This weeks wrap up

This week has gone by fast. A lot has been happening around the world, at work, and in my own life.

3 beautiful young girls, Sisters in Christ have gone home to be with our Almighty, caring and loving father, YAHWEH. They were brutally beheaded by Islamic extremists who want to wipe out Christianity from Poso in Indonesia. It is more proof that truly the devil hates Christs beloved. But we can never hate the perpetrators of these crimes. We can only hate the sin. God’s will is that ALL be saved and come into the knowledge of Him. Pray for the nation of Indonesia. Pray for your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. By doing this, then you will become more like Christ.

I had my performance appraisal at work. It was terrific. I was asked what direction I would like to head in our company. I would like to do 25% Business Analyst work and 75% systems development work. My boss was cool with this and is going to help me achieve my goals. I will be the main apps developer in our Perth office but will be a virtual member of the Jakarta office. One of my goals was to improve my Bahasa Indonesia, so my boss is keen to send me to Jakarta frequently to work with the team over there.

I bought a new digital camera. Pentax Optio S6. You will start seeing some random photos up here soon. For breakfast I had an apple and a long macchiato. I am very unsatisfied right now. I might go and get a muffin.

I picked up my fiancées engagement ring and I planned to surprise her. However, it didn’t work out as I would like it too. I had taken photos of the ring on my new digital camera and forgot about it. Later that night I took Gayle out to dinner where I was going to surprise her with the ring (she didn’t know when I would pick it up). But before I could pull it out and slip it on her finger, she saw the image in the digital camera and squeeeeeled. Argh… I am bad at surprises.

I am currently reading “Mao – the untold story”. I will post some quotes from this book over the next few weeks. The Chinese people suffered much under this man. His ideologies were completely self-centred and evil. Under his regime, it is estimated that more than 90 million Chinese died as a direct result of his brutal and stupid policies. His personality cult saw him elevated in the eyes of the Chinese to “God” likeness.

In other news, health experts and international governments are preparing for an Avian Flu pandemic. This could occur when the deadly H5N1 virus swaps genes with the common influenza suffered by humans and will then become quickly spreadable by human-to-human contact. Australian cities have dedicated hospitals that will take in patients. Australia also plans to shut their boarders if this occurs.

New anti-terrorism laws were passed, allowing police to detain suspected terrorists without charge for up to 90 hours. I am in full support of these laws. The government is also trying to pass it’s new Industrial Relations laws. I do not believe that these IR laws will benefit Australian society, but could have the effect of crushing many Australian families who are already struggling under low income and high working hours.

Now in the midst of all this – where does our confidence lay? Is it in us? It shouldn’t be – our flesh is weak. Is it our careers? It shouldn’t be! Recession can come in an instant and leave you unemployed. Is it your family or your friends? It shouldn’t be! They are all human, and all humans are susceptible to failure. Put your confidence in the LORD. He never fails. God is our rock. If you build on God, though the strongest storms of life will come along, you will still stand in the end.

I read this in yesterday’s devotion: “A writer in India describes how he sat on his veranda one day and noticed a vine that had reached its delicate tendrils up and across a void until it had grasped the branch of a pine tree. That night there was a fierce storm. The following morning the vine had become a poor drooping thing with its stems hanging downwards because the branch to which it had been clinging had broken in the storm. The vine had fastened upon a rotting branch instead of a strong healthy trunk.” The writer in my devotion then stated “There are some Christians…, who fasten themselves upon something other than Christ – a denomination, a religious rite, a custom, or even a person. A storm comes and down the go because the fastened on to the culture surrounding Christ rather than Christ Himself. When men and women hold on to the central reality – Christ – they toughen, rather than wilt, under adversity.”

Okay, and the last thing that I want to do in this long entry, is leave you with these scriptures from Psalm 91 (segments)… God bless you all.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him.