An Australian man who stopped countless people from jumping to their deaths at a notorious Sydney beauty spot called ‘The Gap’ has died…
Mr Ritchie would simply walk up to people standing close to the edge and ask gently: “Is there something I could do to help you?” which would often be enough to make people rethink their actions…
He told his daughter an offer of help “was all that was often needed to turn people around, and he would say not to underestimate the power of a kind word and a smile”

The Gap is an ocean cliff in eastern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by Adam J.W.C (wikipedia)

Hundreds of people have been saved from a needless death by the kindness of this man. He was on the alert for those in need. He didn’t leave the responsibility to others. He acted with kindness and a smile.

I may never know the undercurrents of hurt, anguish, fear and torment that flow in the lives of those I meet. But maybe a word of kindness and a smile can lift them a little. I have noticed that miserable looking check out assistants, for example, often brighten up and become lively and engaging, when I smile and say something pleasant to them.

Don Ritchie has been a challenge to me to maintain a caring attitude and not be shy to ask: “Is there something I can do to help you?”

You can read the news story and view the video here.

Torching on the mineralized roofing felt . Photo from iStockphotos

Today I am finalizing the appointment of a company to do roof repairs on our block of flats. We have a residents’ committee and, as the secretary, I was responsible for inviting inspections and quotations from several roofing companies.

Cowboy builders

How do we sort out the “cowboys” from the bunch? How do we know what really needs doing? Fortunately, nowadays roof inspectors carry digital cameras. So I and the others on the committee were able to see photos and video of the roof in every part – the good, the bad and the ugly (forgive another cowboy/western reference!).

From our position on terra firma we could never see on the degraded roof felt, broken tiles, loose pointing, ripped flashing and blocked gutters. We needed someone higher than we are  to see the detail of all the work that needs to be done. He recorded it and showed it to us on his laptop.

God’s snapshots

I also need someone higher than me in my spiritual life.  How else will I get the true account of  work that is needed to be done in me? Only God has the full picture.

Whenever my conscience is pricked, then the snapshot has been taken of an area of damage that needs to be attended to. Like the roof, it is dangerous to put off dealing with it. Attitude problems, lack of discipline, selfishness…oh I have seen God’s photos!  I came across them in the album – the Bible.

It is a common saying: “He knows all about us and loves us just the same.” But it is true and it is a comfort. I can put all my trust in my heavenly Father to lovingly and completely deal with my problem areas, if I cooperate with him.

That is what the will of God seems like sometimes. But without letting go and allowing God to bear you along, you will accomplish little for him.
Let go! You can do it, with Christ as your helper! Let the momentum build and then leap forward into God’s perfect will for you. That sure is exhilarating!

Image by Flikr user kobiz7

I have often wished for an extra hour or two in the day, and an extra day or two in the week, so as to finish a task or prepare for the next one. It is when the deadline approaches that I realize the value of the time that was wasted, or not used as well as it might have been.

Charles F. Kettering was a man of many talents – a farmer, teacher, engineer, and inventor. He had more than 300 patents in his name. How did he manage to pack so much into his life? This is what he said:

The future is that time when you’ll wish you had done what you aren’t doing now.

Procrastination is indeed the thief of time. I am learning not to put off what I can do today. Right now I am in the middle of a massive practical project and the only way it will be accomplished in time is if I stick at it and do what I can each day. Then, when the deadline is upon me, everything will be in place and I will be ready.

And what about the spiritual deadline?

Robert Moffat, the missionary to Africa,said:

We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one swift hour before the sunset in which to win them.

“One swift hour”…yes a whole life is that short, in comparison to eternity. It is worth devoting that entire life to God’s purpose for me. I have never regretted following Jesus Christ and using the energies of mydays,  months and years to further his plans. But there is so much more still to be done, so many God-given dreams to accomplish, and I’ll fulfil that potential unless I press on.

None of us knows how long our life will be, and it is wise advice to “live each day as if it were your last”. In other words,  give each goal our best shot.

Do you have any plans and dreams that are still only in the bud? If they are of God, and if you work in partnership with him, he will give you the energy and motivation to accomplish them!

Loose wheel nut indicators. Image from Wikipedia

Out in the car the other day I noticed a massive truck with luminous yellow tags on its wheel nuts.

They are fitted to show immediately if any of the nuts have worked loose.  The points would alter their direction and be very obviously out of line.

I had seen them before, but this time I thought: “How do I know when I am not as “tight” a Christian as I should be? Are there any indicators that flag up to me that I have  eased up in certain areas of life when I should be tight and disciplined? I thought of a few.

• Grumbling and complaining – Discontentment is a first indicator of a spiritual lack.
• Not singing – I may not sing out loud much, but usually Christian hymns and songs are going on in my head, with full orchestral accompaniment sometimes! When the music stops, it means I am not living in the spiritual dimension I want to naturally be in. I need to reassess my spiritual life.
• Worry - There are concerns in life, but trust and reliance on God should deal the with fear and anxiety that erode our peace. When I become unsettled and anxious, I need to get back into tight alignment with God.

If I notice any of these creeping in during a day, then I know that I have something “loose” that needs to be attended to.

What indicators would you add to the list? Are there things that warn you when you are spiritually drifting or becoming slack? Feel free to add them to the comments below.

Nothing is ordinary. Life is an endless series of little miracles. The difference between living and existing is noticing. – Louie Giglio

Robin from iStockphoto

The buds are appearing on the rose bushes. The robin is singing vibrantly on the cherry tree. The car, which is ten years old, is running smoothly. I safely negotiated the uneven surface of the old path and dipping garden beds, without turning my ankle. My internet connection, which was broken, reconnected just in time for an important email to be sent.

Yes, little miracles perhaps, but miracles nonetheless. Today, like most other days, my friend and I started the day by committing it to God and trusting him to help in every detail. The more we do this, the more we are identifying hid intervention and protection. The more we see of his miracle of creation and his care for us.

What little miracles have you experienced today?

This video tells the story of the iconic poster. Thank you Denny Burk for bringing it to my attention.  It reminds me of something that I have been learning recently.

How wonderful to know that we can experience the deep calm that comes through trusting implicitly in God, whatever our circumstances.

Photo by Spike Mafford - Photodisc

Sitting in a self-service restaurant the other day, I saw a mother and her son approaching a table. She carried a tray of food; he had oloy a glass of orangeade. Somehow, in setting down his glass, he knocked it over, spilling the entire contents over the table and chair.

“Mu-u-u-u-u-m!!!! he wailed. “Look what you made me do!”
His mother had been several paces away from him and the table was not in the least bit wobbly.
Mum made it clear to her son, “I didn’t make you do it. No one else made you do it. You can’t blame anyone except yourself.”

Clumsy me!
Sometimes I have days when I am particularly clumsy. It’s then I sometimes find myself blaming inanimate objects! I stumble and say, “That stupid shoe lace never stays tied up.” Or once, “That milk jug shouldn’t have been on the corner of the shelf. It stuck out and caught my hand. Look at the state of the fridge now!”
You get the idea.

An entrenched pattern
Like the young lad in the restaurant, we tend to follow a pattern that has been entrenched in human behaviour since Eve said, “The serpent told me…” and Adam said, “The woman gave it to me to eat.”
We live in a blame culture. We may not go so far as litigation and demands for compensation, but it is easy to fall into the way of blaming anyone, or anything, except ourselves for many of the ills that we bring upon ourselves, or which are simply nobody’s fault.

Own up
We can break that pattern – face up to our own carelessness, clumsiness, laziness…whatever has caused the mishap.  If we do that, then, when something happens that is the fault of another person, we will more readily see that we might have done the same, and be more understanding and forgiving.

Go on! Cut yourself a little slack. Understand that you have made a mistake and don’t try to dodge out of it. Repent,  and move on, determined to do better next time. That way you will stop looking to put the blame elsewhere.

It may take a conscious effort, but with God’s help we will find that as we get out of the “it’s-not-my-fault” syndrome, we won’t be grumbling so much and life will be all the sweeter, both for us and for those around us.

I hope you enjoy this life studio recording of Come people of the risen King, sung by the composer, Stuart Townend. Listen out for the great Celtic-sounding intro and bridge, which get my Scottish heart pumping!

Image by Comstock

I once heard of tale of a man who crossed the Atlantic on a great ocean-going liner. He had just enough money to pay for the ticket, but not much else.

A diet that was crackers!

The story relates how he sat in his cabin every night while the other passengers enjoyed sumptuous dining. Each evening he would nibble on a few dry crackers, which he had brought with him, instead of tucking into the oysters, fillet steak and luxurious desserts served above.

What he did not realize was that his fare covered not only his travel, but also all his meals while he was on board!

Heating one room

Recently my blogging kidmin friend Barbara Graves tweeted about an experience she had some time ago.

Barbara and her husband had moved into a new apartment. They were told that there was no domestic heating fuel left in the tank. As Barbara tells it:  ”We lived in one room in front of the fireplace for a month.”

Imagine their surprise when they eventually discovered that there was fuel in the tank after all! They had never tried it!

Living below our privileges

No doubt Barbara and her husband can smile about it now, but tragically, the same can be true of us spiritually. God has made provision for so much grace, help and power to be available to all his children. Everything has already been paid for. Yet, too often, we are inclined to be cracker-eating Christians, existing on a minimum diet.

What a shame if we nibble away at the Bible as if it were a dry ration we are obliged to take each day. Instead, we should be reaching out in trust to the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, and asking him to help us to see the rich diet, the tasty feast, that is within the covers. If you can’t enjoy it, ask God to give you an appetite for his Word.

How tragic to be struggling with sin, phobias, anxieties, burdens or anything that weighs us down and ties us up, when we could be tapping into the “fuel tank” that God has made available to us through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. That is an unending supply of God’s grace (the ability to cope with every situation God allows to touch our lives).

Jesus Christ died, defeated death and went back to heaven, so that he could the release the Holy Spirit to this earth. The “meal” has been paid for, the “fuel tank” is full, just waiting for us to turn the tap by prayer and trust.

If we are God’s children, having received Christ, then let’s not live below our privileges. Let’s reach for and use every good thing that God has made available for us.  Jesus didn’t intend that we live on spiritual emergency rations, but on an abundant and rich supply of all we need to glorify God and be victorious for him.

Is there any area in your life where you feel spiritually lacking?
Why should you wait any longer?
Reach out in simple trust and ask God to open your eyes to see all that he has made available for you.

If you need to be made clean from sin

If you need help to overcome a temptation

If you need to be  effective in prayer

If you need to be able to speak to someone about Jesus

If you need to experience God’s guidance

If you need to grow and exercise your gifts and ministries

If you…

…Well, is there anything you would add to your list? What will you trust God for? Will you claim the privilege Christ has paid to give you?