather ugly, and worthless)? Why too do I keep things that once belonged to grandparents and parents, unable to ever contemplate throwing them away, as if to do so would be an insult?

My wife simply thinks I’m a hoarder, and points to the box of old newspapers, my junior sport medals and folders full of old football cards as evidence.

I guess with the family heirlooms it’s more of a case of wanting a link to the past. A heritage. An acknowledgement of those who have come before me, without whom I wouldn’t exist. Something tangible that connects me to my ancestors.

But the danger exists for all of us of getting stuck in the past. Nostalgia can get a powerful hold on us and prevent us moving forward. Many people today get mired in the hurt, bitterness or grief of past days, and it can be hurtful and harmful. Or they look so fondly back to the ‘good old days’ that they become rancorous or defeatist about the present and the future.

In the Bible, the prophet Isaiah records God as saying, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

A belief that God is continually at work creating and bringing about new circumstances and new opportunities and new experiences – ‘new things’- is what gives the Christian hope and a sense of excitement of what lies ahead in life. It frees us from the past. We are much easier able to ‘let go’ and just ‘let God’.

We don’t get dragged down by our past failures or hurts so much, because we know that our mistakes are forgiven and something new waits just around the corner.

When you become a follower of Jesus, it’s just like becoming a new person. The past is the past. And you can leave it there. You can move forward in freedom. The old is gone. No longer relevant.

But… when it comes to family heirlooms?

Hmm – the vases - I think I’ll hang on to them, for a little while longer anyway.

Sorry, dear.


www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

Running Away

Running away – from somewhere, or something, or someone – has been the basis of many great films, books and stories. And the Bible is no exception.

The story of Jonah, the ‘belly of the whale’ guy, is a running away story. God told him to go to the city of Nineveh to do some preaching to the wayward people there, but he got up and went in the exact opposite direction, paying his fare to travel by boat to Tarshish to get, in his mind, ‘as far away from God as I can get.’ But during the journey a storm whipped up, and Jonah ended up getting thrown overboard, only to be swallowed by a huge fish. Once vomited back onto shore, he decided to head straight to Nineveh, where God wanted him to go I the first place!

Jesus told a running away story, which has become known as the story of the Prodigal Son. A young man asked his father for his inheritance early, then took the money and ran – to a distant country where he lived the high life and spent all the money. He got to the point of being so poor and destitute, working in a pig sty, that he was eating pig slops to survive. Even though he felt he’d burnt his bridge, he decided to head home to face the music and see if he couldn’t get some small improvement in his living conditions.

Imagine his surprise when his father, who had seen this insolent, disrespectful son run away from home and waste all the inheritance, welcomed him back with the open arms of forgiveness, and immediately threw a big welcome home shindig!

Many of us try and run from God like Jonah did. I sure did. As soon as I got married and left home, not only did my church attendance go from weekly to never, but my faith went out the window. I lived much like the prodigal son, wasting my time and money seeking pleasure in ways and on things that were always only temporary. I hurt many people along the way with my selfish, indulgent living. Almost destroyed myself.

Today I meet lots of people who perhaps attended a Sunday School as kids, or who went to church for a while in their younger days, who used to pray and believe and seek to live a Jesus-following life, who have long since abandoned this aspect of their lives. Turned away, or ran away, from God.

Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son for any of us who had run away from God. The father in the story is an image of God, who is just waiting for us to return, and as we do, we are welcomed with open arms and completely forgiven. The relationship is restored, and celebrated.

Perhaps you’re on the run now. Running away from God.

Psalm 139 tells us that no matter where we go, we can never get away from God’s Spirit, never get away from God’s presence. Other parts in the Bible assure us that we can never get away from God’s love.

So turn around. Turn back to God. Say a prayer. Dust off your Bible. Find a suitable church.

Go on, go home. There’s a warm welcome awaiting you.

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

Putting It Off

If a genie popped out of a bottle right now, right in front of me, and offered me one wish, I’d be tempted to ask for an end to Winter and for Spring to begin here in Australia.

I’m not a fan of the cold. I prefer my skies blue to grey, my winds to be warming not biting, and for the maximum hours of daylight possible.

I look at my garden, becoming increasingly unkempt, and find myself saying, “I’ll get to that when the weather warms up a bit.” I look at the mess in my garage, and think “I’ll clean all that up when the weather’s a bit warmer.” I see the forlorn look on my dog’s face, and say to him, “I’ll take you for a walk when the days get a bit longer, and a bit warmer.”

I have a lot of things being put off, waiting for a change in the weather.

We do this a lot in life also, don’t we? Put things off until circumstances change. Until the season of life changes perhaps.

“When such and such happens, then I will…”

“Once so and so does this, then I will….”

“I’ll be happy when …”

“One day I’m going to…”

When Jesus lived on earth, he invited various people to follow him. Some, like the disciples Simon, Andrew, James and John, left what they were doing immediately and followed. Yet others put it off, agreeing to follow Jesus but only after they had attended to a family situation or a personal issue.

Jesus got a bit annoyed with them, and told one would-be follower, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s Kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (Luke 9:62 – The Message)

The aspects of life such as love, forgiveness, reconciliation, meeting the needs of others are things that shouldn’t be put off until tomorrow. Doing the things that God requires and values shouldn’t be determined by your present circumstances or season. Maybe the gardening can wait, or cleaning up a messy garage can be put off, but when it comes to people and relationships, and the things of God, we need to seize the day.

Every day is a gift from God to be used for His glory. Every day contains opportunities waiting to be grasped. So begin each day with a prayer of thanks to God for the chance to make a difference in the lives of others. Whether it be Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn, sunshine or rain, don’t put off the people stuff, the stuff of God’s Kingdom. Instead, seize the day.

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

Bargains

Every day the inbox of my email account fills with people wanting to give me a ‘special offer’, ‘great bargains’, ‘never-to-be-repeated opportunities’. All attempts to sell me something, to get me to part with my hard-earned money. Not because I need something, but because they have managed to make me think that by not buying, I’m missing out. At least most of these are genuine.

 

I still get the occasional scam email from someone on the other side of the world. The free money email, you know the one where you just have to give your bank account details and they will put $7 million in there.

I am saddened when I hear of people losing all their life savings having trusted in someone to invest money on their behalf into what sounded like a wonderful scheme. Something that offered a better-than average return that would increase their wealth like nothing else, only to find their trust has been betrayed, and the money has gone.

We need to be wary of fantastic offers. My dad always said, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!

There is one offer however that I have discovered that is fantastic. And it’s true. And it’s free. And it’s guaranteed.

It’s the offer God gives to us, called ‘salvation’. All it takes is a belief, a belief that Jesus was the Son of God who came to earth and lived among us, and that when Jesus died on the cross he opened the way for us to be reconciled to God. That we can now be forgiven for anything we’ve ever done that has hurt someone else or hurt God. It cost God hugely, but costs us nothing.

And the return on this investment? Amazing.

Hope, freedom, peace, joy, a new life here on earth – and eternal life!!

It’s the real deal, the best deal, the 100% genuine special offer. The bargain of all time.

You can’t lose. So get on it!

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington

Dodgem Cars

One of our family’s favourite rides at the carnival, fair or show is the Dodgem Cars. My three sons and I get on those cars, and we are determined to cause as much mayhem for each other as possible. We aim to bump into each other, to put each other off course, make them stop altogether is good, and we race ahead laughing at their misfortune. Unfortunately, other innocent people tend to get caught up in our crashes and bumps as well. But hey, that’s the feature of the ride – you know when you buckle up that seatbelt that you’re going to get hit, so no sympathy.

Regrettably, this is the way some people live life.

Their focus is on getting ahead, no matter who they crash into along the way. And if someone ‘bumps’ them, they floor the accelerator and chase after them, hoping to bump into the culprit harder than what they had done to them.

It’s called revenge. Paying people back. Getting even. This hunger for vengeance seems to be have been part of human nature forever.

The funny thing with dodgem cars is that there is no finish line. No one actually wins. You just go round and round in an endless quest to cause each other grief.

Same when it comes to revenge.

It costs time, physical and emotional energy. And most often, the avengers don’t feel any more satisfied. It keeps the wound open, prolonging the pain of the original offense. It keeps the feud boiling away, and often begins a cycle of retribution that spirals downward, at times leading even to death. And it doesn’t seem to ever dissipate the anger.

Jesus spoke a lot about revenge and forgiveness, and much of it sounds crazy. When one of his disciples asked what the limit was on the number of times you should forgive someone, and suggested it was perhaps seven, Jesus answered “seventy times seven”.

He told his followers to turn the other cheek if struck, and not to hate our enemies but to love them.

Sound crazy? Unfair? Why this need to forgive?

Jesus explained that because God is prepared to forgive us for all the things we have done wrong, we need to be prepared to forgive those who have wronged us. If we don’t think we should be expected to forgive people who’ve hurt us, how then can we turn around and expect God to forgive us?

When we harbour resentment and bitterness and anger, it hurts and damages us. Seeking revenge does little or nothing to alleviate it. Only forgiveness can.

If someone ‘bumps’ you in life, follow the advice of Jesus - forget revenge and forgive instead. And as you do, be thankful that there is a God who is prepared to forgive us for our wrongs.

www.salvationarmy.org.au/mornington