The Dangers of Earned Money

Recently while listening to a financial author talk about money, he made the comment that he gives his children “pocket money” but they don’t earn that money.  BUT, they do chores despite the fact that they earn money. 

Many parents make the mistake of giving their children pocket money because they did chores and earned it.  Subconsciously this reinforces the idea that they only work to earn money.  So if the money was not there, they would not have to contribute and help the family out.  This ideas runs opposite to how families are supposed to work and help each other. 

So when something needs doing around the house and there is no financial incentive, nobody will do it.  That is now how a family should be.  Instead pocket money is given to provide the opportunity to learn how to handle money.  Also, chores are done separately because children must learn how to contribute and help out a family that they belong to.  Emphasis is placed on learning and having a good motivation through it all.

It’s also the same in church, and in the Kingdom of Heaven.  God gives us good things not because we earn or deserve them either, but so that we might learn and grow. 

Unicef Youth Forum

Today I took some time and browsed Unicef’s Voices of Youth website as part of my studies for YMIS.  The idea was to explore and see how sites like this one challenge young people to get involved in issues.

Once I logged onto the Main page there was a feature profile of a young lady from the Philippines who asked the question, “Is there too much violence on TV nowadays?”  She also asked “If so, what do you think should the people concerned to about this?”  Just reading those questions made me want to share my opinions and so I hit the reply button. 

However I was not allowed to reply without an account - so I signed up for one. 

During the signup process, where I filled out a lot of information about myself, one question was if I was willing to allow my profile to be featured.  I actually answered no, but at that point I realised, this was an opporunity for every young person to have their opinions about many issued profile in a major way for all to see. 

The Unicef website has a lot of forums, and a lot of people sharing opinions.  It is a participatory, non conventional place for young people to share their feelings and to be heard. 

Sites like Unicef help the voice of young people to be heard more readily because it gives a place for that voice to speak.  The Unicef website is significantly interesting because it has an international focus, and many young people who live under dictatorships, or repressive regimes have an opporunity to have a say despite their political boundaries. 

However, being International may also limit the usefulness of a site like Unicef’s Voice of Youth.  This is because Governments may not pay so much attention to the voices that seem to be coming from other places.  It may seem watered down. 

New Website for Diane & Ferdi Miltenburg

For many years, I’ve known Diane and Ferdi Miltenburg who have been running a house church here in Mt Morgan.  Their ministry is called HIM (Hope International Ministries) They are committed and loyal people and love the community here.  Last week I was blessed to be able to built a quick website for them while I’ve been stuck in bed with my broken foot up in the air.  The website still has some small little areas to finish off, but its nearly there.  Why don’t you pop over and check it out.  The Lord bless the Miltenburgs. 

What Exactly is an Asset?

I’m someone who has invested in property over the last 5 years and I have some rental properties.  I have always thought of my properties as being assets.  I would never have admitted this, but I would also have subconsiously seen my tenants to have been liabilities.  There are worries about how the tenants will treat the home and if the rent will be paid on time in full. 

Over the last little while I’ve come to see in fact that it is the tenant who is the asset.  Without a tenant the property itself becomes the liability.  The tenant is the who pays the rent and provides the value to me - the property itself doesn’t do that.  If there is no tenant, the property becomes an expense and a liability on my time and money. 

Sometimes things we think are liabilities are assets – and in fact, most people and most things in society, if we look at them in the proper light are assets. 

Asset Based Community Development

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is where we take a look at our community from the point of view of “what do we have that we can use together.”  Its a positive way of anaylysing how we can use what we have and work together to achieve ends.  Its a positive form of networking.  When we look at our communities from this light, all sorts of things are seen as assets.

For example – many people are assets.  Some people are elderly, have experienced many things and know many people.  Because of their life experiences and position these people are assets.  Connecting them with schools, churches or other community groups/projects enhances things tremendously. 

Some people are “connectors” because they connect sections of a community together by being who they are, in their position and with their influence.  In Mt Morgan these connectors are people like school Principals, church ministres, the matron of the hospital, certain business people, and believe it or not…. Ian Traynor, our postmaster. (he knows everything that goes on in town.)

Mt Morgan as a community does have needs, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics and The Australian Newspaper have had plenty to say about that… but nowhere have I read anywhere about the assets of our town.  So allow me to list a few assets that fall into the category of organisations and associations:

• Norton Goldfields – local mining company


• Rockhampton Regional Council


• 2 Schools


• 5 Churches


• Several Sporting Clubs


• Mt Morgan Promotion & Development Group


• Footbridge Corner


• The HUB – Relationships Australia


• Learning Network Queensland


• Even 4 Pubs are an asset – Providing Cheap Accomodation


• 2 Caravan Parks


• And More…

Even in a small community of just a few thousand people – it’s amazing how many things we have which are assets.  A bit of development of these resources and connecting their usefulness can results in tremendous things. 

How to Break Your Leg in One Easy Step

While playing football with some Seniors at the High School on Thursday I broke my leg.  The leg has two bones running down the inside, the Fibula and the Tibia.  Well, I had a meeting with the concrete at full speed and my fibula was the weakest link. 

As I lay in the sick bay (infirmary) at the High School I felt these strange feelings of immense gratitude and thanks to God all over me.  I knew that what was happening to me was actually very good, and that God was going to use this whole experience in a very good way.  Despite the pain I was feeling physically at the time, I must say I had a tremendous sense of well being in every other way.  When I phoned my wife to tell her that “I might have broken my leg,” she thought it sounded very strange coming from someone who sounded so “normal.” 

The ambulance came to take me away (my first time in an ambulance) and they gave me some penthrox for the pain.  This was a strange green tube that you suck on and it made me go very whoozy.  I preferred the pain to the feelings that it gave me, and I had a lot of trouble being able to think and concentrate after sucking on that. 

At the hospital I had X-Ray’s taken (shown above) which proved that my fibula was cracked all the way through.  So I have had to have my leg set in a “back-slab” which is a caste which only coves the back of the leg and the front is all covered with multiple layers of wrapping.  This is to help manage swelling in the leg.  My beautiful lovely wife agreed to paint my cast for me.  I joked that if I walked through grass I might lose my leg. 

God has been very faithful and gracious to us in all the things that have happened in our lives.  There has never been a moment where we can accuse God of any wrong doing.  Even when “bad things” take place, there is always something good that comes out of it, and there is a promise in the scriptures that confirm this to us.  “For I know that all things work together for the good of those that love God, and are called according to His purpose.”  If you love Christ and are willing to obey Him, no matter what happens to you, there will be good come from it. 

Remember Christ who died on the cross for our sins – it was undoubtedly the very best thing that has ever happened.  However in that moment, a bystander looking up at a dying man would not have been able to understand that.  So in the same way, when things happen that we don’t understand – TRUST GOD.  Good things are taking place. 

Scuba Diving at Middle Island Underwater Observatory, Great Keppel

The underwater observatory has been shut for a number of years now, but it is still there and the fish that hang around it are still there.  I was blessed to go scuba diving there last week and took a few photos.  The owner of the observatory is Tower Holdings Pty Ltd and they have plans for it along with their resort on Keppel Island.  However in the meantime – you can get a sort of a glimpse from my few photos. 

Middle Island is in a green zone, so that means no fishing, no spear fishing and no collecting specimens.  It’s a Marine National Park – and that’s a good thing because it preserves the beauty for the future. 

The photos are a little dark because I’m new at taking underwater photos.  Also, the glass on the observatory is all overgrown with algae so it makes it look like a shipwreck or something, but it’s actually a building constructed underwater.  One day in the near future it will be used again and we all look forward to that. 

Also, in the future I hope to begin a business doing underwater weddings, and I’m talking with Tower Holdings at present to discuss the use of this facility for that purpose a a viewing platform for the friends and family of the bride and groom.  Enjoy these photos. 

 

 

 

 

Finally Got a Gideons Red Bible after 20 Years

Gideons as an organisation is made up of great Christian folks who hand out Bibles for free all around the world, and here in Australia too.  They have these little tiny bibles in a variety of colours.  When I was a grade 8 student I received a little red bible, but only a few years later I had no idea where it could be.  I really wanted to get one again. 

So they have little white ones for nurses, little green ones for the army, little gold ones for doctors, and little blue ones as a general colour for everyone. 

We had a Gideon member in our church and I asked for a replacement red one, but I was told no, they couldn’t do it because the rules said I could only get a red one if I was grade 8 – they offered me a blue one.  The same thing happened again a few years ago when I asked another Gideon member.  Last week however, finally after 20 years, I got a yes on my third attempt.  God bless the Gideons for all the great work they do.

A quick quide to colours of gideons bibles. 

Congratulations to Cadbury Chocolate

A few months ago I wrote about the issue of slavery and how so much of the world’s chocolate (about 95%) is created on the back of slaves in Western Africa.  Well, today I was so happy to be in the shops and see sitting on the racks, a heap of chocolate bars with the freetrade logo stamped on the packaging.  I was so happy I bought a block of chocolate.  This chocolate was made by real humans, paid real wages, and they benefit when I eat this chocolate.  Well done to Cadbury.  I’m proud that they have taken the initiative to fix this wrong from their point of view, and I hope that other chocolate manufacturers are able to follow their example.