Not the end

My Grandpa passed away at 10:05am yesterday, after a long battle with cancer and emphysema. We were with him when he went, which is what all of us wanted. He also went peacefully, which was a blessing considering his condition.

I'm gonna miss Grandpa heaps. I'll never forget the times we went fishing, rabbit shooting, and later on, hanging out at the local RSL. He was a special bloke - and everyone knew that. He was loved by everyone who cared for him.

After that day I couldn't help thinking about how much I hate death, poverty, sickness, abuse, violence, and everything else bad that happens in this trashed world.

But you know what? God feels the same way as me (and you), about the way the world is these days. And he's not just sitting back and watching - he's doing something about it, and calling people like us to do something too. It'll get worse, for sure, but you watch (or better, get ready), because one day the trashy, messed up world will go out with a bang and the new earth will be ruled with justice and peace, by the best King of all Kings. Check it out in the book of Revelation in the Bible.

For now, dying is a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. But thank God it's not the end, just the beginning of true life.

Rest in peace, Grandpa. I know you're with Jesus and Grandma now, which is much better than when you were struggling here.

Futurama on Divine Intervention

Was at work today, and caught the last few minutes of 'Futurama'. I don't normally watch the show, and probably won't ever, but it did address one interesting issue. One of the robots met God, who was depicted as a deep male voice projecting out of a group of coloured stars (?), and apparantly found out that God cannot be trusted to do anything about bad situations. Some people were trapped in a laundry, eating shoes (again, '?'), and so the robot, instead of asking God to do anything about it, decided to do something about it himself.

'What a rotten ending!', I thought. But then it showed the group of coloured stars - and the voice said "if you do things the right way, no one will ever know you did anything". In other words, God had used the robot to save the people, without taking the credit but achieving His purposes in the end.

Do you think that is an accurate picture of God? When God works, for example, when he miraculously heals someone who is sick (which has happened to me), or when he causes one of those things we call 'coincidences' (such as the times when I've decided to go a different way home and found I'd avoided a huge accident that happened on the other route), do you think He disguises his work so that people don't know it's Him, or does he do things to show his great power, intending that all see and recognise it was Him?

I reckon a few things about this (but feel free to add your opinion)...

One is that God actively works in the world, and does not just stand off and laugh at our troubles like some people think. God cares for hurting people, and while he allows humans to choose how they behave, he is working in difficult situations to help people know that He loves them, and to encourage them to have a comforting friendship with Him.

Secondly, I think that God is pleased when people acknowledge the good things He's done, not because he selfishly wants all the credit (God by his nature is love, and is not selfish), but because he knows that whatever we worship, we become like. Those things that we adore in love (be they good or bad), will eventually rub off on us as people. And who would be the best one for us to be like? God, because he is loving, kind, merciful, generous, and all the best qualities one could have, to the max. God wants us to become like him, in order that his world be transformed into the great place that he intended it to be. Of course, we can't measure up to the greatness of God, because we're fallen human beings who are not perfect. But with God's help, we can reflect his goodness and change the world around us. God desires that we worship him alone, and that we thank him for the things he's done for us. Besides, having an attitude of thankfulness for the good things that have been done for us makes us better people - less self centred, more appreciative of the things we do have, less focused on the things we do not.

So does God draw attention to himself when he works in the world? I think sometimes yes (through undeniable displays of his power, such as in miraculous healing and people rising from the dead), and I think sometimes no (in which case it is our job as those who follow Him to recognise the good things He's done and to highlight them for all to see).

Ultimately, God gave one great sign that He cares about the plight of human beings - one momentous display of his love and concern for our suffering and desperation. What was that sign? Jesus, his son. Jesus, in his death and resurrection, showed that not only does God care about us, but he is willing to pay the biggest price possible so that our lives can be changed, and we can have peace.

A spoiled little rat bag... but I do love her ;)

For the last few days, I've been taking my cat Susie into the backyard on a leash. She's normally not allowed outside because we live on a busy street, but lately she's accepted the leash if it allows her to explore the world outside our home.



Unfortunately, her outdoor experiences have had quite an affect on her behaviour. She's turned into a snotty little kid! She spends most of the day sitting at the back door wailing and crying, trying to get us to take her out again. The peaceful, bed-warming companion she was has turned into a spoiled brat.

What to do? She won't sit on the window sill any more, because now that she has tasted the real outdoors, just looking outside is no longer good enough.

Kinda reminds me of what it's like to know God; or at least, to be known by him (without the spoiled brat part). Once you experience what it's like to have God make Himself real to you as you open your heart to Him and let him work on the inside of you - once you've felt Him there with you, no cheap imitation will ever do. Because you'll never be satisified until you're back in that place.

I want to cry out to Him for that more and more, never leaving His door until He comes and takes me into His presence.

Done, done, done...

That's right, I finished my last assignment for the year this week. And my reward? My Mum was kind enough to buy be a big bucket of KFC's popcorn chicken.

I love this stuff! I could eat it endlessly all day... if it didn't add so much to the luxury of my waistline (been watching Kate & Leopold too...).

So what now? A mountain of work to do still... Oh well, such is the life of a 21st century western-world gal.

This reminds me of a time when I was looking through a breakfast menu in the Philippines, and I saw that what this restaurant called "Australian Breakfast" consisted of pork sausages, baked beans, bacon and toast.

I'm sorry folks, but as I said that day, "Australian Breakfast" is whatever you can grab as you run out the door.