Richard's View2

Is Not Rejoice in Fact a Sin?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:22:00 +0000

A man stands alone, pouring his heart out to God.
Looking to God for relief.
In the midst of his prayer, he hears a still small voice of comfort.

"Cheer Up!
Things could be worse".

So the man lifted his head and and his heart was lifted. He cheered up and he thanked God.

And Just as God has said

"things did, get worse"
-----

I've never been one to be able to get into rejoicing in the Lord. That's not to say that I don't, I'm just not a get excited about it type of guy.

I got into trouble once when I said I'm not a very rejoicing person. I had a young couple come up to me after the service wanting me to be baptized in the Holy Spirt. It was just beyond them, that someone could claim to be baptized in the Holy Spirt and not be jumping about for Joy all over the place. I sometimes wish I could do that, but in the end it's just not me.

I tried once, for quite a long time. I think it may have been after reading the book Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers a long time ago.

This was an amazing book and it became the in thing to praise the Lord about everything.

Hit your finger with a hammer.

Praise the Lord!

Stubbed your Toe,

Praise the Lord!

My best friend's Cat just died.

Praise the Lord!

A friend of mine just died...

Well that was much harder but still that is what we were told to do so we did.

Praise the Lord!

I don't think that was ever the intention by the author of Prison to Praise, but over time that was the result.

Praising the Lord becomes the answer to all life's problems. It was the magic formula to get that desired action from God.

I remember reading another book that a friend Harry Roberts put me onto.

It was called "Hey God".

It's a long time ago now and I don't have a copy but as I recall the book was written by the son of an Italian Mother that had recently come to a true understanding of faith and her method of exercising that faith.

Basically every time she was confronted by a problem she would call out to God,

Starting her prayer with "Hey God !"

It was not so much about rejoicing as about one woman's unwavering faith that God will fix everything.
I found that truly inspiring. In the end however, even though rejoicing gave me a tremendous high, it also had its Dark Side in that after the high, I went on an almighty downer and often had to fight off bouts of depression, sometimes severe bouts.

It was just better to try and stay on a level keel emotionally, that way I could appreciate the Joy but not have to suffer the dark side.

Read the rest of Is Not Rejoicing In Fact a Sin

My first Over Seas Trip : Rome to London 26 July 1978

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Having decided to take bus tours, we saw a number of fascinating places but the Vatican museum made them all look rather small by comparison. Taking pictures was again a dead loss as the photos could not bring out the true magnificence of it all. Even the bought pictures loose something. But I can't help but wonder what were the motives of the art.

[This comment was based on the idea that maybe the art was all about idol worship of some kind or more about spending money at the expense of the poverty that surrounded the church. On my return to Rome many years later I discussed these ideas with one of the guides. This is something I would not have dared to do on my first trip as the Vatican was held in too high an esteem to dare to question anything about it.

In any case the guide was very good and pointed out that the sate of literacy at the time necessitated a different form of teaching. It was one thing to read the scriptures from the pulpit and to have sermons, it was quite another to have people being able to revisit their favorite stories or contemplate the meaning of the text. Therefore the original intent of the art was to teach and for people to be able to revisit the stories at their leisure. I was quite please by this answer because it made me realize the difficulty of oral society was being confronted from very early times.

So the Art, at lease originally, had a very functional purpose as well as being beautiful. and isn't beauty something to also be celebrated in the Christian community ed.]

The other places we saw were just as beautiful but no where near as spectacular. Except the Tivoli Gardens (right). Mum was terrified as we carried her down the stairs, about 200 of them, in her wheel chair.

Out of all the things that impressed me there was one place that disturbed me: the Stairs of St John.

These are said to be the stairs that Jesus climbed in order to be judged, I'm not sure whether by Pilate or by King Herod. They are the stairs that Luther climbed in his search to find grace.

There were actually people climbing these stairs on their knees as we watched. I suppose that it all depends on the motive involved in what one is doing but to me it was a potent display of the sad side of what is potentially oppressive about the Roman Catholic church . Don't misunderstand me I am not anti the Catholic Church. I think that it does, we who are protestant, to remember that it is in a very real sense part of our parentage. These stairs were just a little hard for me to come to terms with.

It has been interesting to compare the differences in churches as we have gone along. I recalled that in Jerusalem the Garden tomb or the official sight of the garden tomb, is controlled by the older church traditions such as the Eastern Orthodox. As it is in Rome you are constantly told "this is the exact spot were such and such happened. I also recall how refreshing it was to go to the Protestant Garden tomb and have them say that "this is possibly the spot were Jesus was buried, but if it isn't it gives you a good idea of what it may have been like". I guess it depends on who ends up guiding you.

I think I am starting to get the idea that you have to barter for souvenirs.

I continue to praise the Lord for his constant provision of people to help us with mum. Without them this trip would have been much harder.

Next we fly to London.

Sexism Is NOT Dead - Reverse Sexism is Worse

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:12:00 +0000

Sweety Could you call this person s/he won't listen to me and I think it is because I'm a girl/man.

One of the things that amuses my wife and myself is that in a society like Australia
that prides itself on it egalitarianism, is just how many times we come across sexist attitudes.

My wife is a very competent woman and by far and away I would rather she phones people to get things done. She can be quite formidable and it is not unusual for word to get back to me that some bureaucrat has gone scurrying, trying to get away from her when they know they have done something wrong.

With this in mind it is funny that my wife should sometimes come to me and in fact I likewise to her with a statement similar to that with which I started this post. Funnier still is that it is more often than not reverse sexism at work.

By that I mean the request to either of us is usually not because the person on the other end of the phone is the opposite sex but rather the same sex. That is sometimes to get better results from some request it is often more effective for me, a male to be talking to a woman on the phone and for Heather to be talking to a man.

Now once you get use to this it is quite a good trick administratively to get your partner of the opposite sex to call the person you are having trouble with. I remember a time when I was trying to book some airline tickets and I was talking to a man. I was repeatedly told again and again that I couldn't book the ones that we needed. So I got Heather to call.

Miraculously the person on the other end of the phone found a way for us to get the tickets we needed. To be fair it took some manipulation on the part of the ticket representative but never-the-less what was previously impossible became possible because for all intents and purposes there was a woman on the other end of the phone.

This sort of sexism is nothing more than a game and once you know how to deal with it, very amusing. However in my life I have come across much more sinister reverse sexism.

Because I've worked with children most of my life I have often fond myself in a female dominated environment. Fair enough, I am just sexist enough myself to accept that women are dominant in caring roles. But it can be a little rough at times.

For example my current work has female manages. Don't get me wrong I like these young ladies but my frustration levels do reach a peek at times when I'm asked to do something but the female staff are perceptually sitting around doing nothing. Or when one of the female staff are asked to do a clean up job that I have already done (often much to the discussed of the female staff member I might add) , purely because females are perceived to be better cleaners based on no evidence what so ever.

This is all just frustrating and a little unfair but in some instance it can become downright unjust and exploitive. Just as is the sexism we are all familiar with.

When I was running before and after school programs it was not unusual for me to encounter contempt upon meeting a female in a similar or superior role. It could sometimes make getting things that were needed for the children very difficult. I applied for a job one time and when I walked into the interview room it became obvious, after a very few minutes, that even though I was far more qualified and experienced than the other applicants I was not going to get the work. Why because I was a male and the interview staff were all female.

I wonder if we were to confront reverse sexism would we be more motivated to stamp out sexism?

Richard

Complaining, A Sermon

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:48:00 +0000

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he has done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

You may have heard me say in the past that I could never understand the people of Israel.

They continually saw the work of God first hand.

They knew that The Lord would never desert them.

He remained faithful to them in all that they did.

He set them free, he kept them, not just alive in the desert, but well and living on manner, the food of angles.

Sure he seemed a little slow to respond at times, but surly they had come to point that they realized there was always a lesson in it.

Even still they complained.

It was something I was convinced I would never do.

But as I went through life I found myself to be more like the Israeli people than I would ever like to admit.

It seems that I too was far more comfortable with complaining than with remembering his mighty works.

So you see that I can understand how hard it would be to follow the instructions in this Psalm.

Not only that, I think I can say that I know how hard it is for all of us, not to complain.

Complaining is a part of life.

What would we do, they say, if we didn't have something to complain about.

The Psalmist begs to differ!

His expectation is that we speak of that....

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

We are exhorted to speak of the great and mighty things that God has done.

4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he has done.

No one said it was easy.

The psalmist knows how hard it is not to complain.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.

What sort of sayings are they ? "dark sayings"...

They are so dark that they are like a parable and require thinking about.

They are dark because no one likes talking about them.

But this is much more than a request.... it is a command.

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: The psalmist says.

And to what purpose is this law ?

..... that they should make them known (that is the deeds of The Lord God)to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

But what value is there is these people knowing ?

The value is ....

7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

And there is the rub.

If we turn our minds continually to the problem and never to the positive solution:
If we set our minds and hearts to dwell only on the difficulties and against each other:

If we tell each other how bad things are and never of the good God is doing.

Then we forget God.

And if we forget God, there is no hope.

And if there is no hope, we may as we throw in the towel right now because life is not worth living.

The choose is ours.

We can either concentrate on the wonderful things that God is doing
and our in lives and ..."not be as their fathers" a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

And I think we know what will be the consequence of that !

These are "dark sayings" for dark times but if we choose to be truly God's people we must turn from our complaining and glorify the works of God.

Because only then can we enter in the experience of

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Fairdinkum

For in Eating (From Communion on the moon)

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Note: this message is a modified version of a sermon I downloaded from the web several years ago but who’s site seems to have disappeared the original credits however are:

Word of Grace Outreach is a non-profit mission organization established in 1996 by Rhema Fellowship Inc., of Lowville New York. The 2000 © Copyright of Discipleship House is held by Word of Grace Outreach. All donations are tax deductible and a receipt is available upon request. Please make checks payable to Word of Grace P.O. Box 227 Beaver Falls, New York 13305 You may contact us at: penn@word-of-grace.com or visit our home-page at: www.word-of-grace.com

I have never modified someone else’s work before but I felt that this message put into words the main issues on communion so much better than I managed to over the years. It deals with the heart of communion in a way that I think I have failed to do and it is so important to our church life.

COMMUNION AT RHEMA

In a church AT RHEMA, communion is a very special event. It only happens a few times a year, and is prepared for weeks in advance. It begins when the announcement is made that communion will soon be served. The people are told to really work at making things right with those they are at odds with. If they don't, and they take communion, they will be judged by God. When this was first taught, after the announcement was made, there would be a scurry of activity. Phone calls were placed and private meetings were arranged and strained relationships were worked on. Husbands talked with wives, parents with children. (These days, most people works at this at a more consistent pace throughout the year, not just when communion is announced.) When the day finally comes, everyone arrives at church to find that all the chairs have been moved out so there is room to move around freely.

A visitor must find this interesting to watch. It is one big solid noise as people mill about talking with each other. Some are praying together in small clusters, sharing communion. Their faces glow as they tell each other of their love and gratitude. Some are crying, as they consider how good it is to be reconciled with a brother or sister again. They move from one person to the next, careful not to avoid anyone. In all the years of doing this, I have never seen people refuse to take communion. It is a wonderful time and no two meetings are alike.

During one of their first construction projects, when they were trying to turn an unwielding, old Victorian house into a sanctuary, differences of opinion threatened to sour the project. They had communion about three times in a row during this period, until the work was done.

(1 Corinthians 11:21)"For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk."

The problem at Corinth was not Just a lack of manners, but also a lack of respect for one another.

The meal itself was not the problem; it simply gave an opportunity for their true attitudes toward each other to be shown.

The deeper issue that concerned Paul most was the fact that they actually despised one another, while celebrating communion.

This shows they totally misunderstood what Jesus' death accomplished:

(1 Corinthians 11:22)"Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you."

Those who ate before everyone else demonstrated their lack of esteem for the rest of the community.

Our attitude towards the poor always reveals our deepest beliefs about grace.

They `disgraced the poor.

This is an interesting word, which means, "to remove or subtract grace".

In other words, they not only failed to show favour or value to the poor in their midst, they were subtracting it!

Their behaviour contradicted the very message of communion.

(1 Corinthians 11:23)"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread"

I think that most people are of the impression that Paul changed subjects here in the middle of a chapter.

It seemed like one minute he is talking about their attitude and divisions and then he suddenly switched to how he received the revelation of communion.

One reason it is thought he had switched subjects was because we view communion as simply a religious observance.

But Paul was using the concept of communion to solve church problems at Corinth and we need to do the same today.

(1 Corinthians 11:24)"And when He had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

“do this in remembrance of Me”. This line is carved into thousands of communion tables around the world, yet it's original message is lost on many believers today.

Do you think Jesus was really concerned that any of the twelve were in danger of forgetting Him?

Can you imagine the possibility of the first Century church forgetting Jesus or what He did on the cross?

Personally, I have never had any trouble remembering who Jesus is or what He did for me.

However, what I fail to remember, almost daily, is that His body was broken so that we might BECOME His Body.

During the Last Supper, Jesus took a piece of bread and prophesied that the bread represented His body, which was to be broken so that we might actually BECOME His Body.

We are the `soma' or bread of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 12:27)"Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."

The term Body of Christ refers to people about ten times in the New Testament, yet we forget this all the time.

This means that how we treat other members of His Body is actually how we treat Jesus. We also forget that He resides beneath the layers of flesh and humanity in the person in the next pew from us.

The Corinthians treated each other with contempt; divided into cliques and classes and after the "love feast" they reverently lifted the cup and took the bread, celebrating "communion".

We should be troubled when we think of the many Christians who take communion each week who are just as removed from the rest of the Body as the Corinthians were.

Yet they won't miss a communion service.

In most of our churches it is announce that if you take the elements with a lack of reverence or you are an unbeliever you cannot take communion, as this would be unworthy.

In our church history at Newport Baptist, we used to exclude children for fear that they might be condemned because of their lack of understanding.

But Paul was writing to believers, not unbelievers!

(1 Corinthians 11:27)"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

Jesus never intended for us to respect the elements more than those we are in fellowship with.

Today, it is common to wait a few minutes before we take the bread or drink from the cup to examine our hearts to see if there is any unconfessed sin in our life.

The fact is, this should be a regular part of our living out of the Lord's Prayer, not the Lord's Supper. Every time we pray, we should include a space to examine our hearts and pray something like, "Lord, forgive us this day our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We shouldn’t wait for communion to do this, should we?

Before we take communion we are usually told to remember that He died "for me".

While this is all true, this was not what Paul emphasized at Corinth?

He was using communion to remind them that Jesus died for the other guy, so they would treat each other differently.

Communion certainly can be used to reflect upon the forgiveness Jesus provided through His shed blood.

Yet, if you only remember the things that benefit you and fail to remember that He did the same for those with whom you struggle, it is the height of selfishness.

What can be more unworthy than lifting the glass to the Lord, to celebrate what Jesus had accomplished, and yet holding your brothers and sisters for whom He died at a distance.

It is not only hypocrisy, it nullifies the very reason Jesus shed His blood and allowed His body to be broken.

This is showing contempt for what Jesus did on the cross.

We forget that Jesus not only died for our sins, but He also died for our fellowship.

(1 Corinthians 10:16)"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

This "cup of blessing" is the only basis of fellowship we have with God and each other.

It is the only thing we really have in common with each other.

The word `blessing used here is `koinonia from which we get our word `partnership or literally our `participation.

This is what the word `communion truly means.

We are partners and participants together through the blood of Jesus.

He not only died to reconcile us to God, but to each other.

In fact, Jesus said that our relationship to each other is so important to God that if, while we are in worship, we remember a conflict we have with someone, we are to stop worshiping God and go to be reconciled.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we lived this way! To do this, we would have to view each other differently.

(1 Corinthians 11:29)"For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Paul said that when we take communion without "discerning the Lord's Body" we are taking communion unworthily.

To discern something means to look past the obvious to see what is really there.
It would involve looking past each other's flesh, humanity, and immaturity to see Christ in others.

We have no trouble seeing each other's problems, shortcomings, or differences because that does not require discernment.

To look past these and see Christ in others, does.

(1 Corinthians 11:28)"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."

When we examine ourselves, we must review our recent contact with others, looking for unresolved conflicts, scrutinizing our motives and attitude concerning the way that we have been treating those around me.

If we fail to do this, and go ahead and take communion we become guilty or liable for His blood and death.

If guilty, then we are worthy of punishment and subject to penalty.

(1 Corinthians 11:29)"For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Paul said that the believers in Corinth were drinking judgment to themselves.

This judgment was apparent in Corinth in three ways and in our churches today.:

(1 Corinthians 11:30)"For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep."

1. "Many are weak": The word can mean either physical or spiritual weakness. Some are made weak physically.
Others are left with the inability to overcome habits or problems because we lack spiritual vitality.

2. “sick”: Some folks go from one conflict to another.

However, we often become more introspective when we are laid up. Few things touch our lives or get our attention like sickness.

It is well known that some chronic sickness can be a consequence of unresolved conflicts or offences with others.

3. "...and many sleep": There are plenty of dead churches that stand as a testament to this verse.

There are also many believers without much life in our churches.

They are asleep spiritually, but I believe Paul is saying that many Corinthians had even died prematurely.

I believe this can occur when the Lord sees our unchecked negative behaviour and it's effect within the church.

Rather than allowing such behaviour to continue He takes people home before their time.

However, none of this is God's perfect will for us. He made His will clear by saying that we can avoid all of this by judging ourselves.

(1 Corinthians 11:31)"For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.".

This judgment is also out of God’s love for us.

In 1 Corinthians 11:32, Paul refers to this as chastening. "But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world."

He tries to get our attention with chastening to teach us and get us to repent of our conduct.

Our need to learn to respect each other, even as we would Jesus, will take a lifetime to learn and many times of communion to help us remember.

Finally, First Corinthians 11:26 says, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes."

The act of taking communion itself does not really have much effect as a witness to the world.

The word `proclaim used here, means to `promulgate.

It is the word where we get the concept of promotion or advertising.

Can you imagine the advertisement our church life would be if we really esteemed and treated each person the way we do Jesus?

So what’s the point of us not having communion at church today.

I Don’t want us to copy another church.

I Do want us to take communion more seriously.

There is no problem with having communion as often as we do, but there is a problem if we become so used to it that we actually end up eating and drinking condemnation by not discerning the body as described today.

It is my hope that we can take this break in communion to prepare for next week by making sure as best we are able, to come to communion next week with our broken relationships repaired.

Relationships both in and out of the congregation.

I am asking that all of us take the time to properly prepare for a very serious time.

Fairdinkum

My first Over Seas Trip : Rome 23 July 1978

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:06:00 +0000

On Arrival in Rome, again the Lord provided because we were going to have to catch a taxi from the airport to the railway station in order to talk to the tourist people so that they could arrange a place for us to stay. This was not undoable but when you are touring with someone in a wheelchair the less mucking around you have to do with Taxi's the better.

We spoke to the information people at the railway station so as to arrange a Taxi and the person we spoke to decided to do some calling around hotels. Bingo! The first place call had vacancies.

The first night here was quite good. We went to an outside café, as most cafes are thoughout Europe (isn't it interesting how times change. In the late 70's early 80's outdoor cafes were not seen in Australia now they are just as prevalent as in Europe). We had a nice pizza, a club sandwich and two large glasses for our drinks. It seemed a little expensive but we though it worth it.

(On a recent trip to Rome we discoverd that not much has changed food is still expensive by our standards but the atmosphere is worth smoking up. One of the most famous streets in Melbourne today is Lygon street. Famous for it food and a big percentage of that food is Italian. It was funny, I said to my wife that being in Rome felt so comfortable it was just like being in Lygon Street.)

A big problem has become apparent wherever we go now in that we are never sure if we are getting ripped off with the constant change in currency. It's easy to see now why the new Australian imigrent is so sensitive about their money. He too for the same reasons is never sure if he is being riped off.

Monday (the next day): We simply went walking. We went to see the ruins of the Roman forum and the Coliseum. This was a mistake as it is much more interesting with guide and far less tiring on a bus. I still like to walk around without all that because bus tours are a bit cattle truck like, but I've decided that the walking around anywhere but close to your hotel on the the first day is a mistake. That sort of thing should be left to when you are a bit more orientated. So the next day we took a tour bus.

(To Be Continued)

Be Encouraged, Praise God & Bear Fruit - Sermon

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:08:00 +0000

No matter what it is that we struggle with if we keep our eyes on Jesus we can still Praise God and bear fruit.

Text:

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. -- Psalm 92, NKJV

And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, Thou dost save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; And I am saved from my enemies. For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me; The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears. 2 Samuel 22:1-7

Psalm 92, verses 12 - 15 "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright: He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

The reference in verse 12 is to the flourishing of the date-palm. One of the more stately trees of the Palestinian plain, which when it has attained full size, bears from between 150 to 250 Kg
of fruit. With its perennial green vegetation constantly renewing itself from the root, this a picture of life.

Mentioned side by side with the palm is the cedar, the prince of the trees of the mountain. Fond near Mount Lebanon in the north of Israel, it is known for its graceful, lofty growth and the intensity of its vegetative strength. It is also known for the perfume which it gives off.

These trees portray the spiritual strength and fruitfulness of the godly person, fresh and flourishing spiritually no matter what age, eager to declare to all who will listen that the Lord is true and right in all his ways;

Faithful to his promise, He sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sin, so that full pardon might be granted, for every transgression to all believers. And as the Holy God, He keeps every one of His pledges of blessing to all who serve Him.

With the Psalmist, every follower of the Savior, therefore, joyfully exults: "God is my Rock, He is my fortress in him will I trust".

That is, He is a strong, never-failing, Deliverer in the time of every trouble, a sure and steadfast Guide for every path He would have us walk all our days on earth. He is an absolute, divine Guarantor of my eternal life with Him in heaven.

We often face troubles in life that make us less than confident that He is our "Rock". The same was true for David! He faced rebellions, famines, wars, the business with Bathsheba and the dying baby, and all sorts of court intrigues, including a wife that rejected him and mocked him, the son that tried to usurp his throne, and a military commander who went rogue and killed anyone he thought of as an enemy. His day-to-day was no better than ours, but he sang the song and confessed the goodness of the Lord and called the Lord His safety and protection and Savior!

I may face pain and troubles that may seem overwhelming. I may struggle with the darkness that surrounds me. I may feel as though I can go on no longer.

An in the midst of this I can look at Jesus on the cross. His sorrow bought us joy. His troubles bought us comfort. His pains bought us forgiveness. His death bought us life. And His resurrection is the guarantee of our own!

In the course of life here and now, we can count on God. We can call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

David said "I am saved from my enemies".

God still answers prayers. His Word still brings the Holy Spirit and His power - and it is He who is called "The Comforter". He is also called our Fortress, our Deliverer, our Refuge, our Shield, the horn of our Salvation, our Stronghold, our Savior, and, course, our God.

No matter what it is that we struggle with if we keep our eyes on Jesus we can still Praise God and bear fruit.

Fairdinkum

My first Over Seas Trip: Yugoslavia (Zagreb) - Rome July 1978

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Well the Lord did provide in Zagreb. There was a nice hotel just down the road from the youth hostel and we were grateful.

The train trip though interesting was exhausting. All we wanted to do was have something to drink, something to eat wash and a sleep.

Eric has yet to find out what he did wrong on the train trip. He crossed his legs on to his thigh but the guy across from him went off his nuts. It seems as though showing the sole of your foot is some sort of insult. Never the less the reaction did seem to be over the top. But he had been drinking.

Because the train was so demanding we decided to go to JAT, the Yugoslavian airline, and see if we could get a flight back to Belgrade.

The main purpose of the trip to Zagreb was to visit a church that Mum had always wanted to visit. She had had a picture of this church on her wall at her shop since forever many year and so I was determined that she was going to see it.

It was easy to find as it was the biggest church you'd ever seen and it was right in the middle of the city. About 10 minutes walk from where we were.

A very funny experience it was to see Eric try to get a photo of it using his wide angled lens. He had to go way back and then lay on the ground to get it all in. I only ever had a little instamatic camera so I just took two photo's (I stuck them together when I got home).

Mum was absolutely dwarfed by the church. You can see her, a tiny person in a wheel chair. She was so pleased and was very glad that we had not decided to go straight to Roma as we had originally planed. Then we headed for the Airport.

In Belgrade the Lord provided once again. We were told by the tourist people that we would not get a room because there was convention in town. Yet the first place I rang had room. It cost us the princely some of $8.00 AUD each.

Richard

My first Overseas Trip: Yugoslavia from Greece: Belgrade to Zagreb

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:25:00 +0000

July 21 1978

We had to get off the boat at about 6:30 am in order to catch the plain to Belgrade (I gather it is pronounced Beograde).

We landed at what I gather was the International Airport and then get a domestic flight the rest of the way. Looks more like a local airport.

We then caught the train for Belgrade to Zagreb. Phew!

The train, so far is interesting. Just like traveling from Melbourne to Geelong except that they come to you wit the food to buy. A guy walk down the isles with a tray or trolly. It all seems quite normal really. I'm not really sure what I was expecting but it's almost a let down.

I for got to mention that we met another Roper on the Boat. Her name was Sandy. Unfortunately I lost her address in a most embarrassing way. (Latter I tried to write her a letter using what memory I had of the address but to no avail.)

I was taking Mum to the Toilet, Which at the Belgrade station is communal, in that there were no Male Female toilets and literally a hole in the ground. I'm not kidding you had to squat over a hole. It was really hard work supporting Mum whilst she squatted.

Anyway I had Sandy's address in my top pocket for some reason, I guess it must have been the last thing I picked up as I got off the boat, and as I lent over to help Mum out came the note pad I had the address on. Straight down the whole. I could see the note pad and I really wanted that address: but not that much.

The night life on the boat really only got going the last night. but I didn't join in. I just sat and watched because I was really not well enough, so I just went to bed early.

Sad though the Americas had some really interesting dances that I would have been keen to learn.

The Agriculture here is interesting. There are crops with corn right next to crops with sunflower; that's next to one which is fellow and that next to one for hey. Not at all like Australia where you would have one crop that goes on for miles before it changes.

This is a very green place and we are seeing our first rain since we left.

The train is like a peel hour buss now and nobody seems to get off: just on.

The people are all very polite and very chummy. However though no one can speak english which is a little daunting as I speak no Slavic what so ever and we don't know were we are staying yet.

Isn't language funny as we got off the train and were wondering around trying to get our bearing we came across a hair dresser. How did we know it was a hair dresser? Because it had the barber chairs etc.

So what does that have to do with funny language? Well perhaps, I've gotten my first lesson in Slavic. We think a hair dresser is called a ... FRIZZER, because that is what it said on the shop window.

Richard

Publish Post

I'm A Missionary - Raising Support- Next step

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:43:00 +0000

I'm learning to communicate better with missionary speak and GRN are going to help me write up a brochure to send out to all their contacts and all mine as well.

What happens is I write up a few hundred words and they edit it appropriately.

Now of course there is the problem of what to write.

I obviously don't have a problem writing things down. The question is of course what not to write down. I'm getting better as I learn more about marketing for my internet business (www.bestpicnictime.com see side bar for other blogs and ventures), but I'm not so sure weather I should be marketing myself here. And despite what some unkind friends might think(:-) I cannot fit my entire life story into 200 words.

It raises a good question though. There is clearly some marketing of oneself that has to go on in this situation but if I turn it into a sales pitch then it just begins to feel false. And maybe that is the key.

It has to be an honest appraisal of myself and some of the highlights of my life and Heather's and my life together, since we are the only two going to joint, with a smattering of our family info.

It's funny you know that I should be struggling over what not to write. When I was in school it was a chore to write anything. Don't get me wrong I have always enjoyed passing on information but I hated to write. If I could get away with writing a sentence instead of a paragraph I would.

It wasn't until I got to high school to do my year 12 where I was forced to write copious amounts that I found myself writing endless pages without a second thought. I still wouldn't write unless I had to but when I did write it was no longer the briefest thing I could write.

Then came that advent of computers and it all change practically over night. Not only was typing on a computer fun but it had a spell checker and I could fix mistakes easily. The only problem now is writing in something that is both readable and read.

Anyway I'm going to write my 200 words now

Richard

I'm A Missionary - Raising Support

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Now we have got to somehow raise support.

The problem is I have no idea how. When we first contemplated applying to GRN the original plan was that our internet business would support us but that has struck some snags and it looks like we will have to look to others to support us, at least for a time.

Even though I have always believed that a good missionary is worthy of being supported and I have been a supporter of missionary societies the idea of having to ask for funds from others has always been something that I struggled with. It wasn't until I read a book call Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team That Lasts
by Betty J. Barnett, that I was able to see that being supported by others is not just about asking people for money.

The other problem is that now I'm more comfortable with the idea I have never been really good at being informative to others about my activities. If I'm going to seek out people to support me that is probably going to have to change.

The final problem to overcome is who to ask. I know a lot of people within our congregation that give very sacrificially to people that they support. The idea of approaching them is too uncomfortable to contemplate just at the moment. That basically covers the whole congregation. So I'm not sure who else to approach at this point.

We did have one person offer support as soon as they heard we had joined so that's a start but as exciting as that it it actually presents one more problem. How do I lock them in.

So I guess I have more questions than answers at the moment.

Richard

I'm A Missionary - the Next Step

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:25:00 +0000

I guess now I have to work out the next stage of the journey of being a missionary.

I’ve spent my time in Bible college and working in various ministries, everything from running youth clubs to running drop in centres for kids off the street. I’ve had my time dealing with gangs and dispossess people. But nothing really has prepared me for this.

I’m discovering that there is a whole new culture that has to be dealt with as a missionary. It’s both interesting and frustrating.

I’ve never found missionaries to be particularly covert or illusive when talking to them about anything. But once you join their ranks there seems to be an assumption that you will know everything that you have to do.

It’s kind of like when I was in Telstra. A number of us were asked to be involved in a weight loss study. Those organising the study wanted to test a new machine they had called a bone densitrometory (Spelling?) machine. This machine was being used to test the effects of weight loss on peoples bones.

Anyway I was happy to be involved as I have always struggled with my weight.

We were divided into 3 groups:
A diet Group
An Exercise Group
A control group

The control group had to do nothing of course except record all they ate etc. The exercise group had to try to do exercise to lose the weight and the diet group had to .. guess what yep you guessed it loose weight thought diet.

The control group needed no help really and the exercise group got all the help they need because they just joined a gym. But for some reason nobody thought that the weight loss group would need anything. After all it was just a matter of them going of and researching a diet program. What can I say… Academics!

And what group was I in? The weight loss group, of course.

Eventually they decided that they had to do something and started a program.

I’m kind of feeling the same way here. I’m a little lost and bewildered and the missionaries I speak to seem a little mystified that I should feel this way.

Maybe they all did a course before they joined there mission organization or maybe they had a mentor or their parents were missionaries, I really don’t know. What ever they case Richard type folk are left to figure it out for themselves a little too much I think.

Richard

I'm A Missionary

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:18:00 +0000

Today is a very exciting day for me.

I have been accepted by Global Recording Networks (GRN) as a full time member. Check out my GRN Blog.

That's right I am now officially a missionary.

Funny really as when I first arrived in Bible College the first question that was asked by fellow students was "were do you intend to serve?" it was always amusing to see the look of confusion on their faces when I said that I was planning on serving locally in Australia.

Of course times have changed now, but back then I was, apparently a little unusual, in that nobody went to Bible college to be a missionary in Australia . Not unless it was to the Aboriginals and a missionary to the Aboriginals is a little frowned on today. But they heard me say "locally" and that was the confusing part. How do you be a missionary locally?

When I said that I intended to serve in the local churches as a youth leader or whatever of that sort thing came along. The immediate response was "that's not being a missionary". To which I replied "how so". Of course they never had an answer.

How times have changed. Now the vast majority of students that go to Bible college are preparing to go into local ministry. Or at least that's the way it seems. But it's nice to think of myself as a trail blazer.

I saw a cartoon in our denomination newspaper recently, that kind of summed up were my head was back then. Two people were talking to each other and one said to the other:

" What do you mean you are going to be a missionary in Australia?" " I thought missionaries were people who went to places were there were people of different cultures dressing differently and speaking other languages etc, etc all around you."

To which the other person replied " Yes that's right ?"

Where I live there are times that you would think that we live in a Muslim country, if you looked at the local shops and the dress people are wearing.

But it wasn't like that when I left Bible college and they were not the people I was intending to reach. I needed a good Biblical grounding in order to reach those within our own culture that were disconnected from the rest of society. I only needed the local church to do that.

So why am I now joining an organization like GRN?

Well there are many reasons:

I have a technical background and being a member of GRN allows me to use this.

The society I live in has changed and more and more we are surrounded by many different cultures and languages and this requires a different approach to telling the Good news.

But most of all GRN Gives me the opportunity to tell the story of Jesus without the constraints and politics of a church congregation, without abandoning church.

More than this I still won't be leaving the shores of Australia to do it. At least, I think, not very often.

I am looking forward to a great adventure.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip: Rodes 20th July 1978

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:17:00 +0000

We went to Rodes yesterday and saw a huge castle that belonged to the Knights of St John. These were later to become the Knights of Rodes and latter the knights of Malta after they had surrendered to the Turks.

It is believed that at least part of this castle was used as a hospital and this is where the St Johns ambulance have their roots. I'm becoming very skeptical of a lot of the information I get from the guides these days however.

The castle is so well fortified that it is speculated that someone had to have betrayed them in order for them to have had to surrender.

The Knights were a religious order in the crusades, from many different nations. A book and picture would tell more than I could but the story is interesting. Well...

The castle is reconstructed by peoples imaginations as to what they think it was like and what was left of the original castle, it's full of art from other destroyed churches etc. and I got board! So I didn't by a book.

I'm sure that there are an enormous number of people that are interested in all that kind of stuff but after all they can go to the library just like I can if I ever revive my interest. It's good to have it in my minds eye though. At least I have a better idea now of what the crusades may have been like.

Today we have just stayed on the boat, talking and swimming with people. In my current state of health I need it. Today is also the last day of the cruse and Mum has really enjoyed herself.

We have landed in Crete. We sat and watched people ride horses up a dirty great hill. Good luck to them I say.

Tomorrow should be interesting. The boat docks at six, the plane leaves around eight and the connecting train leaves about twelve in Yugoslavia. Go, Go, Go!

My first Over Seas Trip : A Greek Island Cruse - Ephesus

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:45:00 +0000

18th July 1978
Wednesday

We are now on our Cruse of the Greek Island and it's Ok.

The staff are much better than our first contact. Which is a bit of a relief.

I've been surrounded by people of different

cultures all my life in Australia and I had difficulty adjusting to the prospect that people in their own country behave differently to what they do in the country to which they live.

Mum has been coping a lot better than I thought she would.

We haven't gone on all the excursions.

We all skipped Mykonos.

Their was a bit of a misunderstanding between us in that for some reason Eric was under the impression that we expected him to stay with us.

However although the company is great, realistically mum cannot go on all the excursions and to expect Eric to miss them is just not fare.

I any case it has been cleared up now.

The excursion today was to Ephesus. We missed the English speaking bus because we had to be last to get mum on and off the boat safely so we caught the Spanish speaking one.

At one of the bus stops we nearly lost her because we didn't realize that the bus was picking us up at a different point to were it dropped us off . Mum was shading under a tree. We had to get a Taxi to go and get her and bring her back to the bus stop.

The most striking thing about Ephesus is that with all the talk of it in the New Testament we still think of it as a port. Now days the original pier that the Apostle Paul would have sailed from is miles away from the sea because of silt run off over the centuries.

There was an American Baptist minister touring with some of his congregation. I realize that he was excited to be amongst all this stuff but I was mystified why he felt the need to constantly interrupt the tour guide to repeat to his congregation what the guide had just said.

We think that we live in a society that is advanced technologically. But as you wander down the streets of Ephesus and realize or more accurately got told, that the the holes in the middle of the path we were walking down were put there to support torches to light the streets, you begin to realize that there are no new ideas in the world, just revamped ones. The only difference between our street lighting and theirs is the type of globs used. They even had flushing public toilets in this town. Isn't it interesting importance the Roman empire and it's technology had on the spread of the Gospel.

Seeing the temple to Caesar was very interesting. Way better than trying to imagine it when they talk about it in the Bible.

Off to Rodes next.

My first Over Seas Trip : Greece Athens

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:04:00 +0000

15th July 1978

First impressions of Greece Athens are something else. I'm not talking about the things to see. There are plenty of those. But the people here are so aggressive. We had a number of conflicts from the moment we landed. The worst was getting Mum off the plain.

This one guy was determined to carry mum down the stairs in her chair. I gave in but I shouldn't have. She was terrified. There was a blatant refusal to accept that mum could walk down and even taking her in the chair could have been much better handled by me, who knew what I was doing.

I know, I know they were only trying to show respect to an old disabled Lady and I am trying to take into account the differences in culture, but this was not the only conflict we had.

The final straw for Eric was he had his Australian Flag stolen, ripped right off his back pack. No real damage but it capped what should have been a good day.

We didn't really have time to look at much on our trip to the hotel. Everything just kind of whizzed past on the trip there. But there is no doubt that there is a lot to see here.

The Hotel is not up to the standard that we have been used to, for the same price elsewhere. But its just a stop over.

We begin the cruise tomorrow.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip : Jerusalem

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:21:00 +0000

14 July 1978 - Jerusalem

Today was very exciting!

We went to the old city of Jerusalem.

This was too much to absorb.

We hired a guided Limousine (taxi) who took us around and told us all about the area. The city itself is full of churches, (Well given it's history I guess I should have expected as much but never-the-less it was a surprise to me ed.) built over all the significant sites (supposedly) mentioned in the Bible.

We went to:

1) The western wall, the last remnant of the temple destroyed by the Romans, commonly known as the wailing wall because that is where so many Jews go to pray. This is one of the few places that doesn't have a church.

2) The church of the Nativity, where we were taken down to the grotto that we were told was the "Exact place where Jesus was born". Whilst I was very excited to see this, as the prospect of being in the very place where Jesus was born is awesome, I struggle with the idea that there is any way of knowing other than by divine revelation, that this is the "Exact" place where Jesus was born.

3) The tomb where Jesus was buried. A little disappointing really as there is no garden just multiple churches, built over what is believed to be the tomb that Jesus was berried in, after he died and before he was resurrected. Still fascinating to see all the different church services going on around you as you look. (Because none of the shots I took came out I've included a very good website about the church of the Holy Sepulcher.)

I was struck also by how small Israel was before the six day (and other) war. In some places there was only 15 miles (24 kilometers) between the coast and the border. That's small. I've traveled that far to work.

There is a certain aura about being about the historical places here in Israel. But there was something else that struck me, especially tonight, as we went out for a walk from back at the hotel (Right). You always hear about the history of Israel. Eric and I studied the history of Israel in Bible College. But you hear little about the people of today.

Tel-aviv is alive at night. There are traffic jams at 10:00 pm and there are foods and drink people in Australia have never dreamed of. We had a square of Pizza (no Ham of course) and fruit drinks that are made from real fruit mixed with milk on the spot. (common place in Australia now days however including ham on the pizza ed.) Breakfast is always fruit. They eat and incredible amount of fruit here.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip : Tel Aviv

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:33:00 +0000

13th July 1978

The first thing that we did after some rest today was to go to the Australian Embassy to try to find Vara (the daughter of a friend of Mum's).

We not only found her but came across a young woman, a fellow Australian, who was without accommodation because she had, had some trouble staying with some friends. Mum decided to help her out. So the four of us went walk about, did some shopping and generally got to know the place.

We tried to walk to Jaffo (Yafo). But it was too far. So we found our way thorough the streets and markets to the Tel-Aviv city museum. That night we went to Yaffo by taxi.

It was very pretty but it's not really something I have the skill to describe in writing and worse none of the pictures came out. This is it (right) of a day time but it has nothing of the charm of the evening.

The best part of the day was when we went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was warm and dirty (but not too dirty) that is it didn't seem of feel polluted in any way just a dirty color.

Our evening meal was most interesting. There was what might be called an open air restaurant where you could choose you salad and meat on a Shishkabob (skewered barbecue meat). You were given flat bread to eat it on. (funny how times change what was unusual then for an Australian is common place now and they are just called Kabarbs ed.)

Richard

Smart Alec Answers

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:14:00 +0000

One of the things that really ticks me off, is smart alec answers.

I'm not trying to be a kill joy here. I don't mean the sort of answers that you get when you've made a sarcastic comment or cracked a funny.

I do mean the sort of answer you get when you've asked a serious question.

For example: when I ask my wife if she has seen one of my tools that I was using around the house and the answer I get is "I don't use them".

Now seriously, the chances are that I was using it to fix something that would benefit the household and I get a stupid comment like that. All I am asking for is some help and instead I get a smart alec comment.

Even If I were asking for something for myself, what's wrong in asking for some help? Why should I expect to be belittled?I accept that I'm a little sensitive about this as I even remember my mother saying to me "I didn't wear it" or "I didn't take it off" when I inquired as to the whereabouts of some article of clothing or item I used to play with.

I understand that it was a product of our time and that these sort of comments are made because that is what we have been taught to say by our parents. But as brilliant as they were my parents did not get everything right and I think this is one of those occasions.

Everyone is entitled to ask for some help sometimes and they should not expect a sarcastic answer when they do.

So next time that you feel tempted to give a smart alec reply to someone who has asked you a question, how about stopping and asking yourself, "does this person deserve this or should I just give the help thy are asking for?

And that goes double if you are dealing with children.

Richard.

Racial Prejudiced

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:07:00 +0000

I was watching a TV program from the USA the other day and they were talking about racial prejudice.

It made me recall and instance when I was in Bible college. I was listening to one of the students who was having a bit of a bad time with life and he made a comment that really surprised me.

He said that he was tired of the prejudice that he was experiencing. I don't know whether this prejudice was real or perceived because he was having a hard time at that stage, but I was really surprised because I couldn't understand what there was about him that people would be prejudice toward.

In my dumb founded state I continued to listen for clues as to what he was experiencing and he said something that really annoyed me. He said the prejudice was because of his colour.

And why did this annoy me? Because until he bought it up, it had never even occurred to me that he was an Indian from India.

From that point on I was never able to have the same relationship because no matter what I said or did from then on he was someone else. He had labeled himself as a person of colour. Hence it was never possible to relax around him for fear of offending him.

I don't know if he ever noticed but I missed the person I used to know. He had now made himself someone different.

I wonder if their are some instances when it is better not to name prejudice. I wonder if sometimes naming something only makes it worse.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip : Hong Kong - Tel Aviv

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Wednesday 12th July 1978

Today was hectic. We went to the Far Eastern Broadcasting Co. (FEBC). A Christian broadcasting Co. that we learned about in Bible college who send signals into all the countries that can't receive the Gospel by normal means and many of those who can.

We than went and had lunch and then off to the airport. The security there is like I've never seen. It's nice to know I live in a country that faces none of these threats. (how things change).

The flight to Tel Aviv was mostly smooth but with some turbulence. The staff on the plain were really good to us and their French accents had me fascinated, it's not what I was expecting going to Israel.

This is the sort of plain we flew in from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv. We stopped at Bangkok, Dali and Tehran.

What did we see? Well in Bangkok we saw the departure lounge and we were so inspired by that that we stayed on board for the other stops. Not that we were given a choice. It was a long flight despite the good service.

The mention of Tehran reminds me. When we first arrived in Hong Kong we decided to change our destinations a little. We had an around the world ticket so it was a simple matter as long as we stayed inside our mileage. We had had some advice just before we left that it would be very expensive in Zurick without contacts and that Rome would be much more interesting for Mum.

We went to the travel agent and explained what we wanted to do. After about 20 minutes of watching the young girl flitter around from computer to computer doing calculations we asked what was a problem. The Girl said "You may have to pay the difference".

This alarmed us because of the nature of our tickets and we were sure it was wrong. It turned out that because of our Australian accents the girl had thought we had wanted to go back to Tehran which is about 2000 miles backwards.

Australians are very proud of our egalitarian lifestyle and attitude and generally couldn't care less if people thought our speech was considered lower class. As we travel we found that every body loved our accents. It became particularly useful where British or Americans were not welcome, but this was the first time we discovered that sometimes it did create communication issues and it paid to speak more upper class.

Tel Aviv Thursday 13th July 1978
Tel Aviv itself struck me as being much like St Kilda in Melbourne. Lots of units and close living only a bit more stark. None of the buildings to speak of are painted and all have flat roofs.

Tempers are a little high with the temperature and trying to sleep on the plain. And the money situation is very confusing. Some want to be paid in US dollars and not in their own currency.

It's interesting to see soldiers walking around the street fully armed. We were stopped this morning when the airport was searched for some reason.

Ed note: funny, when we got back home months latter we were often asked if we felt unsafe in Israel. We had to say that we actually felt safer there than we did in some of the European countries. Our safety never actually crossed our mind.

Richard

The Meaning of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:31:00 +0000

In years gone by I used to run Before and After school programs. These were commercial programs for children who's parent or parents needed child care before and after school, usually so they could work.

They were run by the council so it was not a Christian program as such but I hope my words and my speech were strong enough to pass on the message of Jesus. The message of hope that was so lacking in some of these children's lives. I have some stories or two that I could telling you and may be I will but not today.

Except to say that I've never understood why more churches don't run these programs as they're an unbelievable place for ministry.

One time I got myself into trouble with my council liaison officer who funded us.

I had heard about a Psychiatrist who was coming to town to speak at some public meetings. Now I don't have a Lot of time for Psychiatrists as a rule. They have a lot of good information but it is far too often the basis of what I consider a new religion for me to be comfortable with most of them.

I remember as a young person being perplexed by the need of my church elders to have had a Psychiatrist say something and because it came from a Psychiatrist then "it must be true", so they desperately spent time trying to make scripture fit. The possibility of a Psychiatrist being wrong never entered their head. Something that unfortunately still happens today.

Never-the-less this Psychiatrist was bought out by the catholic church and his topic was hope and I had heard that he had been in a concentration camp during the war.

This was too much for me to pass up, so I bought tickets for me and one of my staff, under the auspices of training. Which seemed perfectly reasonable to me as we were supposed to have a training budget and I could think of no better form of training.

Apparently my liaison officer didn't agree. I was hauled over the coals. Not that that bothered me as my job was way more secure than a coal hauling. And the tickets were already bought, so what were they going to do.

The Psychiatrist name was Viktor Frankl. I am not sure if he was a believer or not, despite being bought out by the catholic church.

If ever you get the chance to read any of Viktor Frankl books I recommend you do. He is credited with having established the third school of Psychiatry (one being Freud and I have no idea of the second, possibly Jung).

He had indeed been in concentration camps and come out of it with something that, as Christians we must accept as profound. He discovered and based his whole Psychiatric theory on the premise that you can survive anything if you can find meaning in what is happening to you!

Now isn't that a reason to tell the world about Jesus.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip : Hong Kong Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:54:00 +0000

11th of July 1978 Tuesday.

Today we visited one of the street markets. The smell was foul. (after another recent trip to Hong Kong it occurs to me just how arrogant that statement in my diary was. The smell of course was not foul, except maybe for the chickens ;-) it was just not what I was used to. ed.) But it was very interesting, nothing was refrigerated and most of the was killed on the spot. One guy had a cage full of frogs.

The customers picked their frog. The guy took it out, belted it's head on the table, removed it's outer skin and gave it to the customer.

Very normal to them but quite disturbing to those new to it all. You can just see the frog on the skillet in bottom left hand corner of this photo.

From there we went back to the YMCA to meet Eric's cousin, Nigel.

We went with him to Hong Kong Peak via a cable car (Left).

The view is fantastic! But the slope is so steep mum was terrified (Below)

There are actually stations on the way up.

We had lunch on the peak.

Nigel then had to leave us, so we went on a cruise about the harbor (Mum on the Harbor - lower Right).

Two things ... no three things stuck me:

1) The refugee squatters houses (left). Built on the side of a steep mountain with scraps, steeling electricity from road lamps (remember this was before the colony was reabsorbed into China. None of these places exist now. The poverty is still there it's just better hidden. ed.)

2) The wall of lights at night. Very pretty but so many. It's just a wall of lights at night.

3) The number of Americans around. I guess I just didn't expect to see so many Americans. Who knows why.

Nigel is a policeman in Hong Kong and he was telling us that they have to remove up to 6 dead bodies a month from the boats returning from the USA. Due to overdose of drugs. It's because the drugs they get from the USA are stronger than they ones they are used to and they overdose.

Getting Taxi's is fun. The drivers here are worse than Sydney taxi drivers. They stop for little and yet never seem to get out of second gear.

Mum has given us some interesting times with going to the toilet. Getting down the stairs on the boat was fun but the best one was when we were taken to one of the guest rooms at the "Mandarin"(Left) because there were too many stairs there for the wheel chair to get up to the toilet. This is one of the best hotels in Hong Kong. Everybody is so nice about it.

Something else that had me intrigued was all the building going on. All the scaffolding is bamboo. I didn't realize that as well as being cheaper it has as similar strength to steel and is more flexible. (Construction worker stacking bamboo - right)

And another day has gone.

Richard

My first Over Seas Trip : Melbourne - Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:57:00 +0000

Hong Kong 10 July 1978

The flight here Yesterday was good. After emerging from the state of panic that everybody was in, anything less than that could only be considered good. The Hostesses were at a bit of a loss as to what to do with Mum, but when they realized that she was only slow and not helpless they settled down too.

The food on board was great and there was a lot of it. (I've since discovered that I must be the only person in the world that likes airline food ed.).

We traveled up near the front for mum to have extra room and it was close to the toilets. The only bad thing about that was whilst she got to use the first class toilets up the front, we had to go all the way down the back.

The only real catastrophe we had was that the zip on mum's trousers broke. Fortunately she was wearing a long shirt so no one noticed.

Landing in the plane was an experience in itself. As the plane came closer to the ground I began to realize that we were not heading for land but water.

I'm not the best air passenger at the best of times but as I saw the water came closer and closer my composure was, to say the least, beginning to drift.

Then we hit the ground!

I think I nearly broke the arm of the chair!

What I didn't realize was that the air field extends out into the bay, but from the plain you can see not land.

When we landed it was a balmy 35 Deg. Bit of a shock really it was winter back home.

We were really glad we had the wheel chair for mum (we originally weren't going to take it but we were talked into it by friends).

We were met at the airport by Ka Loc (a former fellow bible college student). He was a great help. We quite literally would have been lost with out him. You know I'm beginning to realize the resources that we Christians have available to us should we choose to avail ourselves of them.

We booked into the YMCA and had no trouble settling in.

Today we spent our time shopping and sight seeing the city... and eating. So many different foods!

The city is much like Sydney (nothing like Melbourne where I'm from)
Except for two things:
The hills
And every building is high rise.

Hmm, perhaps not like Sydney at all. The place is all concrete.

Tonight I went to a judo club. Judo has always been a bit of a passion of mine (these days I have my own Judo club ed.). I learned a lot and have gained a new understanding of Koshi Guruma not to mention an much greater and healthy respect for the throw. I dislocated my shoulder.

Now it's time for bed. Mum has problems sleeping when she hears dogs barking back home. It would be nice to say that she didn't have that trouble in a new country. But you know what she discovered last night that dogs bark all night in Hong Kong too.

What will tonights discovery be.

Richard

My First Trip Overseas

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Roper) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Very Excited and Daunted at the same time, my friend Eric and I left Australia on the 9th July 1978, according to my travel diary.

This was my first trip overseas and it was something I had dreamed of all my life. Though it almost didn't happen.

My friend had asked me to go with him towards the end of my time at bible college in 1976. I had just started a relationship with a young lady and although I was tempted because as I said it was a dream of mine, I turned him down because of this new relationship.

After several months the relationship with the young lady broke down.

I still didn't consider the travel however as my father had died and my mother taken ill with a terminal brain tumor.

Towards the end of 1977 things had settled down though. My mother was home and although her speech and walking was affected she was much better. The tumor was still terminal but it had been slowed.

I can't quite remember what the catalyst was that made me decide to take up Eric's offer but I did.

Maybe the turmoil of the last year was so great that it was time to do something different.

I can't quite remember if we decided to take my mum at that time or if it was a latter discussion. But we decided to take her as she had always wanted to see the Cathedral at Zagreb Yugoslavia as it was known then and we thought it would be nice to take her. It meant taking a wheel chair but it also meant we could stay with the relatives in Scotland. The pros outweighed the cons.

I remember sitting in Eric's room at bible college (Eric had taken on post graduate studies but I had finished bible college by this time) and telling him that I wanted to take him up on the offer.

You know what he said. He said "I knew you'd end up coming". It was not to be the first prophetic words that he would have about this trip. In fact it was not to be the last prophecy that would be said over us.

Richard