A million dollars to give away?

October 10, 2024

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

This is another good question. After some consideration I would donate it to my local church. This might seem strange to some people, but let me explain why.

Local churches in small country towns like mine do not have much income. They generally have enough to get by, but not much to do many of the things they want to do.

Most cannot afford to pay a Pastor, so the church members do their best to lead, preach and serve. It works well, but many are tired and need to be ministered to at church.

I would love to give a million dollars to my local church so they can employ a full time teaching Pastor, a pastoral care worker and someone to do community outreach. They could also do some much needed maintenance on the church.

Doing this would allow the members to receive ministry for a time and the church would be able to reach out to the community more and hopefully reach more people for Christ.

My heart in doing this would help the church members to be equipped to do the works of service like it says in Ephesians 4…

Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT
[11] Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

So who would I give a million dollars to? My local country church.

Hard personal goal I set

October 8, 2024

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

Bible college for me was a hard goal I set. I had wanted to go from right when I was a new Christian. When I went the first time I do not think I was ready. Years later I did it and found it a lot better, but still very hard.

Why was it so hard? Some people are natural students. They love to read and learn and they seem to ace all the assignments and quizzes. As someone who is not a big reader, I found Bible college really hard for that reason.

The other thing that made it hard was the spiritual change and growth you have. So many times you are challenged by what the Bible says and where you are at. You see that you fall short and you realise that you need to change. That can be hard, really hard.

I am not saying that I did not enjoy Bible college. It was very hard, but I did enjoy it overall. Especially once it was done. I set a goal and I achieved it. Plus I would not have been able to work as a Pastor and a Chaplain if I did not do it.

So what was a hard personal goal I have set? Bible college is one for me.

Weights is my favourite hobby

October 6, 2024
This is me when I was 25 after seven years of training.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

My favourite hobby has always been weight training. I started weights when I was 18 and I am still training in my late fifties.

When I started I was very skinny at 183cm tall and weighed 60 kilograms (kg). That is 6 feet tall and 132 pounds. These days I weigh 91 kg (200 pounds). It was a long slow process of gaining muscle for me. Some years I was only able to put on 1 kg of muscle. Some years none!

Weight training has given me so much. When I started I was crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I would often use crutches to walk to my gym. Slowly over time that changed. Now it is not an issue.

One thing with my weight training was I was never tempted to take steroids. I always had to balance gaining bodyweight with how much my arthritic legs could handle. Slow gaining was better for me. I would put on some weight and then see if my body could handle it.

In the image above I am 25 years old. I had been training for about seven years. I have this image up in my gym to keep me motivated as I get older. I am planning to take the same picture when I turn 60.

So what do I love about weight training? There are a few things…

1. I love the pump from the blood in your muscles.

2. It helps me to be strong as I get older.

3. It helps me to control my weight as I age.

4. It has helped me overcome Rheumatoid Arthritis.

5. It has motivated my kids to be fit.

I changed my mind about Jesus

October 4, 2024
The tract and prayer I prayed to receive Jesus

What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?

As a teenager and in to my early twenties I did not believe in Jesus or the salvation He offers. I believed He was a historical person that some people believed in.

I can look back at times when people would talk to me about Jesus and I would reject them and their message. Some I even ridiculed and told them they were crazy.

At the age of 22 I came to believe in Jesus as more than a historical person. A friend gave me tract explaining that Jesus loved me and He died on the cross for my sin. This got my attention.

The more I read, the more I realised this was true. I realised I was a sinner, Jesus died on the cross for me, and I needed to repent and accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I realised what people told previously me was true.

Accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour was the best thing I have ever done. It truly turned my life around. Without Jesus I had no hope, no purpose or no meaning. With Jesus that all changed.

In the image above is a copy of the tract my friend gave me back in 1989. It contains the prayer I prayed to receive Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.