You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14): The images of salt and light used by Jesus are rich in meaning and complement each other. In ancient times, salt and light were seen as essential elements of life.
“You are the salt of the earth…”. One of the main functions of salt is to season food, to give it taste and flavour. This image reminds us that, through Baptism, our whole being has been profoundly changed, because it has been “seasoned” with the new life which comes from Christ (cf. Rom 6:4). The salt which keeps our Christian identity intact even in a very secularized world is the grace of Baptism. Through Baptism we are re-born. We begin to live in Christ and become capable of responding to his call to “offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1). Writing to the Christians of Rome, Saint Paul urges them to show clearly that their way of living and thinking was different from that of their contemporaries: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2).
For a long time, salt was also used to preserve food. As the salt of the earth, you are called to preserve the faith which you have received and to pass it on intact to others. Your generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of faith (cf. 2 Th 2:15; 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14).
Discover your Christian roots, learn about the Church’s history, deepen your knowledge of the spiritual heritage which has been passed on to you, follow in the footsteps of the witnesses and teachers who have gone before you! Only by staying faithful to God’s commandments, to the Covenant which Christ sealed with his blood poured out on the Cross, will you be the apostles and witnesses of the new millennium.
It is the nature of human beings, and especially youth, to seek the Absolute, the meaning and fullness of life. Dear young people, do not be content with anything less than the highest ideals! Do not let yourselves be dispirited by those who are disillusioned with life and have grown deaf to the deepest and most authentic desires of their heart. You are right to be disappointed with hollow entertainment and passing fads, and with aiming at too little in life. If you have an ardent desire for the Lord you will steer clear of the mediocrity and conformism so widespread in our society.

Which well known preacher said this? I’ll give you one clue, he is dead, recently.

My good friend has just given me an O2 XDA II Device.

Now I have actually thrown away my diary, literally, it is in the bin. And my wife has been given my mobile phone, and I still have my well worn NLT Bible, and so the title of this post was meant to shock, more than be accurate (I should work for the West).

But what a brilliant device this is. It has a great system, good memory with an exapandable slot, good media player (listening to Delirious at the moment) and I have also downloaded E Sword to it (Bible Program).

I used to think people with these devices were just propeller heads, maybe they still are, but it really is useful.

(PS Michael Bullard, you really should get one, it will save you lugging that desktop computer around and pretending to everyone it is a laptop. The battery alone needs its own trailer)

Here is an interesting article in the SMH

Rick spoke about this article when at Hillsong.
Interesting, but not much more information than we already know.
Obviously the money issue is the one the press are most interested in, not the lives being helped.
(Thanks to Bagga for the Link)

The story in the West and splashed all over the TV News last night was all about the plight of West Coast Ruckman Michael Gardiner.
The West’s story this morning detailed his on and off field drama’s over the last few years.

Michael set out last night to grab some late night takeaway in his V8 Commodore. Only problem was Michael had been consuming Vodka, was drunk and smashed his car and two others.

This is a sad story for many reasons.

Michael is a very talented player. Many Aussie blokes would love to have his talent.
Michael has thrown it away because of one foolish choice after another.
It has come to light that this was his chance. He had six weeks during Cox’s abscence to prove himself, and with Cox out, and West Coast’s excellent midfield, he could have done it.

Instead he has made another foolish decision. What is perhaps more worrying is his lack of responsibility about it. He claimed he was not drinking, and had not done much wrong.
Unfortunately the blood alcohol limit was well over .08 and his own teamates and coach expressed their view that he had let the side down badly, which he has.

There is a distinct possibility Michael will not be covered by insurance if found guilty of driving under the influence. This will cost him a considerable amount of money, in fixing his own car, and two others, as well as court fines.

I feel sad for the young man, who at 26, had the world at his feet. With one bad decision he has hurt himself and set a bad example for others.

Lets hope he can turn it around. With just a few good decisions that is possible.
Get stuck into his footy at Claremont, pay his bills, face up to his responsibilties. With all the terrible stories of young Aussie males harming themselves intentionally, lets hope Michael seeks help.

Just a brief thought I wanted to write down and think about.

We have all heard the cliche, if one door shuts, dont worry, another will open.

I dont think thats true.
Maybe God wants us to smash down the closed door. Maybe the door is put there by someone who does not have our or God’s best interests at heart.
Maybe we give up too quickly and too easily, citing God’s will, when in fact its us being lazy or wanting things to be easy.

“Let go and Let God” , what a crock. Life is hard and tough sometimes. We dont get what we want, or even what we think God wants for our lives. Sometimes we get the exact opposite of what we think God would want for us, and it does not seem fair.

I dont see Jesus stopping when the going got tough. I see him going and being flogged to death for what He believed in. No easy road for that Warrior. If that was one door shutting, Jesus allowed it to slam shut in His face.
There was no easy door opened for Him to go through, and I wonder if there are many easy doors opened for us.

Malthouse was comprehensively outcoached today by the positive Chris Connolly.
One interesting tactic which the team employed in the last quarter was long torpedo kicks into the 50. It has come out after the game that this was a tactic Chris instigated amongst the players, and it worked a treat. It kept the Pies defenders on their toes, and with Jeff Farmer running amok in the forward 50, we won a good quality game.

Special Mentions to Bell, 38 Possessions, Josh Carr, brilliant, tough and in it when it counted.
Drum played well for a young player, kicking a valuable goal, and his first in AFL.
Sandilands won it in the middle for us consistently, and it showed in the clearances.

Pavlich did not have his best game, and the defender on him played out of his skin, but Pav still managed to kick some goals.
Mc Pharlin played in defense and played well on Rocca.

Des Hedland got a rev up at half time and it showed with a BOG third quarter.
Shaun, my favourite player, also played well, without needing to dominate.
Go Freo!!
Next week against the Melbourne Demons will be a tough tough test, even at Subi. But the Demons do not fear Subi. But don’t write us off, if we play like we did today, we are in with a chance.

Just one note on the umpires.
They played some very soft frees to both sides, and while they were consistent in their softness, it does not help the players, who were getting very frustrated from both sides.