BLOG by ROBERT WARMINGTON. guest writer
 
Robert Warmington was a young man searching for answers back in the 1960s.  He drifted into the Riverland and found more than he bargained for, he found, a new life.
 
 I worked on a lot of fruit blocks and farms to see what it was like and found it was too hard and not enough money.  I stopped for fuel at the Shell roadhouse Barmera S.A. early January 1965.  The Italian proprietors were very friendly.  The boss lady Renatta Mattachioni said, 'you lika spaghetta bolognaise, all you can eat - 4/6 pence (at the time).' For dessert, she said, 'you wanta the job picka the fruit?'. 
 
What an experience, I learnt fruit drying, pruning vines & trees, how to kill & dress sheep.  I Met many of farmworkers, Greek, German, Italian and Aussies; acquired a taste for rabbit skewered on a piece of fencing wire and cooked on an open fire.
 
I liked the upper Murray area, Berri, Barmera, Loxton, Renmark and last but not least Cobdogla. I obtained full board in a private home at Cobdogla.  The lady of the house was a Lutheran and invited me to attend Cobdogla Lutheran Church one Sunday.
 
The church Pastor Ivan Wittwer preached - one thing he said stayed in my mind, 'you are the salt of the earth if the salt losses its savour it is cast aside'.
 
Talk about friendly persuasion - once God's Holy Spirit starts to work on you, there is no going back.  God led me around like a bull with a ring in my nose; I had to have more of this stuff. 
I looked in the local paper one Saturday morning under Church notices, and read - Christian Revival Crusade, meeting at Berri C.W.A. Hall, 7.30 Sunday night, great singing, hear the Gospel preached and stay for free coffee. So off to Berri that night and sneaked up to the C.W.A. Hall, I found the hall by following the sound of the singing, you could hear it all over the Berri shopping area.  I peeked in the doorway to suss the place out; I'd heard they were a lot of weirdo's so wasn't taking any chances.
 
A bloke named Vince Hartwig grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me inside. I knew Vince and was astonished to see him here.  I said Vince, 'what the hell are you doing here?' (This wasn't the start of it all, it was purely the next step in the sequence of things).
 
Out the front of the room were two blokes in dark suits.  Vince said the bloke standing was called Cliff Beard; the bloke sitting down was Dudley Cooper.
 
Cliff Beard, I found out was running the show, but when he got up to speak, I realised this was no show, this bloke was fair dinkum.
 
Cliff preached as I'd never heard anyone preach before, so much so that at the end of the meeting I went up to him and I said I believe in what you are doing and want to help in any way I can.
 
Later, when everyone had gone home, we sat and talked in my car.  Cliff asked, 'are you a Christian and have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit?'
 
I said, 'I guess I am.' It was all very confusing, and I went home a troubled young man.  That night I woke up screaming and my roommate John Martin said it was pretty scary and he had hidden under the blankets.
 
The next morning the landlady said, what was all that noise last night, I think you should find somewhere else to live.
 
A few days later, I attended a house meeting at Bruce & Gwen Leane's place at Barmera.  I told Bruce what had happened; he seemed a bit baffled but rightly put it down to the work of the Holy Spirit, sorting me out.  These were heady days!  I could go on and on forever telling of the experiences good and evil.  Everything was new; my old world was passing away. I was a different person, what a life!
 
Teenarama came to Barmera.  I'd never seen anything like it in my life, young people dedicated to serving Christ, I wanted in.  When I think back on those days, I wish they had never ended. 
 
Cliff Beard went through life like a plough-shear on new ground. Cliff Beard’s beliefs were radical. People either loved him or hated him. The people who accepted what he preached became new people; some people were offended. Those people who received and believed Cliff’s Beard’s wholeheartedly discovered a new and abundant life.  I was one who believed and received a new life.  
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. 

​Terror, terrorism, terrorist, strikes fear into many hearts. I attended a basketry weaving class the other day and very soon the events around the world were on everyone’s lips.  Social Media is a-buzz with opinions of every type about how to deal with terrorism and terrorists. The imagery of terrified people trampling over each other and the flower tributes so lovingly laid down in memory of the murdered. The media has responded to what it thought was gunshots. In every conversation, everybody has an opinion and so we should.  We should be free to express our opinion even if it is different from our fellow men and women.
Terror is the terrorists’ weapon.  When they have the people sick with fear, they are in total control.  They have the power to force people to obey them.  
The terrorist does not allow freedom of thought, let alone freedom of speech.  Terror the type that the terrorist uses restricts the throat making speech impossible, numbs the mind leaving the person a helpless mass of jelly, ready to obey every command.
Best Kept Secret
Who can we turn to in this time of chaos, trauma and fear? A dynamic relationship with the living Jesus Christ is the answer.   I mean a relationship with Jesus, not the church, the institution.  We can go to church, know about Jesus, even believe in him, but that doesn’t give us a relationship with the living Jesus, which is what matters. Jesus the guy who rose from the dead and is alive today and who is the Son of God, he is the one with whom we have the relationship.
A Big Mouth
Jesus had a lot to say about fear, and one statement was, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who can kill only your body – but can’t touch your soul.’
Jesus made another statement,
 ‘the courage of many shall falter because of the fearful fate they see coming on the earth.’  He added, ‘Look up, stand straight.’
 Jesus urges us not to be affected by the terror and atrocities around us but to look up, straighten our shoulders and not be cowed by what we see.  Jesus encouraged us by reminding us that our redemption draws close; that is, Jesus who redeemed us is drawing close to us maybe even returning for us.
Some translations of the Bible have replaced, ‘stand straight’ with ‘rejoice’ told.  The Bible urges us to look up and rejoice when we see the horrible things happening as we see today.  Rejoicing at a time when the murder of thousands occurs as in France seems inhuman. It doesn’t seem possible to triumph when millions are starving.  While our hearts bleed and we weep for those people, we can still refuse fear. We can look up to Jesus and find the strength of mind, spirit and heart. Many will give up their faith because of the terror filling the world, blaming God because he has not stepped in and appears to have failed; therefore, he doesn’t care or is dead. Not so, God is alive and personal holding our lives in his hand.

Secret Weapon
One of Jesus followers, Paul, said,
‘I am convinced that nothing can separate us from his love.  Death can’t, and life can’t.  The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell (terrorists) can’t keep God’s love away.
There is another secret weapon against fear, made by Paul, the follower of Jesus,
 ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.’ 
Against the terrorist a fearless spirit, love and a sound mind and add to that eternal life, a terrorist cannot beat unless we deny our faith. Many people reject their faith because their eyes and ears tell them the terrorist can win by killing their body. 
Jesus does have the last say, his death on the cross and his reappearance to prove he overcame death has proven he is the master of both life and death. We should be voicing the words, ‘look up, stand straight and rejoice.
 
Modern Day reflection on Snow White
 
Terrorist, terrorist with gun and bomb
You are not the fairest of them all
 
Jesus has become Snow White  
He cares for dwarfs, the humankind
 
By his act of death upon a cross
He brought evil to its knees
Jesus fairest of them all
 
   

​'Build a better you,' the advertisement screamed in bold letters.  On the radio, a soft  voice cooed, 'Take inches off your waistline with this nourishing drink.' The TV screen showed the figure of a man and woman in well-fitting sports-wear, their bodies the picture of physical perfection.
All love a beautiful body. There is no room for the ugly or the imperfect in this world.  There are dozens of books written on how to lose weight, exercise machines to build the body.  There are weight loss clubs, spas and saunas, all designed to take off the inches and kilograms.   Beauty parlours invite us to groom, tune and prune the body. A healthy lifestyle is necessary if we are to survive to old age.
Self-care is essential for a healthy lifestyle and mental well being,  become self -absorbed to the point where we obsess with overweight, health and looks. All kinds of illnesses, real and imaginary, overtake us.
  It is just as important what we feed the mind. Self-esteem and a positive attitude are vital building blocks for a healthy mental state.  Add to those blocks by forgiving imagined hurts and letting go our pet hates. Deal with fear and anxiety.  An optimistic and confident frame of mind will strengthen us mentally and increase our health.
For good mental health, the need to fill the mind with words and images that create emotional strength and balance is beneficial. The mind can be stunted and weakened as well as the body and fed the right diet.
 Following our emotions can lead us down the road to mental instability. The balance between emotions and logic is needful.  Fear is a negative emotion and can hold us back from realizing our full potential in marriage, career and family and yes, daily living.
Love is a powerful emotion. Love requires a person to open themselves up and risk getting hurt. We will never find true Love if we close up our hearts to others and ourselves. Love is a  potent ingredient for a healthy self-care program.
Love governs the emotions; it replaces hate and fear and gives us healthy self-esteem. Love puts balance into living. 
We may choose to do yoga, religion, join sports clubs, or work for charitable causes, which are commendable and helps keep the balance between self-absorption, selfishness and
Introducing a healthy self-care program :
1.    Seek and Find peace; a deep inner peace that is not rocked by tragedy, trauma, cross-lotto, or job promotion or demotion.  To find such a calm, first find Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Here is what the Bible says about Peace, Philippians 4: 7 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.'
2.    Seek and Find Love: 'There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love drives out fear because fear involves punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in Love.  We love because he (Jesus) first loved us…' 1 John 4: 18.
3.    Seek and Find a Relationship: Jesus is not a religion nor a theological concept.  He is a person whom we can intimately relate to. The relationship begins the moment when a person believes in their heart of hearts that Jesus is the Lord and God raised him from the dead.
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.' (Hebrews  11: 6 LB)
Following this step is the need to realize 'I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' (Galatians 2: 20 LB )
The philosophers comfort us by saying beauty is only skin deep.  Others declare its the inner beauty that shines through that makes a beautiful person. 
 It is Jesus who passed on his goodness to me when I believed. The beauty that Jesus gives won't win any beauty or popularity contests in this life. I have Jesus' beauty, peace and joy. That is more than anything that I can do to make myself beautiful. Whether inside or outside.
 
 
 
 

​On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Centre in New York City. 
 
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. 
 
By now the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play. 
 
But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do. We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signalled the conductor to begin again. 
 
The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing; re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. 
 
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering; doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." 
 
What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us. Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings. 
 
So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
 
 
Author unknown

   My great-grandson is turning two years old, and his Mum is planning a party. His Mum has favoured me with an invitation to attend. I have accepted it.
I look forward to the party with joy and thanksgiving that I am among the favoured few.
Remember, the birth of Jesus?  The angel appeared to Mary and said, ‘ Congratulations, favoured lady! The Lord is with you!’ (LB)  God favoured Mary above all other women.
God chose us  before the world began.  We are now the accepted, the beloved, the highly favoured.  God has poured out his favour upon us and invited us to a party.  God received us because Jesus gave himself to ensure that we are acceptable and highly favoured.
The Greek translation of being accepted in the beloved means we are ‘highly favoured’.  God so loves us he gave Jesus. God so loves us he can’t love us anymore. God so loves us he can’t love us any less. 
Jesus is God’s accepted beloved, and his death redeems us, so we become the highly favoured of the Father. The highly favoured accepted children of the Father through Jesus. For all this to become ours, we accept Jesus into our inner being. So that we no longer live for self but living for God.
Can we accept Jesus the highly favoured Son and take the Father’s invitation and become the highly favoured children of God? Can we admit we are at the pinnacle of God’s love?  We cannot go any higher nor any lower. We are at the zenith through Jesus. Let’s live at the top -  in the throne room.


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THE TABLE LAID READY FOR A FAMILY CELEBRATION.
This setting is created with loving care to give the utmost joy to those invited to the meal. 
There is nothing like a meal together to cement relationships, to break down barriers; to share with those less fortunate. A meal together is a sign of acceptance, no matter the colour or creed.
Basic Table Setting:

• A serving plate placed in the middle of the table setting
• A napkin placed to the left of the plate.
• The fork rests on top of the napkin.
•  A knife is placed to the right of the plate.
• A water glass or coffee cup is optional, placed above the knife and slightly to the right.

 
 
Jesus replied, ‘The truth of the matter is that you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you believe in me. But you shouldn’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. No, spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Messiah, can give you. For God, the Father has sent me for this very purpose. ‘John 6: 26. LB.
Another time:  ‘So Levi left everything, sprang up and went with him (Jesus).  Soon Levi held a reception in his home with Jesus as the guest of honour. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests were there. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law complained bitterly to Jesus’disciples about his (Jesus) eating with notorious sinners.’ Luke 5: 29-30, LB.
***
 We are encouraged to eat five veggies daily and two fruits every day.  It’s a general rule for a healthy diet.
While we need to eat healthily and take care of what we eat, we need to be alert as to what comes out of our mouth
 
 ‘Jesus asked, “Can’t you see that what you eat won’t harm your soul? For food doesn’t come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the digestive system. (By saying this he showed that every kind of food is kosher).  Then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others. All these vile things come from within; they make you unfit for God.” Mark 8: 18 – 23. LB
***
 

The leaders of the day challenged Jesus, saying, ‘God fed the Children of Israel in the desert every day with bread from heaven.’ They called it ‘manna’. Jesus replied to the challenge, ‘My Father offers you the true Bread from heaven. The true Bread is a Person – the one sent by God from heaven.’ The leaders came back at Jesus, ‘Sir, give us that Bread every day of our lives!’Jesus had the measure of these leaders. He knew they didn’t believe he was God’s son and had come from heaven.  If they couldn’t believe in him while he was living among them, would they accept him if he gave then heavenly Bread every day?
So, Jesus replied to them, ‘I am the Bread of life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.’ John 6: 32 – 35. LB.
Jesus is the soul food we must have to live abundantly and eternally here and now.
***
 
 We can see the dish of baked potatoes and carrots. They look yum. The potato content is fibre, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 content.  The risk of heart lessens with low cholesterol content in potatoes.

‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God’ Matthew 4: 4
Jesus understood that man needs food for the soul, and only God can truly provide that sort of food by his presence in the heart. We become film experts, great readers, hobbyists, alcoholics, druggies, sex predators seeking satisfaction, but always we are empty and driven to look for more so slake that thirst.  God’s word. ‘The deepest need of humans is not food, clothing, and shelter, important as they are. It is God.’ C.S.Lewis
***
Such an attractive platter is suitable for any morning snack at a social gathering. Sandwiches of whole-meal bread and pita bread rolls. So healthful.  The energy level rises.
Jesus said, ‘Yes, I am the Bread of Life! When your fathers in the wilderness ate Bread from the skies, they all died. But the Bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. I am that Living Bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread shall live forever; this Bread is my flesh given to redeem humanity.’  John 6: 51 Living Bible.
Jesus still satisfies those who have faith in Christ. Jesus said, ‘I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again.  He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish.  Do you believe this, Martha?’  John 11: 25 LB
***
The mynah bird is an opportunist. It has learnt that humans mean food.  We humans are one-way God provides for this bird. Keeps it well fed even in the wild.  The mynah is looking to see if there is anything better?  Looking to see if there is another way to attack the bread roll.?

We are always seeking another way to God; to eternal life; to a relationship of intimacy.
There is only one way.  ‘To tell others with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you are saved.  For it is by believing in the heart that a person becomes right with God; and with the mouth, he tells others of his faith, confirming salvation. For the scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will never be disappointed.’ Romans 10: 9 – 10 LB.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​Begin a job, and soon six people arrive to tell you how to do it. Ask them to show you, and they march off in high dudgeon muttering, some people never listen.’
Alice Marie Knight tells the story of a little boy lost in London on a foggy night.
 A Bobby asked, ‘Are you lost, my boy?’
‘Yes, I am, ‘whimpered the boy.
Where do you live? ‘The boy told him. Then the Bobby said, ‘Go down the street one-half mile and cross the bridge. Then turn to your right and follow the river a little way.  You’ll see then where you are.’’
Bewildered and chilled, the boy said, ‘I can’t find the way in the dark.’
Just then, a kind man who had been standing nearby said, ‘My boy, just come with me, and I will take you right to your home.’
The Bobby told the Way. The kind man became the Way.
Life can get pretty bewildering sometimes, and we wonder what it is all about. There is always plenty of advice available.  Some of it good and some of it not so good.
There are escape routes such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, to name the popular. There are numerous religions and philosophies to soothe jittery feelings.
There are even Christians who tell how to be a Christian. Thousands of books written on how to live both as a Christian and as a non-believer.
God is different.  He sent Jesus, the chip-off-the-old-block, to take us to God.  The Biblical writer of Hebrews writer says, ‘God’s son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does mark him as God.’ So, Jesus is God, and he is the Way to live freely, to live happily and eternally. In another Biblical book, the writer quotes Jesus as saying, ‘I am the Way – yes and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is.’ John 14: 6. LB. A few minutes later, Jesus speaks again, ‘Don’t you even yet know who I am even after all this long time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…’ John 14: 9LB
Jesus not only came to tell us the Way he is the Way because he is God. We need to look no further than Jesus if we want to find abundant life, the joy of living, the peace of a clear conscience and knowing we are the beloved children of the Father.
Many voices are clambering to be heard, saying, ‘This is the way.’ Listen only to Jesus' voice.  You’ll hear him if you listen, you’ll see him if you look and you will be one with the Father if you accept Jesus. 

​We are all seeking the treasure of some kind. I wonder what is the reassure you are seeking? Is it money, a Ferrari car?  A million-dollar house? Maybe we wish we could find satisfaction, or feel a better person.
  Christopher and Robert, two blonde-haired boys of six and eight years of age, sons of my best, friend were rich. They sought and found a treasure chest.
The treasure chest of gold and jewels was beyond rich. The treasure chest was theirs because they had fought off the pirates and won the treasure. They had it all.
 Two pairs of blue eyes glowed with the fire of adventure as they dug a hole on a sandy beach under a palm tree on an island in the Ocean of Nowhere. They marked the spot X on a map made of crocodile skin.
A skirmish with the pirates ensued. Chris and Rob hid in the jungle but alas the angry robbers discovered them. The two boys fought to the last breath.  They were left battered, bleeding and bruised, but the enemy were all dead to a man.
The dream faded. The treasure vanished. All that was left were pieces of broken tile, bits of timber, a plastic runnel and oddments of rubber.  The tropical island faded to become a suburban backyard, filled with the paraphernalia of a family. The ordinary took over.
There is a treasure that doesn’t vanish, that doesn’t tarnish, and that never loses its value. A jewel that lights up our life with joy, love, peace.  In today’s world of mental illness, homelessness and poverty, these are the treasures that glow white-hot in the darkness of turmoil.
Where do we find this treasure? The map is the Bible. It will tell us all we need to know about how to find the treasure.  The prize I’m talking about is Jesus, God’s Son. When we have Jesus, we have everything, untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We may live in a challenging world, an unhappy world, an imperfect world, but it won’t matter.
Your heart is where your treasure is. Chris and Rob have grown into men today; their concept of a prize is vastly different from when they were boys. Their hearts are set on other things now.
When we give our heart to Jesus, He reveals the treasure of his presence, and we no longer search for that elusive something.  We are at rest.
 
 
 

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Fungi are fantastic.  Fungi are a kingdom of microscopic organisms, such as mushrooms, yeast and moulds.
The type of cell wall surrounding each of their cells is what makes fungi different from all other living organisms.
There are 144.000  known species of the organism of the fungi kingdom.  Yeast, rust, mildew, moulds and mushrooms are part of that kingdom.
Fungi are found in just about any habitat on land but mainly in soil or plant material. Mushrooms are fantastic.
Talking about fungi and their kingdom, I want to introduce you to a fantastic man from another realm. The qualities and attributes of this man make him both gracious yet powerful and full of integrity.  Such a man is worth knowing. This man is easily known – his name is Jesus Christ, Son of God – son of man, preacher, carpenter, healer and all-round nice guy.
Jesus is powerful ( he created the universe), and he has power.  Jesus power is not apparent; it’s hidden just like the rising power of yeast is hidden. Think of bread, add yeast and the dough rises and increases in volume to feed many people. A pinch of yeast will feed many people.
Jesus reminds me of the yeast. Anyone who comes to him with an inner emptiness in their heart will find fulfilment, and they will never hunger again, they will be fulfilled, satisfied, whole.  Jesus said, John 6: 35, ‘I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. As yeast is for the dough,  so Jesus, God’s only son, is for the human heart. Bread soon rots, but Jesus never dies. He is eternal, and he makes us immortal with him. Though we may die, it is only our body that decays. Our real self, our spirit is eternal through faith in Christ.