Rejuvenation

It was hot, dry and dusty in the Australian outback.  Even the mulga, pushed over so it would grow closer to the ground, had been stripped by the skinny sheep and hungry ‘roos.

Hand feeding was costing a fortune.  The drought was causing hard times.

And then it broke.  Rain, glorious rain!

It filled the dams and tanks and replenished the bores.  It saturated the earth and converted the dry dusty countryside into a carpet of green.

Sometimes, life can be like a drought for us too.  We can go for years, our inner self seemingly shrivelling up as in a dry sandy desert.  Until the drought breaks, someone comes along, or something happens, which allows us to experience a new lease of life.

Jesus is reaching out to us now and all we need to do is accept Him into our life and allow His love to fill our hearts.  The Spirit of the Lord will then rain down on us and rejuvenate our whole being, just as the rain did in the dry outback.

Let’s not wait for the hard times to come into our lives when we could make the decision to soak up our God’s love now.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Recognition

Mother Teresa at the home for the Dying, Mother Teresa’s Missions of Charity, Calcutta, India, 1980

Mother Teresa of India, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has been quoted as saying,  “The biggest disease affecting our world today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by everybody.”

She has said, “The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity and terrible indifference towards one’s neighbour who lives at the roadside, assaulted by exploitation, corruption, poverty and disease.”

God is not a figment of the Christian imagination and He doesn’t restrict His activities to just supporting people like Mother Teresa.

In reaching out to those around us who hurt and are in need, we are reaching out to God Himself. In holding the hands of those less fortunate than ourselves, we are, in reality, holding the hand of God.  These people are His creation.  He holds them, like us, in the palm of his hand.

For the Good Book tells us that whenever we do these things for our brothers and sisters we are doing them for God.

It seems that contrary to  public opinion, God does not just live in our church buildings, but   through His Spirit, He lives in each one of our hearts.

To find Him within ourselves, maybe we first have to recognise Him in others. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Railway to Heaven

Have you ever noticed how most of our railway track is layed on as even a surface as possible.  To achieve this, hills are bulldozed, bridges built  and valleys are filled up to keep the track as level as possible.

However, as we travel along life’s railway, it seems we will always be confronted by hills and valleys, the highs and lows in our existence.

If we can only maintain our believe in God and trust Him to smooth out our way, then much of our anxiety will disappear.  We will find the valleys in our lives will not leave us desperate, and the hills of elation will not come crashing down around us when ecstasy abates.

Knowing where the railway is taking us is always an important part of the journey, because looking forward to reaching our destination can make the trip so much easier to enjoy.

The last line of the original hymn converted into a bluegrass country gospel song, Life’s Railroad to Heaven, tells of the greeting our God will give us at the end of our journey. “Weary pilgrim, welcome home”.

Jesus himself is the driver of our train.  It is called “The Spirit of Progress”.  He has travelled this line before in visiting His Father, so he knows the way and can be trusted to follow the right track.

The tickets are free and can be obtained from our local church communities, so why not join me on life’s railway to Heaven?  There is a seat by the window waiting just for you, but I can’t promise the whole journey will be comfortable, as there is still a lot of work left to be done on the track.

The signals are green. Why not jump aboard now? It would be such a shame if you missed the last train. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Need a job

It was a number of years ago when I first met him.  He had just emigrated to this country from Europe and was eager to start a new life for himself and his family.

We spoke about work.  He asked me, ‘what were the jobs Australians least like doing’.  I thought for a bit knowing how difficult it was to get seasonal fruit pickers and other part time shift workers but settled on Public Toilet cleaning.

Within days he had a full-time job with the local council and would travel around the council toilet facilities cleaning and removing waste material.  Because of the recruitment problems the job paid extremely well.

So often we see people turn their noses up at the very mention of occupations such as sewerage worker, street cleaner or garbage collector.  It seems the work, and those employed peforming the tasks, are often treated with some disdain.

Yet without these essential community services our health would deteriorate, our cities and towns would cease to function efficiently and our quality of life would slowly disintegrate.

Next time you see the garbo, or the person who pumps out the septics and greasetraps, why not give them a smile and a wave.  They are probably performing a more important role in the community than you or I could ever hope to achieve.

I am sure our entry into Heaven won’t be determined by the job we perform here on earth but rather by what we do for God and for one another. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Names

What’s in a name?…. If we can take any notice of Government Authorities, we would probably find names are not as important as numbers.

Our Tax-file number, Credit card number, Medical benefits number and Payroll number are but a few of the numerical identifying processes under which we live.  We all have pin numbers, street numbers and the number we take while waiting to be served.

Government policy has adopted the anti-Christian lobby’s claim that people are not comfortable having their first names referred to as Christian names.  So, our Christian names have now become ‘other’ names, a more comfortable neutral title for some.

Fortunately, we still greet each other by name.  Thankfully, neither modern technology nor Government intervention has yet dictated we should lose our individual identity altogether.

The heavenly computer does not seem to operate on a number system, which must make it rather unique.  The Good Book tells us God has carved our name on the palm of His hand, that He has created us in His own image and that He calls us by name.

If our God has so much intimate knowledge about us, we should ask ourselves why we often keep running away from Him when inwardly we hear Him calling us?

If today we should hear His call, he will call us by name, not by number. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Mystery

In this world we are surrounded by mysterious events and we spend a lot of time researching and looking for scientific answers to unexplained happenings. It seems many of us refuse to believe until something is categorically proven.  And even then, we might continue to have doubts.

Are there really flying saucers? Does a full moon exert an influence on our personalities? Does the abominable snowman exist? Why do ships and people disappear within the Bermuda triangle? Issues such as these exercise the minds of many, while others write-off unusual events as coincidences, or things they can’t understand.

Today, people throughout the world have claimed they have been healed through prayer and divine intervention and whether we believe it or not is probably of no great consequence.  However, seeing is often the reason for believing. When we see what appears to be an unexplained miracle, we should praise and thank our God for what has occurred.

It is often the little miracles that we fail to recognise. We can pray for someone to be healed and because the healing doesn’t happen instantaneously, we miss seeing the changes in circumstances that are having a positive effect on the sick person’s wellness. As we keep praying, over time these little miracles often continue to happen.

What is important, is that we realise there is a God who made us and cares for us and will listen to our calls for help.

Only in Heaven will all the answers be found to what in this life is considered myth, mystery, miracle or coincidence.  Our task is to make sure we get there. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Mission

After the death of Jesus, the Disciples locked themselves in a room for fear of what might befall them in the world outside.  While it was safe and comfortable being together, it was not what Jesus wanted of them.

At the first Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and commissioned to go out to all the nations of the world and spread the Gospel.

How comfortable and safe it is for us to practice our Faith within the confines of our own Church.  We can be tireless workers for our Pastors and Priests but often we deliberately shy away from situations that might involve us having to openly be a Christian in a non-Christian environment.

Just as the Disciples were sent out into the world, so must we all accept our responsibility as Christians to follow in their footsteps.

They were not told how to spread the Good News.  Like us, they were all given different gifts that enabled them to perform their mission in their individual ways.

We are not all called to stand on street corners and preach, but we are called to take the Gospel to one another. The same Spirit who gave power to the apostles will also assist each one of us to live and spread the Gospel of love.

Let’s be brave and courageous and ask the Holy Spirit to make us powerful individuals who are not afraid to be seen as Christians in whatever environment we might be placed. 

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Light

During the stormy season we occasionally experience periods when we are without electricity.

We fumble for candles, matches and torch batteries in our darkened homes and often have to break out the gas camping stove to prepare a meal.

Meanwhile, out on the roads, drivers are carefully negotiating intersections normally controlled by traffic lights and emergency services are operating using petrol driven generators.

We often fail to realise how much we rely on electricity in our lives.  Normally we just flick a switch and think nothing of it.  Often, it is only when we are forced to go without those things to which we have grown accustomed, that we appreciate their worth.

If we have been living with our God switched off, then we need to invite the Jesus, who came to show us the way to the father, into our hearts, to light up our lives.  He is the light of the world and storms or mechanical failure will never extinguish His light.

If we switch on His light today, we will never again be afraid of the dark.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Life

LifeOur life unfolds in a continuous succession of experiences and expectations.  No two days are the same, no year leaves us unaltered.

Our individual paths through this life always vary.  There are years of happiness and years of suffering, years of plenty and years of poverty.  There are also years of hope and years of disappointment, of building up and breaking down.

There are years of strength and years of weakness, years of great certainty and even years of serious doubt.

Such are the threads that weave together to form the fabric of the canvas of our lives.  And through all our years and our experiences, it is comforting to know our God is there with us and is present in all our activities.

Sometimes, when the going gets rough, the effort of survival can often seem impossible.  However, it is important we keep on striving in everything we do.  If we never lose hope, then a new future is always possible.

Even on the other side of death a different existence awaits us.  Hopefully then, we will at last find the rest we sought in this life, in the arms of a God who has loved us through all of our surviving years.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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Lent

You can’t just turn up and compete in an Olympic Games.  The road to the Olympics requires considerable self-sacrifice, training and preparation.  And you can’t  get a car licence without first obtaining a learner’s permit and undergoing a test.

In fact, there’s not a lot any of us can achieve without first going through a period of learning and preparation.

We go to school to prepare us for a career and life itself.  We study to pass exams.  We generally have a trial on probation, before being appointed to a permanent position and we have an engagement period, before getting married.

With a positive outlook, our forward focus through life is aimed at achieving our goals, rather than centring on the pain of the preparation.

So, it seems obvious, for us to really appreciate the true significance of Easter, we need first to undergo a time of preparation.  Many Churches refer to this period as the season of Lent.

For some of us our Lenten journey can be achieved by mentally retracing the steps of our Saviour on the road to Calvary. Alternatively, we can make this journey more positive if we look beyond Calvary to focus on the miracle of the Easter Sunday Resurrection.

We can experience the joy of Easter more fully by preparing during the Lenten period,  bearing in mind that by dying, Jesus proved to us all he was man, but by rising, He proved He was God.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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