that moment of realisation

Yesterday I went with my daughter to check out University and the options in another city...seemed simple enough or so I thought. as we walked through the dorm rooms looking at the prison like conditions it suddenly dawned on me that my little Girl would be leaving.
It was a bit of a 'father of the bride' moment when something inside began to hurt.
This girl who has been so dependant and makes up...and takes up...such a huge portion of my life will ultimately leave to live a life outside of the influence and guidance that I have in her life.
It's not that I don't trust her...I do. it's that I don't trust everyone else! These people who I have never met will now be mentors and guides, teachers and lecturers. Have I put in enough? Have I adequately laid the foundations? Will she hold to the values and morals we have endeavoured to instill in her? Time will tell. But there is a more personal hurt I feel because this Girl is not just a daughter but a friend and one sixth of our home and our family. That moment of realisation is that our family in another year is going to change for all time and that the balance of what we have known is no longer going to be the same. Forest Gump said life is like a box of Chocolates and you never know what you're gonna get...But you also don't get to eat the same chocky twice so make sure you enjoy it when you do.

Have a great day. Richard

Go into all the World etc...

I'm wrestling with the concept of what it means to go into all the world and make disciples. for so many it is the principle of lots of talk and not much action. but for me personally what does it mean and how can I achieve it? I don't want to repeat the doing it in my own strength option which ended badly for me last time. But I often feel like I'm spinning my wheels and not exactly making much impact on the world.
I'm now 45 and I want the last 20 -30 years of working life to be more effective than the last, so what does that mean? am I destined to try and be a blogger and that is my effectiveness?
How does one truly build disciples anyway? and If I'm not doing anything constructive what am I discipling them into? Hmmmm what does all this mean? I don't know? If you read this blog I'd love you to leave a comment no matter how brief.

Have a great day. Rich

Newspaper article

Below is a link to an article I wrote for the local paper. It was done as a response to an ex minister who wrote an article the previous week that tried to discount the miraculous nature of Christ's birth life and death and that it was all unnecessary and irrelevant.

If you view down the page and look at the reflections column


http://www.standard.net.au/files/55/93/01/000019355/12AUGWEX013.pdf