Last weekend we as a church hosted Nancy Beach from Willow Creek Community Church Chicago USA. Nancy spoke at our weekend services. Yet that one sentence does not in any way do justice to the impact of Nancy Beach upon the church here in Ipswich.

I have often thought that as a speaker we actually are the message to some extent. One cannot speak with any degree of integrity on something that is not consistent with who we are. Nancy Beach spoke to us from the heart. Her grace and humility shone through in what she said and how she said it. I was able to spend time with her over the weekend – Nancy Beach is indeed the real deal – ‘fair dinkum’ as we Aussies would say.

Genuinely interested in you – she took the time to listen and respond with thoughtfulness and wisdom.

For me there were many highlights over the weekend but perhaps a memorable moment was when Nancy addressed the Pastors and Leaders of the local Australian Christian Churches district of which I am part and in fact lead.

She spoke on weekend church services and towards the end encouraged us as pastors and leaders to create transcending moments. Nancy then showed us on DVD one of the moments that she had experienced when she spoke in Chicago.

The theme was forgiveness – there was a beautiful song during which there was a very moving scene from the service being shown on DVD for us to see. Nancy told us how this moment had been part of a series of events which saw a family in the church restored, how a couple’s life was brought back together.

There was silence – no one moved – tears flowed – God smiled as a faithful servant being lead by the Holy Spirit allowed God to work through her. It was at that moment that I realized what had happened. This was a transcending moment – Nancy had practically demonstrated what a transcending moment actually looks like – a moment where all of us in that room were brought to a point of thinking about how a weekend service has the potential through these moments to transform lives.

It was in this moment that I thought about something else. How many times because of the busyness of life, the pace I do life at and the constant demands upon me do I miss those wonderful moments? Times when I stop, listen, respond and act. As a result I am transformed in some area of my life or someone else is changed.

Nancy Beach taught me a life lesson that morning – I hope that I don’t forget it!

It was a suggestion, that upon thinking about it, I remain convinced was physically impossible and slightly dangerous to my health. Well, that’s the tail end of the story – what happened that caused someone to make such a suggestion to a nice bloke like me?

My family believe that I am extremely navigationally challenged whilst driving – something I strenuously deny and I don’t think this flaw on my part caused the incident. I was executing a U-Turn and apparently the lady in the car behind me didn’t think I should have been doing so. So down came her car window and a torrent of abuse was hurled my way. Her delay, even if I was doing the wrong thing, was no more than 20 seconds. Yet her reaction was unbelievable.

This morning on the radio two politicians on opposite sides of the political fence hurled personal abuse at each other until I changed stations sickened by what I was hearing.

Now believe me I am no gilded lily – yet is it me or is there an increase in people treating each other badly? What used to be a shrug of the shoulders for somebody attempting a U-Turn even in the wrong place is now reason for a torrent of abuse. Can a debate between politicians be held without resorting to personal attacks?

Jim Wallis from Sojourners is so concerned at the level of abuse between political leaders that he proposed a charter for civility. Have we really got to this?

Without leadership from the majority of those in political office on this issue – let a revolution of niceness rise up from the grass roots – that’s you and me.

Instead of abuse be civil, replace insults with politeness, substitute reaction with courtesy, exchange rudeness with encouragement or just turn the other cheek.

I have always discovered that more is accomplished through kindness than abuse and rudeness. So let’s all give niceness a go – who knows it may catch on!

Recently, I was standing in line at my local supermarket waiting to pay for my items.  I was looking at all the glossy magazines, noticing they are right next to all the chocolate bars.  I started thinking it’s no wonder people are confused about what to eat and how to live healthy, as they are enticed to reach for a magazine and a chocolate bar on the way out of their local store.

Glossy magazines are plastered with slogans promising you the world when it comes to dieting, “guaranteed, take ten kilos off – tomorrow!” or “celebrity diet secrets” and then of course always something about Oprah and her latest dieting triumph or failure.  The latest fad diet will have a focus and the magazine will contain adverts for exercise equipment, diet pills and the latest scientific breakthrough diet food.

Magazines put out a lot of health information.  Literally thousands of articles are published yearly by magazines.  They are the literal juggernaut of the diet industry, an industry that is worth over ten billion dollars worldwide.  The problem is so much of the information published conflicts and has agenda’s on selling products for their advertisers.

Do we stop to realize there would be little need for a diet industry if people were healthy and made better food choices?  Surely, if the information presented in the magazines was good, by the sheer number of magazine readers, the epidemic of obesity would be solved?  Or at least we should experience a scaling back from epidemic to “high incidence rate” of obesity.  Sadly the opposite is true we have an epidemic and with it comes a whole host of lifestyle diseases that are robbing people of a healthful and happy life.  People are just plain confused about how to make healthy choices.

Conflicting opinions and the latest diet or exercise fad aside, there is just no ignoring the fact that we’ve got to get back to basics.  Stop listening to misinformation and just keep it really simple:

1.  Eat a diet where the bulk of your food is fresh vegetables and fruits

2.  Avoid unnecessary and unsafe chemicals: pesticides, artificial sweeteners and flavors

3.  Eliminating, or at least minimizing processed foods

4.  Ensuring your proteins are from good sources**

5.  Using whole grains-avoid white rice, white breads, pastas, cookies etc

6.  Keep as snacks things like yogurts, raw nuts and seeds, fruit

7.  Eat a good portion of your food raw-uncooked

8.  Drink a lot of water

9.  Simply eat less-smaller portions

10.  Make an effort to get active and stay active for all of your life

**healthy animals in their natural environment, fed their natural diet, e.g. A cow, freely roaming all day eating grass and not treated with hormones or antibiotics.

Julia Ward Howe lived in an era when a nation was tearing itself apart in civil war. She was a poet and writer – perhaps most well known for her penning of the great hymn ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’. However she was also a ferocious advocate for other causes – including the equal rights of woman.

Yet something that struck me about this passionate woman was her advocacy for peace. She personally witnessed the worst effects of the war when she volunteered with her husband in the hospitals that treated wounded soldiers. The death and disease, which killed and maimed soldiers, would have a lasting effect upon her.

She helped widows and orphans of soldiers on both sides of the war, and realized that the effects of the war go beyond the killing of soldiers in battle. A deep thinker Julia Howe also saw the economic devastation of the Civil War, the economic crises that followed the war, the restructuring of the economies of both North and South and realized that there must be an alternative to war.

Her passion and desire was for women to come together across national lines and to lead efforts to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts. Her proposal was to adopt an international ‘Mother’s Day of Peace’. This is fact was one of the early forerunners to our current Mother’s Day.

In 1870 Julia Howe wrote a declaration for peace which when read even today stirs one’s soul with the zeal of her words. I thought the declaration would interest those with a heart for peaceful resolutions to the world’s problems.

“Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly, We will not have questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience. We women of one country will be too tender to those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says ‘Disarm! Disarm!’ The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonour, nor violence indicate possession.

As men have forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his time the sacred impress not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day this Sunday!

Getting up before dark usually tests the mettle of our family – quite a few of them have no appreciation for the early hours of morning preferring to go to bed late and get up late. Yet there is one day each year that all our family gets up before dawn and seems to not complain. The occasion is ANZAC day and for years now my family has a tradition of attending the dawn service at the RAAF base Amberley.

This year was no different – there is something about gathering as the sun rises, hearing the Gallipoli story of 25^th April 1915, listening to the ode and Last Post and seeing the laying of the wreaths to honour and remember the 100000 service men and women who have died for our country in wars and conflicts around the world. This year the crowd was estimated at about 3000 people – the biggest one yet for this particular ANZAC Day dawn service.

Yet something happened at this years service that caused others and myself who witnessed what happened to shed a tear.

Towards the end of the service the RAAF padre asked if there were anyone else who would like to come forward and lay a wreath or flowers at the memorial wall. Already the official guests had been forward – a truly moving occasion witnessed by all.

And then it happened. Out of the crowd came a lady and two young boys – obviously a mum and her two sons. The boys were aged between eight and twelve I suspect. She held the hand of the youngest boy and in the other hand she held a wreath of flowers. Gently she placed the wreath at the wall – spoke to the boys softly gathered them in her arms and hugged them. Then for a moment she just stood there – arms tightly around her sons. Again she whispered something to the boys, hugged them again then with heads bowed they made their way back into the crowd. The mother’s arms still wrapped around them.

I looked around at those standing with me and people were so moved – tears flowed freely. SBS one of our National TV broadcasters have a promotional theme – “Six billion stories and counting …” The meaning is clear – everyone on planet earth has a story. This woman had a story – what was behind such a moving tribute? Perhaps a lost husband, father or relative – who knows?

All I know is that I was moved to tears by the simple yet profound actions of a mother and her sons. One of those six billion stories – one action that made ANZAC Day 2010 special and memorable for me and all who witnessed what happened. Everyone indeed has a story and I had just witnessed part of just one of those six billion stories in action!

The ankle is now pretty sore but well over half way nothing is going to stop me yet I am now limping and can’t seem to put much pressure on the ankle. I see a sign but as I approach I run through a sprinkler that has been placed to douse us with water by a friendly householder along the race route. It is beautiful to feel the spray on my face until I realize that my glasses have fogged up. Who cares the water was fantastic as it is so hot.

I see a sign – it is what I think is the 9 km mark. One km to go I take off – sore foot and all – I am going to finish and as I look at my watch the time is really fast. The pace increased, the pain in the ankle increased but I am loving this race. I want to finish with nothing left.

Then I see it – the 8 km mark sign. As the half marathon is run at the same time as 10 km I must have seen the 19 km marker and because of the fogged up glasses I only saw the 9 and not the 19.

I have just sprinted nearly a kilometre – out of breath, sweat pouring out of me, dying to go to the toilet and gradually increasing pain in the ankle I still have two km left. This is a race to remember.

My thoughts at this point are centred on ‘just finishing’. I see the athletic track and the finish. My family are there as I enter the oval – they are cheering but later tell me I looked ‘awful’. To be honest I felt awful. A runner that I had been behind all race was just ahead of me. If only I could pass – I put everything I had into the last 400 meters. Fifty meters to go and I pass that runner. I limp/run through the timing gate – someone runs to me and swipes my bib to record my time. Later I find out it is 51.30 minutes for the ten km. I wanted to get under 50 minutes. My body aches, my ankle is killing me, I am struggling for breath but the feeling of finishing is indescribable – racing is in my blood. I love it!

I walk around – my family comes and they are so proud of me. I had finished albeit with a limp but I finished. I didn’t stop – I actually finished. As I cooled down the pain in my ankle increased to biblical proportions to the point where I could hardly walk but I had finished.

That day I learnt a lesson that I think about every day. I had finished the race – not just started but finished. I had finished not running as fast as at the start of the race but with a limp but I had finished. That day I realized that many injuries are obtained through the journey of life but keep going. Jacob the Old Testament patriarch at the end of his life leaned on a staff still suffering the effects of the battle with the angel all those years before but he finished well although limping.

It is OK to limp to the finish rather than not finish the race that was set before you to run. God is beside you every moment of your life race – he loves you even with the limp. In fact I think God is attracted to those who carry a limp but finish anyway.

The postscript – serious injury to the ankle – the dreaded witches hat had taken it’s toll – five weeks now and haven’t been able to run. Perhaps next week – then training for my next race AND I can’t wait!

As the race pack thins the runners seem to be a little friendlier – well at least on the outside because I was to have my first experience at a drink station. Now why I need a drink is beyond me really because I run 10 km in training sometimes and no drink required plus there is the little matter that I really do need a toilet stop but just the sight of a drink station attracts me like a moth to a light. I just can’t help myself.

I am on the right hand side of the track and the drink station is on the other side. I attempt to move towards it but no one moves out of the way – in fact people make no attempt to allow me to move left. I attempt to indicate with my hand as a cyclist might do turning a corner but that is met with comments that are unprintable in this blog or to be honest unprintable anywhere. I miss the first drink station.

Lesson learnt – run to the left side of the road for the next drink station so that is what I do. Slowly but surely I move to the left and two km later I see the next drink station. Again why I need a drink is beyond me really but perhaps no blood is flowing to the brain and I am not thinking that well – who knows but I just have to get a drink.

I get to the station, a person attempts to hand me a plastic cup but I miss her hand. I reach for a cup on the table and get one. By the time I get it in my hand it is only half full but as I attempt to drink another competitor bumps me and there goes the drink. There must be an easier way.

At the six km mark I am over half way – my ankle is sore but not too bad. Then I remember the gel. This is the famous ‘during the race’ gel. The one that you take and it boosts your performance, gives you energy and kicks you to the finish. I get it from my running belt – I must take it, well that’s what I think! I rip the top off then realize it is a gooey thick substance like toothpaste. I attempt to squeeze it into my mouth. It is so thick I immediately gag on it. Here I am running – gagging, can’t breath, coughing and choking all at the same time then I see another drink station. This is just unbelievable – I may be the only runner in history that choked during a race.

This time I grab the cup from the helper – a quarter left in it but enough to wash my mouth and unstick the roof of my mouth from my tongue due to the goo.

Breathe – breathe – I must start breathing again as during all this I have forgotten to breathe. I have learnt heaps during this race but the biggest lesson of all is yet to be learnt.

Tomorrow the final two kilometres, the finish AND the greatest lesson learnt!

I couldn’t sleep the night before – I was slightly excited to say the least. The day had finally arrived. Race day – a 10 km twilight run – my first real competitive race. Before I had been in a 5 km run and giggle affair but this was the real deal. My training regime had been tough following a definite coaching routine – up early pounding the roads sometimes before light but loving every minute of it.

The last few days had been challenging as I was carrying a number of niggling injuries. However as those who trained with me said, “All runners carry a few niggles”.

Like a cat on a hot tin roof – I arrived at the track for the start of the race. First lesson learnt – go to the toilet at a service station up the road as the line ups to the portable toilets were long, really long and when you get to the front of the queue 50 runners behind you moving from one leg to the other doesn’t help your concentration I can tell you. So I leave the waiting line!

Then it dawned on me – there were some serious runners here – in fact 2500 serious runners. The call to the start – now I wish I had persevered in the toilet line. I smiled at the people around me – none really smiled back – they pushed me however. Second lesson – position at the start of the race is everything. You have no friends at the start line. The gun goes off – well not really a gun but a dull roar. No one moves – you sort of edge forward. The reason is clear. All 2500 runners have to go through a timing gate only as wide as the 8 lane athletic track reduced to only 6 lanes. Past the gate everyone takes off – the pace is sprint pace – no slowing down you are just caught up in the pack. Then the person in front of me stops dead. I crash into her and the person behind me hits me – it is complete and utter chaos. We have to go through a small gate the width of a driveway to leave the track and go to the road – 2500 through this small opening. People are falling – I think ‘this is bad’. Then we take off again at sprint pace.

The pushing and shoving gets worse – THEN it happened. 500 meters into the 10 km race in a very crowded pack something happens in front of me. People are going everywhere – it appears someone has tripped over one of the ‘witches hats’ along the course. The man in front jumps over the hat now lying sideways on the ground but too late for me – I hit it full on. I lose my footing and my right foot takes a huge hit as it takes my full weight as I try not to fall.

There is immediate pain in my right ankle but it seems alright. Adrenaline and the fact that I am warmed up plus the fact that I have trained hard for this race dulls the discomfort. No thought of stopping as I regather my stride and I am off. Nine and a half kilometres to go and now after 2 km I have run at 4.15 min per km pace – this is bad, really bad as I have trained to run at 5 min per km pace – this is too fast but the pack just pushes you as there is no room to slow down. Yet gradually the pack thins and my pace slows to what I think is about right. Ankle sore but I am running my first race and this is really fantastic.

What happens next is the subject of tomorrows blog!

CAN A THOUGHT GIVE YOU HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE?

There are a shocking number of adults who have chronic high blood pressure (BP).  Anyone can have an isolated high blood pressure reading during a visit to the doctor.  You sit in a cold sterile office with something strapped to your arm with a man you see maybe once a year and he’s telling you to relax.  Already you feel hot and your BP has jumped a few points.

I am not talking about this, I am talking about consistent high readings that would give a diagnosis of hypertension.

Many of us know about diet and exercise-related life adjustments that lower BP.  Few understand that BP is also affected by our thinking.  The brain/body connection is very strong and our thought life can affect our BP.

We all face stress and manage it in different ways.  Some see stress as a new opportunity to grow while, for others, stress reinforces negative thinking that is birthed in an internal world of fear, worry, insecurity, feelings of being overwhelmed by life.  We then perceive people and situations as potential threats, fear becomes distorted, and leads to negative wrong thinking.

Have you ever heard of our fight or flight response?  It’s our ability to respond to extreme danger.  Our bodies instantly mount a well-coordinated and powerful response putting us in a high alert state–ready to “fight or flee”.  This response originates in the brain and extends to the rest of the body, causing thousands of chemical and physical reactions, one of which is a significant rise in blood pressure.  It’s an extreme response to a dangerous threat.  It is what allows a mom to lift a 1 ton car off her toddler in an accident or enables us to move at light speed away from danger.  It is a God-given lifesaving response.

This lifesaving response was intended for extreme situations but often appears alongside habitual negative thinking and causes problems for our BP.  When we allow ourselves to entertain negative thoughts, they are reinforced in our brain.  Our brain creates neural pathways that get stronger and faster every time we entertain the same thought.  As we think negative thoughts our brain more easily and frequently goes into high alert.

Have you ever overreacted to even the slightest comment, been overly harsh with one of your kids for no good reason, or maybe become overly anxious waiting at a red stop light?  That’s the neural pathway at work.

It’s these moments that push our brain into high alert that we have an accompanied high blood pressure as our body responds to the brain’s call to action.  Chronic bad thinking sets our brain to high alert for extended periods of time which contributes to chronic high blood pressure.

There is a growing understanding of this phenomenon in the neuroscience world.  There are ways to actually retrain your brain, change your negative thoughts, practice positive thoughts, and even create new neural pathways.

This is so amazing; God has been telling us for thousands of years: renew our minds, capture negative thoughts, get God’s perspective on life and to meditate on his word.  He has known all along that our thinking affects so much of life.  Our faith life, our prayer life, our relationship with him and with others, our work and education, even our health is affected by the way we think. He has given us the tool to renew our minds, His Word.

“Life is short – Have an affair!” At first I honestly thought it was a joke but when the newsreader seemed as shocked as I was, I realized this news report was no joke. An American company have opened an on line dating website for Australia with the caveat that you have to be married to register.

The promoter openly and quite brazenly spoke about this new venture as being for married people who want an affair. ‘Forty thousand hits on the website’ he says, ‘indicates that the venture is much needed and sought after’

As I said it is not often that you see a visibly shocked newsreader but clearly she was but not shocked enough to ask a beautifully crafted and probing question of the promoter. “Are you married?” she asked. “Yes – very happily”, he replied. “Then”, the newsreader asked, “How does your wife fell about this?”

Wait for it – here’s the reply! “Well she’s quite OK about it provided I keep my business and personal life separate!” Yes why don’t you do that – have a completely different set of values for your personal life and your business life. That seems to be an integrity filled lifestyle doesn’t it?

The newsreader’s stunned look said it all – no words needed just a look of disbelief. The newsreader and I agreed.

Yet it was my reaction after the story that court me off guard. Shouldn’t I be angry that something like this was on a national news bulletin – the company name plastered over the TV screen for anyone to go to the website? Shouldn’t I be livid, annoyed, irate, furious and downright enraged at this completely outrageous promotion and encouragement of people having an affair? Why wasn’t I up in arms?

To be honest I just wasn’t – instead I was deeply saddened by it. Not mad just very sad! I wondered if I, like many others, although deeply saddened by this report, have now become accustomed and desensitised to such blatant immoral behaviour?

Too many TV shows, movies, books and real life stories that resonate this behaviour as being the ‘norm’. Without me realizing it – my senses have been dulled. No longer does a righteous anger rise up but now just a dull sadness. I’m glad I saw this report on the news – I needed a wake up call. There are some things that are wrong – very wrong AND ‘Life is short – have an affair’ WILL always be wrong – very wrong. I need to be more than sad about it!