Often I get up and wonder “what will I write about today?”  Yet for this one I lay in bed wondering how I could make it small enough and put in such a way I could post it.
Most of it is word fro word from a blog article I read yesterday. (“The Danger of “Realistic” Thinking Without Faith”)  But rather than being able to say “this is his article” I can only say “this is how I heard his article.”  I have changed some things but whole-heartedly agree with what was said.
I guess I was drawn to it because there seems to be a school of thought that implies having faith requires that I abandon realism and live in the fanciful.  To me nothing could be further from the truth.  There is a good chance that like everyone I have come across I have some “weirdness” but on the whole I like to think of myself as a fairly reasonable person not easily duped.
Faith for me must be born in realism but circumstances do not determine outcomes.
So I have made an executive decision.  This will be spread over a couple of days. They may or may not be consecutive days.  But my writing this has made it way longer than I allow for posts yet I felt it was important I explain where I was coming from.
Anyway I know for sure at least one person liked what was being said and that one person being me.
Everyone needs realism.  Denial helps no one, and ignoring reality only delays necessary decisions.
But there is a danger that often goes unnoticed.  Realism, when separated from faith, becomes limitation.  A statement may sound reasonable and contain a measure of truth.   But realism can become a ceiling with decisions shaped by caution and risk avoidance -  not because something is unwise, but because it feels uncertain.  Faith is not rejected - it is reduced.  Vision becomes smaller because expectations have been lowered - scepticism dressed in careful language.
To me, reality should never define limits.  The greater the challenge the greater the opportunity to trust what is trustworthy.
Anyway for all my going through the article and putting it in two parts the end has come way quicker than I imagined.
The bottom line for me is that faith is reasonable.  Context matters but the way something ends is determined by faith in someone faithful.
 

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I was saddened just about to the point of tears on hearing of Neale Danihers passing.  Rarely have I seen someone face something so terrible and final with such courage.
One of the things that impressed me a lot was his attitude.  It was not so much a matter of accepting without a fight but accepting something that came his way uninvited but with a readiness to fight it.
He was a former player and then coach of AFL.  As a coach he had many good motivational sayings but to me there is a huge difference between saying good stuff in the fight of life and good stuff in the fight for life.
The one that impresses me most at the moment was his saying “when all is said and done more is said then done.”  I honestly do not want to be like that.  It is so easy to make promises in the emotion of the moment and forget about them when they are bothersome and inconvenient to the moment.
Probably no one else is like me in that sometimes it is a relief that another has not taken me up on “if there is anything I can do just let me know.”  Ok that is not always the case, but it can be.
Of late I have not been well.  Ok I was not dying but I did feel like withdrawing from activities and keeping a very low profile.  There can be a time for that.  But I did feel big time that it was not all about me and I wanted Merril to be able to enjoy some of the things we normally enjoy together.  So I made adjustments and we have not missed a thing.
Why bring that up?  Because I genuinely feel that right decisions now make future right decisions easier.  To me life is not about doing what is right only when I feel like it but doing what is right because it is right.  That may be a learned skill, but I reckon it is a skill worth learning.

Well yesterday was fairly typical of a free meal day at N3C in that at first I wondered how many would turn up as it seemed real quiet.  As usual it turned out I need not have concerned myself as so many people arrived. 
In fact I would say it was probably our biggest day yet.  Extra chairs were needed.  Merril and I did the usual set up of tables and chairs on the Friday night.  We need to do that then now as we have a youth group that meets in the hall till 8pm or so.  The thing that amazes me is ours is the only youth group that meets in the area at all at it has only just started.
It is seeing more and more kids fairly quickly as it seems there is a real need in the area for something organized for kids to do of a Friday night.   Merril and I walk in just after 8pm and it is all happening.
It does not take long to set up the tables and chairs.  Merril cooked gluten free and vegetarian stuff first thing the Saturday morning.  And I mean first thing.  Like 4.30am.  We have a separate table that serves only gluten free and vegetarian food.  Merril persons it.  There is no doubt it is popular and meets a real need.  One lady was actually so enthusiastic she had two servings of something Merril made and asked for the recipe.  Ladies definitely like that.
As I say more came than usual. Some use the pantry first up and stay for the food being served.  Merril and I sat with people we had not sat with before who were from Lawnton and Kallangur.  Others came and did not stay but were just checking us out.
After it a number helped in getting the place set up for the service on Sunday.  It was actually quiet a mess, but it made me thing of the saying that if you don’t want a mess don’t do anything.
I reckon it was a great time and everyone would have enjoyed themselves.