Pokies

a Jesus thought...
Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)


a Godly thought...
Perhaps there is a middle ground, somewhere between the hotline and the disconnected line: where we do genuinely hear the whispers of the God who loves to speak to us. (p22 Lucas)


a leading thought...
Sometimes we think of passion as a fire that burns out quickly. But to me spiritual passion runs deep: It is a lifelong commitment to follow the disciplines necessary to achieve and sustain spirituality. (p49 Finzel)


a Dave thought...
Victorians are losing close to $7 million a day on poker machines, or more than $2.5 billion a year, a new report shows. And in the last financial year, gamblers lost a further $1 billion at Melbourne's Crown Casino alone. The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation annual report, tabled in state parliament today, shows the gambling losses recorded in Victoria for the financial year were $4.7 billion, including racing, lotteries and sports betting.
These stats are frightening as literally hundreds of lives and families are ruined every year because of gambling addictions. But now as the government rely on this income $1.5 billion in taxes and levies it is hard to see why they will stop the ever growing gambling industry. For them even if they have to hand us a few million to look after the victims they end up way in front.
When I was ministering at Box Hill Salvos there was a lady who came for regular food parcels after she made her way across to us after spending 4 hours on the pokies across the road at the RSL and yes we still showed mercy and gave her food. But as we continue to help people who are victims of the thousands of pokie machines I sometimes wonder whether we should be doing more at the proactive end rather than the reactive end as we used to fight injustice in our early years.

Just a thought.

One thing

a Jesus thought...
They followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. (Luke 9:11)

a Godly thought...
When it comes to exercise, diet, prayer, Bible reading - or anything else that requires to make a series of choices, my problem is my head. I sometimes forget that my mind is the servant of my soul - and not the other way around. (p16 Lucas)

a leading thought...
Effective leaders have closed the distance between leader and follower, coming out of closed-off mahogany executive suites and into the open office world of the workers. (p41 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
After many years of being in youth ministry I discovered the greatest thing we can do for a young person is to teach them how to connect with God. As regardless of where they end up in life, what career, who they marry, or what country they live in if they have worked out how to chat with God and read His word it will last the test of time. As we often spend all our time and energy getting our youth to attend youth group, bible study or a certain camp they are only short lived experiences that work for a season of their lives.
Unfortunately we tend to measure success in worldly ways with counting programs and attendances but over time I have seen many look good in these areas but never work out how to communicate with God, so in the end they leave and have nothing. So let us try and pass on one thing that will last them all their days - that God is with us all everyday and that while we do life together we can chat with Him, listen to Him and read scriptures which in turn will help us live lives that bring honour to Him.

Just a thought.

Comparisons

a Jesus thought...
And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:39)

a Godly thought... from Lucas out Loud by Jeff Lucas
It's been said that the devil is in the detail. I'm not sure if that's true, but it's good to know that God is. (p3 Lucas)

a leading thought...
Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. (p35 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
Yesterday it was great to make the drive down to Jan Juc to hang out with my brother John and his family. About 6 months ago Johns wife Denise gave birth to Riley (pictured in the background) and a few weeks later my wife Kylie gave birth to Josiah (foreground). They have both been through their fair share of doctors appointments with Riley still described as "a miracle baby'' by Denise after a very traumatic birth.
When you sit around and have baby talk we are always so proud of what our own child is up to and the stages of progress they are going through. There is always comparisons going on as we discuss language and body movements and make sure our babies are growing at a normal rate. Well yesterday I realised what was more important was the fact that these two children both happy and playing together, (baby-style) have come into the world and made all of our lives better for it. It will be fascinating to watch their developments and journey through life together but most of all I thank God that they are both with us today.

Just a thought.

The internet owners

a Jesus thought...
Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:22)

a Godly thought...
For holiness to have continuing relevance it must be in the context of praxis: the inner work of Christ must become evident outwardly in active engagement with the reign of God in the world. (p218 Webb)

a leading thought...
If you don't give people freedom to make decisions, they will keep coming back to you to make the decisions for them. (p29 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
In the brave new world of online media, fortunes can be won and lost on the whim of Google's key search algorithm. And when, without warning, Google tweaked that mathematical formula this week, there was panic on the world wide web. Swarms of bloggers and webmasters of major sites like Washingtonpost.com, Forbes.com, Engadget.com and SFGate.com noticed a downgrading in their PageRank, Google's measure of a web page's value.Many websites small and large receive over half of their visitors from Google search referrals. And without a sales team to sign advertising deals, most become AdSense affiliates, automatically connecting them with millions of advertisers worldwide.
Ironically, in the ultimate democracy that is the internet, Google reigns as virtual dictator. By changing the way it ranks sites in search results, it has the power to effortlessly shape the digital economy and manipulate the incomes of millions of web businesses around the world.
"It's been said that Google owns the internet - it's not a permanent grasp but as long as everyone's using their search engine it's very hard for anyone to get in and compete with them."

Who would have imagined when Larry Page & Sergey Brin established Google in 1998 while at Stanford University that they would end up ruling the cyber world? It is very hard to predict the future but how we, the Salvos adapt to a fast changing world determines how long we will continue to be in existence. So lets dream and innovate and lets look for new ways to be the Salvation Army in the 21st Century, but more importantly encourage our innovators as you just never know a Larry & Sergey may be sitting in your corps.

Just a thought.

Balance

a Jesus thought...
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. (Luke 6:42)

a Godly thought...
Holiness does not imply the eradication of normal human appetites, but their redirection and control by the Holy Spirit, as Christ is formed within. (p209 Webb)

a leading thought...
Organising is the work we do to put people and tasks together in a structure that works. (p23 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
Balancing career and family is not only about working less, writes Hugh Mackay.
THE art of integrating our working lives and our personal lives is a delicate one, because we know that getting it wrong can be bad for our relationships and our health. This is often described as the problem of "work-life balance", as if work isn't part of life.The available figures suggest that 20 per cent of employees work 50 or more hours a week and 30 per cent regularly work on weekends. Two million Australians lose at least six hours of "family time" through Sunday work, and those hours are generally not fully compensated for by time off during the week. So it's not surprising that 37 per cent of full-time workers say they would like to reduce their working hours.
At the other end of the spectrum, though, the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us there are 1.8 million Australians who either have no work or not enough to satisfy their needs. So this story is partly about the unequal distribution of work.
It's also about choice. Plenty of people complain about being "overworked" and the very word implies exploitation, victimisation and lack of choice. But, in many cases, we do have a choice and those choices are moral as well as economic, since they affect the wellbeing of others. We choose the kind of lifestyle we want and the level of affluence needed to sustain it. We choose whether or not to send our children to an expensive private school whose fees will increase the pressure on both parents to work. We choose the extent to which we will indulge our children in material ways, where we'll go for our holidays, the kind of cars we'll drive. We even choose debt: no one is forcing us to overspend on our credit cards.

Some resent their long hours; others revel in them as a sign of success. Although extended working hours can cause relationship difficulties at home, the opposite is also true: many people who work long hours are quite frank about their preference for being in the office rather than facing tension and unpleasantness at home.
The problem of work-family balance is real, but the study of working hours doesn't just tell the story of human toil, it also tells the story of human conflict, inconsistency and irrationality. Simple answers? Never.

It is always an area that is hard to get right, and I find it interesting how many committed Salvos are work-aholics, both officers and lay people alike. Unfortunately I also see the the side effects with their children craving for their time and attention.
Personally I have the luxury of working from home but I also promise my wife to be home between 7.30-8.30 each morning and 5.30-7.30 each night and also take my family away for 2 x 2 week holidays per year. Although it is not always possible when you plan ahead it is often very doable. So this will always be a challenge to get right but it is important especially leaders not to just model a huge work ethic as a key to success in the business world but model family first as a key to success for a better society.

Just a thought.

Dunlop Volleys

a Jesus thought...
So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16)

a Godly thought...
The Wesleyan-holiness tradition is rediscovering its evangelical imperative, its social mandate to minister to the poor and marginalised, and its capacity to make a helpful contribution to ecumenical conversation. (p200 Webb)

a leading thought...
Leadership lies more in balancing the right things than in having the right gifts and personality. (p16 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
The Volley Canvas Sport shoe was first developed in 1939 by Adrian Quist a famous tennis player of the era who was employed by Dunlop Rubber Aust. Since 1939, sales have been estimated at around 26 million pairs. Volleys are not only worn as Sports Shoes, many sales have been for casual wear, work footwear, fishing, bushwalking, boating etc. With the current worldwide trend for comfortable canvas footwear Volleys in Australia are reaching new sales heights with their cool styles and colourful patterns.
My 5yo son Noah has been watching me blog while on holidays and suggested that I blog on his dunlop volleys, so he took a picture of them for me yesterday and true to my word here is my contribution. Although he keeps calling them "my nikes" he loves them because they are so comfortable and make him fast!

Many of us have worn these world famous shoes but what I am intrigued with is who decides when they become fashionable again? As they were all the go in the mid 80's when I was cool, but why 20 years later are they back selling like never before? What was old is now retro and cool and also the parents are loving it because they only cost $25! So what else is back, well in the Salvo world I know many are into the high neck uniforms, and also the crest but now is the time to dive back into our heritage and resurrect the old, if anyone says it isn't cool tell them its retro and you should get away with it.

Just a thought.

VCEs Muck-up

a Jesus thought...
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor. (Luke 4:18)

a Godly thought...
Wesley had no time for solitary religion, and therefore created this communal context in which people could grow in grace, and increase in perfection, while awaiting entire sanctification. (p182 Webb)

a leading thought...
L-Long-term record of effectiveness
E-Egos surrendered to Christ
A-Approachable
D-Devotion to spouse and family
E-Excellence in work
R-Reflection of Christlikeness in character
S-Sharing with others (p5 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
POLICE are believed to be investigating allegations that egg-throwing students from a nearby school descended on Toorak's Loreto Mandeville Hall last week before the annual muck-up day, a ritual marking the final day of school for year 12 students.
The Age believes that students ran into the school grounds at lunch time with their school jumpers tied around their heads, throwing eggs at Mandeville students.
One member of the group could face charges of trespass and assault after allegedly abusing a staff member. Mandeville Hall confirmed that the police were involved but declined to comment further.
With thousands of VCE students letting off steam this week before their first exam on Friday, Melbourne's transport operators are alert — but not alarmed.
Connex spokeswoman Kate De Clercq said the train operator was investigating reports of people riding on the back of an Epping train yesterday. Footage posted on YouTube showed students clinging onto the back of a train leaving Windsor Station.
Brighton Grammar principal Michael Urwin said the school planned activities on the last day to minimise misbehaviour. But he conceded it was hard for schools to control students' behaviour when they were off campus.
At Caulfield Grammar's Caulfield campus, the last day at school for the class of 2007 started at 6.15am on Tuesday when students arrived to a jumping castle, slippery slide and sumo wrestling activities put on by the school. After working up an appetite, the students were served breakfast by staff, with the day concluding with a dinner for staff and students.

Love the initiative from Brighton & Caulfield Grammar here as we are always quick to go into damage control and be reactive but surely our best reponse is to celebrate with these graduating students and be proactive.

Well done VCE students for getting this far and enjoy the week with style not stupidity, but most of all prepare yourselves the best you possibly can for your exams, hope you all finish the year with class.

Just a thought.