Opening hours for Christmas shopping

Recently, at a shopping centre I know quite well, I saw mentioned that it has extended their opening hours by an extra hour on Sundays. People have an extra hour on Sundays to go shopping.In many shopping centres, the shops will now be opened up for longer hours to cater for the demand of Christmas shopping. Therefore, employees can earn extra money for the extra hours they work.

However, I am wondering if it is beneficial for all.
What would it mean if that one less hour of shopping was spent on meaningful relationships with people you don’t know, eg. inviting a neighbour you haven’t talked to over for a BBQ, or if that one hour could be spent on loved ones, including spendimg time with your children on leisure activities?

Whether you or I do lots and lots of extra shopping leading up to Christmas, priorities can be hard, espeically living in world where lots of people are busy.

For me, an important priority is for the materialistic view of Christmas with fabulous times,food and fun times, to not get in the way of my relationship with God-for Christ came at Christmas, the greatest gift of all.

$ spent on Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is run every year in Australia in November. I am not really into horse racing however I have gone to a race day(derby day in Melbourne) with work colleagues two years ago to see what it was 'all about.' (it involved a lot of persuading even though I was quite reluctant at first)

Every year, lots and lots of money is spent betting on which horse will win. A lot of people will bet hoping that their horse will win, and if they do win big, then, it will be the best thing that happens to them. As I was reading online after the Melbourne Cup this year, I read that the 'race drew total bets in excess of $150 million'. That is A LOT of money..and it causes me to feel very uncomfortable, especially through my childhood and overseas experiences of seeing people who live on a few dollars a day.

Couldn't that money be used in other more worthy ways to help vunerable people in our society or help communities that are struggling or even help put extra resources so that people can come to know God through Jesus?

Does our life depend on just money all the time or living for him in his world? In the Bible in Matthew 6:24, Jesus says “You cannot serve both God and money.”
I am wondering what your opinion is.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Dust Storm...... and Jesus

Recently, a rather interesting dust storm left a mark on the city of Sydney. For a few hours on 23rd September it was something to behold. It was a rather strange day for a lot of people who had never experienced this before. In Sydney ( and even other parts of the world) there was news about it on the television, radio and through word of mouth.

Please see picture below of Sydney harbour..



The next day I was thinking quite a bit.. Wouldn't it be great if people were so passionate about Jesus that the coverage of him would be like what we saw on Thursday 23rd September in Sydney. It would be something quite amazing. Here in Sydney we have the Jesus All About Life Campaign.. What a great opportunity for people to talk about Jesus..

An image of dancers.




With life so busy and hectic, it is great to be able to take time out enjoying the wonders of God's creations.
Viewing dancing ,drama, art or something else are things people do to relax . I wonder what does it for you?

Sacrificial Love

This is what the world finds hard to understand, especially in a world where it is all about ‘me’. But what would it be like for humans to understand this in more depth? It is hard work for all of us at times however loving others is important. Its barriers may be giving up your time, energy and money. On the other hand, showing others God’s love is well worth it and if it means reconsidering the barriers then it is an amazing challenge to have a think about. Jesus offered his life to save you and me, so what can I/you do in terms of sacrificial love this week?

James 5 v 7-8

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

What an amazing and encouraging verse!

There are times when I have uploaded pictures or maps or any other photos on this blog. The reason this photo is up is that I spent some time living in West Malaysia and is a country where people still need to be told about Jesus, the Son of God. I hope and pray that more and more people can come to know who Jesus is in this country