Article - Helping Men with Depression

Helping Men with Depression

The Victorian government’s Better Health Channel has the following information about Male Depression on their Men’s Health factsheet:

One out of every six Australian men suffers from depression at any given time. Statistics indicate:

· Teenagers and the elderly are particularly at risk.

· Male depression is associated with an increased risk of health disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

· Life issues - such as the death of a spouse, separation, divorce and unemployment - trigger serious depression in men more often than in women.

· Men are likely to resort to destructive behaviours in an attempt to deal with depression.

· Depressed men are twice as likely as depressed women to abuse alcohol and drugs.

· The suicide rate for males aged between 15 and 24 years has tripled in the past three decades.

According to Beyond Blue, the agency supported by Australia’s Federal and State governments to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related substance misuse disorders in Australia:

• In 2004, 1,661 males (16.8 per 100,000) and 437 females (4.3 per 100,000) died by suicide - a total of 2,098 deaths (10.4 per 100,000).
• Australia's young (15-24) male suicide rate is fourth highest among Western Countries.
• Rates for men aged 30-34 years are currently the highest for all male age groups, followed by men aged 40-44 years.

Looking for Signs

Men usually experience depression differently to the way women do. The vast majority of men do not show obvious signs of depression, or indicate any need to talk over whatever issues may be weighing on their minds. Some of the more obvious signs of depression include:

• fatigue
• difficulty sleeping
• changed eating habits
• frequent/constant gloomy disposition
• expressing feelings of guilt and/or worthlessness
• don’t find pleasure in things they normally would

There are other things that men do to try and escape from feelings of depression or cover them up. These may include:

• withdrawal from family and friends
• Self-medication with excessive alcohol or drugs
• Womanising
• Watching more TV than usual
• Preoccupation with sport, greater competitiveness
• Lashing out verbally and/or physically
• Demanding respect or consideration
• Seeming restless and agitated

Hmm, watching too much TV and being obsessed with sport – that covers a fair number of us! Remember though that what you are looking for are changes that might indicated that there is something deeper going on inside.

What can I do if I am depressed?

If you are feeling depressed, the best advice I can give is for you to go to the right places to get help. Feeling depressed is a very common and very treatable condition, but you need to take the initiative to do something about it. I suggest that you go straight to professionals who have the best information and resources to help. These include the local medical services, Central Agcare, Men’s Helpline, Lifeline and so on.

Talking to someone is essential, but you can also get a whole stack of good information online, at sites like http://www.beyondblue.org.au for example.

What can I do to help someone who may be depressed?

Check out the information and resources mentioned above to help yourself to be prepared. The best thing you can do is give someone the encouragement and support to access the help they need. Sometimes that requires some bluntness, too! Don’t be afraid to let a depressed person know the impact their depression has on your relationship, but do this in a supportive way which encourages action, not as a guilt trip that just makes them feel worse.

There’s a whole stack of other things that you can do to help:

• Be available to listen. Most men don’t like being pressured into talking about stuff, but it is important to provide opportunities for men to share how they feel and to know that you are OK with that – that they haven’t let you down or disappointed you by being human!
• Be understanding. Whatever you do, don’t tell someone to “snap out of it” or “just get on with life”. That’s not helpful, caring or even possible for someone with depression to achieve.
• Look for things to do that will bring some joy and satisfaction into their life. Often depression comes about not because of a single major issue, but after a series of events and other factors which all pile up. If you can accumulate and focus on positive things in your life, not only can you help prevent depression but you can also help people to gain some positive momentum to pull out of it. Some things that can be helpful include hobbies, holidays, visits with loved ones, participation in positive groups such as churches, sporting groups or just gatherings with friends. Don’t try to do too much however, as this will just make the person feel pressured.
• Give reassurance. Depression can kill off a sense of hope and optimism. Sufferers need to be reassured that they will pull through.
• Be positive. Instead of always agreeing with negative things, try to turn these toward the positive. Be realistic, but also hopeful.
• Be calm. Men with depression will often try to create conflict. Remind yourself that this is a symptom, and don’t buy into it. Be assertive but not aggressive.
• Look for ways to spend time together. Men who are depressed often push others away or withdraw from others. Give them some space, but don’t be too easily put off – they need to know that you want to be around them.
• Look after yourself. Supporting someone through a difficult time takes its toll, so be wise enough to make sure that you are getting the support that you need, too.

Useful Contact Info

Check out the back page of the Fencepost for contact information for local medical and counselling services.

You might also like to make use of services such as:

· beyondblue info line (National) - 1300 22 4636

· Mensline Australia (National) - 1300 789 978

· Lifeline (National) - 13 11 14

· “Just Ask” Rural Mental Health Information & Referral Line (National) - 1300 13 11 14

· Kids Helpline (National) - 1800 551 800.

And Finally…

If you would like to talk to me about this subject or any other life issues, feel free to contact me!

Mike Birch

Pastor, Narembeen Church of Christ

Ph: 90647210 E: churchofchrist@narembeen.com

Article - The Wrong End of the Stick

The Wrong End of the Stick

Gizmo Shopping Goes Bad

I love checking out e-bay for cheap gizmo’s! A couple of weeks ago I ordered a Bluetooth headset to pair up with my laptop so that we can make free long-distance voice calls over the internet. A brilliant bit of money-saving! The only problem was that I didn’t read the item description properly, and when it arrived it had a U.S. style plug instead of an Aussie one. Until I sort that out the headset is useless to me.

Sometimes We Don’t Read People Very Well Either

Just like I didn’t read the description of the item I ordered well enough, we very often don’t read the people around us well enough to really understand what they are thinking, how they are feeling and what they are trying to say to us. I am sometimes staggered by just how badly people get the wrong end of the stick about other people – especially people who think they know each other really well.

It Hurts When our Hearts are Missed

We all know what it is like to be misunderstood at times. Whenever I tell my kids to go get a book each for me to read them before bed, they are sure to return with several! We all condition our minds to hear what we want to hear or what we expect to hear. When you expect to be criticised by someone, you will usually hear a compliment as a veiled criticism regardless of how it was intended. Sometimes people make genuine efforts to relate positively with us, but our negative expectations cause us to be unaware or suspicious about that. It can be a little frustrating if we are misunderstood when communicating information, but it is hurtful when we are misunderstood in who we are and how we feel. I have spoken to many people who have hurt over the fact that their spouse or children feels unloved or unappreciated by them. “How can they think that I don’t care about them?” they say, and then they list all the ways that they have attempted to show care to that person. Somehow the message has not gotten through.

How Do We Give People the Right End of the Stick?

(For those unfamiliar with this expression, it means “How can we make sure people are getting the right message from us?”)!!

There’s a huge number of strategies to help make communication work better. Here’s just 2 for today:

Tune In

Learn to pay attention to your own feelings and the feelings of those around you. In the vast majority of situations, what you are talking about is less important than how you treat those you are talking to, so pay attention to things that affect how people are feeling during your conversation. Is everyone feeling listened to? Do people feel comfortable enough to genuinely express what they think or feel? Learn to ask good questions that help the person speaking to clarify their own thoughts & feelings, and help those listening to clearly understand what that person is trying to express.

Learn a New Language

If you are trying to improve a relationship, you need to start speaking the same language. For some people, it doesn’t matter how much you say “I love you”, if you don’t help with the dishes, you don’t really care! Someone else couldn’t care less about what you do for them - they want to have some quality time alone in order to feel cared for. Others respond better to encouraging and tender words or physical closeness or thoughtful gifts. If you want someone to “get” the fact that you really do care about them, you need to take the time to learn to express that care in the language in which they best receive it. If you are feeling uncared for, try looking at what that person does to see if they actually are trying to show you how they feel, you just aren’t reading them right.

That’s all for now!

Mike Birch

Article - The Importance of Deadlines

Building Better Marriages

The Importance of Deadlines

It’s been a pretty busy couple of months in our house, and not much has been happening on the gardening front. Last week something happened to change that - Tidy Towns judging! Tuesday was T.T-Day, and we knew that as patriotic Narembeenites that we needed to have the place spruced up by then. Monday saw us finally get stuck into hoeing, raking, weeding, planting, pruning, mowing and sweeping in an effort to meet the deadline. Now we enjoy the fact that we’ve got the place looking a lot nicer than it was. We just needed a deadline to force us to make it a priority and get it done.

Have you ever wondered why it’s called a deadline? It become a popular term in the newspaper business in the 1920’s to mean the time that a story had to be in by in order to be printed. If it was not submitted on time, your story was dead. It probably originated though during the American Civil War as the name given to the line that prisoners in prison camps could not cross without being shot.

Sometimes in life there are very clear deadlines, but a lot of times we can let some important things slide because we don’t have a deadline that forces us into action.

What are some things that are important to you in your marriage? What are some things that haven’t been going so well that could use some attention? What are some things that would bring you closer together? What would help you be better parents/grandparents? What issues tend to come up repeatedly that haven’t been properly worked out?

I’ve got to admit, we worked pretty hard on Monday to meet our garden deadline, but we knew that it was worth the effort. Improving a marriage can be hard work – it can also be a lot of fun. Sometimes we put off things that are difficult, but then we never reap the rewards that come from doing them. As a result marriage does not provide us with the fulfilment that it should, conflicts can remain unresolved and bitterness, disappointment and apathy set it.

What sort of deadlines would most help your marriage? Some examples might be: “We will spend a romantic weekend away together before harvest starts”

“We’re going to sit down and talk about _____________ by the end of the month”

(It’s better to plan a definite time to talk about important things when you will both be ready to concentrate.)

Of course, the real challenge then is to actually make sure that you meet your own deadlines. Make a date and time and stick with it.

Don’t settle for a mediocre marriage. Don’t rip off your spouse by taking your relationship for granted. It takes work, so set your deadlines and make sure you get it done!

Mike Birch

Article - Feel the Rhythm

Feel the Rhythm!

For the last few months I’ve been learning to play the drums. Tapping toes or clapping hands to the beat is pretty easy, but just you try to get two hands and two feet working together in a good rhythm! It’s a lot harder than it looks. After a while, you get a basic 4/4 beat down pat, so you think it’s time to jazz it up a bit. As soon as you do that, you stuff up your rhythm and have to start all over again! (a one and two and three and four and one and two and……)

Tim loves to come over and have a whack on the drums, and his philosophy of drumming is LOUD AND FAST ! I was trying to teach him to listen to the rhythm of the song and drum along to that, but it just wasn’t happening. Well, he is only 4 after all! But he did remind me of the way that many of us – me included – live life.

Life was meant to work with some natural rhythms. There are seasons of work and rest and play. There are seasons of struggle and seasons of peace. Seasons of happiness and seasons of sadness.

God Himself demonstrated that in the story of Creation. He worked for 6 days and rested on the 7^th. God doesn’t get worn out, He doesn’t get weary. He was demonstrating how to live with rhythm – work and rest.

Another important rhythm is found in our patterns of sleep. An article published in Nature Magazine in 2005 entitled “The rhythm of rest and excess” stated: “Our immune defence, cognitive performance and mental health are all affected by sleep and our circadian rhythms. Disruption of the sleep–wake axis results in a broad range of interconnected pathologies, including poor vigilance and memory, reduced mental and physical reaction times, reduced motivation, depression, insomnia, metabolic abnormalities, obesity, immune impairment and even a greater risk of cancer.”[1]

Drumming without rhythm is just painful noise – and so is living without rhythm. When we tune in to the rhythm of life and live in harmony with how we have been created, that’s when the music works. Those rhythms include things like regular sleep, balance of work and leisure, time spent with people and so on.

As a Christian, I believe that the best rhythm of life must include time for getting in tune with God. When I am too busy or stressed to make time for God, I find that life just isn’t as sweet and I’m not as effective as I could be. When I’m taking the time to listen to God’s beat, the rest of life works out much better.

Mike Birch

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[1] Foster, R. & Wulff, K; “The rhythm of rest and excess”; Nature vol. 6 May 2005 p407

article - Integrity in Politics?

Integrity in Politics?

In the lead-up to a Federal election, we are becoming more and more focussed on the people who represent us - or aspire to represent us – in federal government. As electors, many of us have a responsibility to carefully evaluate the various candidates, their parties and policies and come to a decision about who we most trust to represent us and our interests well.

What do we base that decision on? Do we just look at the policies put forward? Do we look at a track record of accomplishment? Does character and integrity play a part?

In his article in the West Australian last Saturday, Hugh Mackay raised the issue in his usual thought-provoking way. After describing the recent controversy about comments made (or not made) by the Treasurer about the Prime Minister, Mr Mackay writes:

“Have we reached the situation… where the voters no longer care whether a Federal minister lies or not, as long as their own wellbeing is secure? Is the question of politicians’ personal integrity no longer an issue for us, as long as we’re fed, clothed and housed comfortably?”

It’s a question which is up to us to answer. Certainly, if popular response to the latest scandal involving Kevin Rudd is anything to go by, the answer is “yes”. I am not in any way attacking Mr Rudd for his mistake – if anything, I am commenting on the fact that Mr Rudd is one of the few people who apparently considers that visiting a strip club was a mistake! Comments aired on the Nine Network’s “A Current Affair” programme indicated that most people thought it was nothing to worry about. One interviewee even commented that his only mistake was to admit it to his wife the next day!

It would seem that our society’s traditional Christian values which defined personal integrity have largely been forgotten. We are apparently more concerned with who can deliver the strongest economy with the most personal financial benefits for ourselves. It seems that as a society we value material success more highly than moral or spiritual excellence.

I am reminded of when Jesus appeared to the Apostle John in a vision and gave him a message for a church which was very wealthy, but had lost it’s way morally and spiritually:

^ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ^ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

^ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ^ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ^[1]

From God’s point of view, success is not measured in economic terms. In fact, material success can be dangerous, because it can lead us to believe that we don’t need God. To pursue material success alone is to settle for less than the abundant life that God promises us.

If we want to experience God’s blessing on us personally and nationally, it requires us to repent, which means to stop heading in one direction and start moving in another one. Jesus is trying to get our attention, will we hear Him and invite Him in to our personal and national life, or will we carry on the way we are going?

Mike Birch

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^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Re 3:17-20). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Article - Truth is Relative, Pick One that Works

“Truth is Relative – Pick One That Works.”

That was one of the many great lines uttered by lawyer Sebastian Shark on Monday night in the new series “Shark”. Faced with 2 pieces of evidence that contradict each other, Shark is instructing his team to run with the one that will win their case, and pretend the other one never existed.

Most people are probably fairly cynical about those who claim to tell the truth these days. We have found out that most people only present the truth that works for them. Politicians will report truths that provide an electoral advantage, and dispute or minimise truths that don’t. They will emphasise certain things to certain groups because that’s what will work for them on polling day. Lawyers do the same thing to win cases. Advertisers do the same thing to sell products or services.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we have all been guilty of being selective with the truth at times – even of telling outright lies. Parents sometimes do it with their kids in order to avoid difficult topics or to produce certain behaviour. Kids do it with parents to keep them of their backs or to shift blame. Employees do it with employers to get time off or to justify some delay or mistake.

In fact, I have seen on many occasions that people not only deceive others, but also themselves. It is easier to believe our own lies than to face things that are difficult to acknowledge or deal with. It works for us to believe others are guilty and we are innocent. Others are ignorant and we are wise. Others have hidden agendas but we are fair-minded. We reinterpret events to come up with a “truth” that works for us.

But have we lost sight of what truth really is? Have we lost the value of honesty, and the confidence that it gives us in our relationships with each other?

If we know that we bend the truth sometimes, when situations are awkward or not to our advantage – then we must also be aware that others are doing the same thing. When we lie to our children – even about trivial things - we must realise that we are training them to lie to us one day.

One of the things that most of us value most in a relationship is trust. It doesn’t matter what type of relationship – work, family, friendship and so on - we need to be able to trust those people for the relationship to work.

Trustworthiness is a character attribute – it is not selective. If you are prepared to lie to your boss or the ATO you will also be prepared to lie to your wife or husband or whoever you are closest to. In the same way a personal commitment to honesty and truth is reflected in every part of life.

When Jesus was choosing the 12 men who He would invest the majority of His time and energy into, He said that one of them (Nathanael) was a guy “in whom there is nothing false.” ^[1]. That’s the sort of person that I want to be. I want people to be confident that even if they don’t like what I say or do, they can be sure I am being truthful. I want people to know that even if I don’t like what I have to say or do, I will stick with what is true and not with what I wish was true.

That’s one reason I invest time studying each week before I preach or teach. I want to be sure that I am not saying stuff that I want people to hear. I need to know thoroughly what the Bible has to say, and I need to give God the opportunity to teach and prepare me before I can pass that on to others. I have become convinced over the years in the trustworthiness of the Bible in being able to teach us all we need in order to know God and live as His children. The Bible reveals Jesus, who never minced words or was false in any way. Rather He is “the way and the truth and the life.”^[2]. Real truth, real direction and real life are only found in relationship with Him. Anyone will tell you what they want you to hear. Lots of people will tell you what you want to hear. Wouldn’t you rather have the truth?

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^[1]John 1:47 ^[2]Jn 14:6

Article - Power from on High pt 2

Power from On High pt 2

Last week we discovered the amazing truth that God has chosen to literally live inside everyone who has put their trust in Jesus Christ. When a person trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and accepts Him as the rightful boss of their life, they become a member of God’s family and someone who God lives within through the Holy Spirit.

Publish Post

But how can you tell if this has actually taken place? It’s not as if Christians walk around with a halo or a permanent glow that shows there’s something special going on inside them! The Bible describes 2 ways that the Holy Spirit can be seen in the lives of God’s people. The first is what is commonly called “The Fruit of the Spirit”, and the second is called “The Gifts of the Spirit”.

The Fruit of the Spirit

The term “fruit of the Spirit” simply describes the sorts of characteristics that should be on display when the Holy Spirit lives within someone. One list, found in the book of Galatians chapter 5, names these: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Throughout the New Testament of the Bible in particular we find other descriptions of the sorts of lives that Christians ought to be living and the sorts of characteristics we should be displaying. Just as you can tell an apple tree because you see apples on it, so you should be able to identify someone who God lives inside because of the godly characteristics of their lives. If the label on a tree read “Apple”, but you could see lemons growing on it, you would be a little concerned! So it is with Christians – if our lives are showing “fruit” that don’t match up with the goodness of God’s character, then something is wrong. I’ll talk more on that later.

The Gifts of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit are intended for every single Christian. Everyone who God lives within should be displaying His characteristics. However, God has made each of us differently on purpose. We are not all the same, nor should we try to be. As part of our different-ness, God gives unique gifts to His children. Some people are given the ability to teach and explain truths clearly and effectively. Some are given an increased sensitivity to the needs of those around them. Others are given a knack for practical service. The Bible records times when people were given the ability to speak in languages they had never learnt before, or the ability to foretell future events. There are all sorts of ways that the Holy Spirit has worked within people to enable them to do things that they would not have been able to do as well or at all if He did not provide that ability.

It Won’t Happen Overnight…

Just because Christians have the incredible power of the Holy Spirit living within them doesn’t mean that all of a sudden they have all the fruit of the Spirit, or necessarily start using the gifts of the Spirit perfectly either. God does not control His children the way a puppet-master might. We still make mistakes, we still make bad choices, we still continue some bad habits that we have picked up in life. Christianity is a journey of learning to live in step with the Spirit – learning to listen to His quiet voice within and to allow Him to guide and empower our daily lives.

God has provided some additional resources – the Bible and the Church – to help us to learn to live by the power of the Holy Spirit instead of by our own desires and abilities. In many ways it does not come naturally to us, but we are learning! So don’t expect Christians to be perfect, but expect that we should be changing to be more like the God that we talk about. If you are a Christian, remember the incredible gift that you have been given - salvation through Jesus Christ and membership in God’s eternal family. That gift carries with it the responsibility to live as a member of God’s family and not like someone who does not know God.

Mike Birch

Article - Power from On High

Power from On High

Enough energy to power the city of New York for an hour, and it strikes the earth about 100 times each second. As I watched the “60 Minutes” report on lightning this week I couldn’t help but think “Wouldn’t it be great to be able to somehow harness that power?”

However as Liam Bartlett observed, lightning is “one of nature's most well-observed events, but also one of the most mysterious.” We don’t have the ability to predict it, let alone control it.

As the report re-told the story of Justin Bale and others who have been struck by lightning, I thought back to another story of power descending upon people from on high. Recently I was reading the story of Pentecost Sunday to my son Tim, and we were imagining together what it might have been like to suddenly hear a noise like the blowing of a violent wind, and what looked like tongues of fire coming to rest on those present. Suddenly they began speaking in languages that they previously did not know. These things were signs that something even more amazing had just happened – the God who created the Universe had just come to live inside them. But what is this all about and how does it happen?

Created for Connection

The Bible describes that humanity was created for relationship with God. This relationship is freely available to everyone through faith in Jesus. Having faith in Jesus means coming to the point of genuinely believing that Jesus is God’s Son; His death paid the penalty for everything we have done against God and that His resurrection demonstrated God’s power to give us new life which will never end. Jesus becomes your Saviour (the one who has saved you from sin and death and judgement) and Lord (the one who is rightfully in charge of your life). Having Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord means that you are a part of God’s family. Still, we haven’t yet discovered how God comes to live inside you.

Plugging In

Before Jesus went back to Heaven, He promised His followers that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit. The story of Pentecost Sunday that I mentioned earlier tells how that happened for the first time. Ever since that time, when people have become part of God’s family they have received God’s Holy Spirit to live inside them. This is how the Apostle Paul explained it to some Christians living in the city of Ephesus: “And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.” (Ephesians 1:13-14a, emphasis mine)

So, believing in Jesus (the full truth about Jesus, not just some bits!) is how we plug in to a personal connection with God where God actually comes and lives inside us through the Holy Spirit. But what difference does it make to be connected to God? How can you tell if a person has really got this power within?

Signs of Life

You might look for some of the amazing signs that happened at Pentecost Sunday. On that day, it was very obvious that something special had happened and many thousands of people in Jerusalem noticed. Some people were convinced that they were witnessing a “God thing”, but many people suspected there was something else going on. Throughout history there have been many other times where God has shown pretty amazing signs that He was at work in and through His people. There have been healings and prophecies and people raised from the dead and all sorts of other demonstrations of power. There have also been plenty of hoaxes, such as one in Uganda recently where a preacher is accused of using a device bought from a magic store to con people into thinking that he has God’s power running through him. A lot of people wish for spectacular signs - and they do have a purpose - but they are not always the best way to tell if someone has a genuine connection with God. Next week we’ll look at what the Bible says about the signs of life that come with a genuine relationship with God.

Mike Birch.

Better to Give

Better To Give

On Saturday morning a bunch of children teamed up with Mrs Hooper, Mrs Birch, Mrs Sprigg and myself for “Tidy Narembeen Day”. Actually, it was only from 9 – 10:30am, but “Tidy Narembeen Hour-and-a-half” doesn’t have the same ring to it!

Even though I was a bit of a stress-case leading up to it, I’ve got to say that it was a lot of fun teaming up with the kids to tidy up the main street area as well as fundraise for our tree-planting project next term. I loved the enthusiasm of the young people as they launched themselves into their various tasks, and the support from people down the street – even on a fairly quiet morning – was fantastic. We were able to raise roughly $140 from sales of drinks & snacks.

The primary purpose was to provide an opportunity for the children to do something good for their world in a local sense – we are going to move to a global project later in the year. There are many ways that people can get involved in doing good things for their community through service clubs and local projects, and groups like these are always in need of more volunteers.

According to a news.com.au report on June 27 (based on figures from the 2006 census), about one in five Australians over 18 years of age do volunteer work. W.A. was the worst performing state, with only 16.8 percent of people volunteering (in defence of the bush, this was mostly due to Perth’s low return of 15.1%)!

In my experience, doing voluntary work has been very enriching personally – it provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to have made a contribution to your community or to people further away, and it is a great experience to work alongside people for a good cause. The hardest time to be a volunteer is when it feels like you are going it alone.

In our marketing-driven society it seems that people are being trained to expect more and give less. Jesus goes against the grain and says “It’s better to give than receive”. That sounds like a load of rubbish, but when I think of some of the happiest times of my life, they are often times when I was working together with others for something worthwhile.

The main exception is when people do something because someone needs to do it, but no-one else will. We certainly need people to step up in these situations, but it doesn’t feel so good to be a volunteer when it feels like the effort is being dragged out of you. The best way we can help these people rediscover the joy of giving their time and energy is to get in there alongside them and give them a hand!

What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What times are you most available? What new skills would you like to develop? What are some areas of need in our community? Who would you like to get to know better? These are all things to think about when choosing how to be involved as a volunteer.

Mike Birch

What is a Church?

What is a Church?

When I say that I’m going “to Church”, am I talking about a place, a ceremony or a group of people? For lots of people, “Church” can mean a particular building, something that happens in that building or the group of people who go there.

Think Bigger

“The Church” is much bigger than any particular building, ceremony or group that gathers together. It refers to all Christians of all eras and places. That’s a big group of people!

Little “c” churches

Within the big picture of “The Church”, there are hundreds of thousands (or more) little “c” churches. These are local churches – groups of Christians in the same time and place who meet together to worship God and do all the things the Bible teaches us to do for and with each other. This includes things like learning together, working together, caring for each other, praying together and so on.

Taking my church for example; the Narembeen Church of Christ today is a different church to the Narembeen Church of Christ 10 years ago. It still meets in the same buildings (and many of the same homes), but it is a different church because the people have changed over that time – there are people in the church today who weren’t here 10 years ago; people who aren’t here who used to be; and even those who have been here 10 years and more are different people today than they were 10 years ago. What we do together reflects who we have been, who we are today and who God is creating us to be into the future.

Designed to be Different

Often within groups there is pressure to conform, but churches are designed to be different. Churches are meant to provide an environment for people to be transformed by God from within, not forced to conform to external pressures. The Bible says that God has made us all uniquely, and is continuing to shape those who allow Him to do so. As we come together with our diverse gifts, passions, experiences and so on we find that we are so much better off than if we were all the same. In fact, God even shapes churches by bring people into them and shaping those already there, so that together they can fulfill God’s specific purpose for that church. As each church is different, each church does different things well. We are not rivals, we can appreciate how God works in other churches and support one another in love. The goal is that through our partnership, God will increasingly receive the acclaim that He deserves and more and more people will come to discover real life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Mike Birch

www.ministrywithmike.blogspot.com.au

churchofchrist@narembeen.com

God and Drugs!

OK, so we’ve talked about God and sex, now we’ll talk about God and drugs and maybe one day we’ll get on to God and Rock’n’Roll!

There’s a lot of misinformation about what the Church and individual Christians believe about drugs – both the legal and illegal ones, so I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to shed some light on the subject.

Remember the whole deal with God and Sex? Sex is good inside the boundaries that God has set for it. Outside those boundaries it falls short of the goodness that God intended for it. If you want God’s best for your life, stick within the boundaries that He has established.

That’s the basic message that goes with drugs as well. But what are the boundaries for drugs?

It’s actually pretty simple. The Bible talks about 4 things that we should keep in mind:

1. People should obey the laws of the land

(Romans 13:1-7)

Simply put: if something is illegal, don’t do it! If a substance is illegal or should not be supplied to a certain age group or consumed in certain environments then that’s what we should stick by. Laws are there for a reason, and just because you might not agree with them doesn’t give you the right to break them. If everybody did that, what sort of society would we have?

2. People should be “self-controlled”

(eg: Titus 2:2,5; Galatians 5:23 and lots more!)

In other words, we should be in a fit state to govern our own behaviour. There are all sorts of substances which change our brain chemistry to produce sensations that might seem pleasurable, but they are also dangerous. They take away our ability to make wise decisions about our behaviour. Sometimes this produces “Dutch courage” where people have the nerve to do things they usually talk themselves out of, but usually the result is that people do things that they normally are smart enough not to do! For example in one study “two-thirds of partner abuse victims (those abused by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) reported that alcohol had been a factor; for spouse abuse victims, the offender was drinking in three out of four cases.” (Greenfeld, 1998). There are many other statistics which relate to sexual crime, irresponsible sexual conduct, irresponsible driving and so on which demonstrate the danger of a loss of self-control. Staggeringly, it is something that we don’t take as seriously as we should in our society.

The Bible does not condemn the consumption of alcohol, in fact it is praised on a number of occasions! However it does condemn the overuse of alcohol (or anything else) to the point where a person’s good judgement and self-control are adversely affected. Lack of self control leads to people harming themselves and others, which God does not approve of.

3. People should respect their bodies.

Our bodies are a gift from God, and should be treated with respect. Some substances are harmful to our bodies, and to knowingly harm your own body is both a little silly and a bit of an insult to the One who gave it to you. Many substances are fine in moderation – what is needed is a healthy balance. Be wise in what you consume! Don’t pay the price later for poor decisions and lifestyles now.

4. People should look out for others.

(eg: Romans 15:2)

The Bible says that if what you do causes problems for others, don’t do it! For example, many Christians over the centuries have given up drinking alcohol out of sensitivity to others who might struggle with alcohol addiction or other issues. Think about how what you do affects those around you, and determine to be a good influence rather than a problem to others.

Well, that’s it in a nutshell – I hope that you agree that it’s pretty good advice from God to us!

For more information and helpful advice visit:

www.adf.org.au – Australian Drug Foundation

www.adin.com.au – Australian Drug Information Network

www.lifeline.org.au or call 13 11 14 – Lifeline

Mike Birch

The Problem of Pain

“If there really is a God who loves us, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”

Many people have rejected the existence of God – or at least the goodness of God – because of the problem of pain in this world. Pain comes in many forms and from many sources – from natural disasters to crimes against the innocent. How can a good God just stand by and let it happen?

The Root of the Problem – Our Autonomy

One of the things that we value most is our freedom to choose. However this freedom comes with great responsibility. Right from the very beginning of human existence, people have chosen to reject God’s authority and have conducted themselves in ways that go against God’s nature and His standards. When God first created the world, He made it completely good – free from pain and suffering. However when the first people disobeyed God He withdrew His blessing over creation so that it no longer operates perfectly. This is both a consequence and a correction – not an act of spitefulness on God’s part. It is a consequence, because we need to know that rejecting God is also a rejection of His goodness. We do not have a right to ignore God and offend Him in the way that we live, and yet expect Him to cater for our every need or desire. It is a correction because the function of pain is to cause us to seek healing. When a part of our body hurts, it alerts us to the fact that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. The experience of pain in this world is meant to be something that causes us to seek healing, and the only genuine place to find that healing is in relationship with God. The Bible explains that the healing God offers is twofold: He gives us the ability to endure and overcome suffering in this world; and He gives us the assurance of a better life to come – a life which will no longer be marred by evil, suffering and death.

Tough Love

When parents of drug addicts seek help from experienced counsellors, they are told that they need to make some pretty tough stands. One of the things they need to do is stop rescuing their child. For example when their child does not have enough money to pay rent or buy food, they must not help out. When their child rings in the middle of the night needing somewhere to stay, they mustn’t go and get them. The child needs to experience the pain of consequences. They need to come to a point where they realise that the real problem is not that they don’t have enough money or that they are cold and don’t have anywhere to sleep – the real problem is their drug addiction. They need to take personal responsibility to address that problem, because the problem will never be fixed by other people. Many parents have endured the rants of hysterical children saying “You don’t love me – you never have” and worse, but the truth is that it is their love for their child that stops them from rescuing him or her. Indulging children is not loving them, it is lazy and/or weak. God is neither lazy nor weak. God hurts when we hurt. He takes no pleasure in our pain. He wants us to turn to Him for healing and help, but He will not rescue us when we insist on staying autonomous from Him.

God Has Not Left the Building

God demonstrates His grace in that He continues to bestow some goodness even on people who have rejected Him. The world is still on the whole a wonderful place to live! We have the capacity to experience heaps of goodness within ourselves and other people. All of this reminds us that God created us as good, even though that goodness is now imperfect.

The Apostle Paul experienced what it is like to have God’s help in the midst of life’s ups and downs, and wrote “^I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ^I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” ^[1]

This sort of help is available to everyone who turns to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Mike Birch

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^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Php 4:12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

I'm Not Perfect, Just Forgiven

There was once a good-living preacher named Simon. He did all the things that good people were supposed to do. Everyone in his community knew him as a righteous man – he was respected and admired by all. He did not hang around “bad” people. He did not want his reputation tarnished. He was offended by their lifestyle, their many sins.

One day, an influential young preacher was passing through the area. Simon naturally invites him over for tea, as well as all his good-living pals. The religious elite of the town gather together to hobnob with this preacher who everyone in the region has been talking about – a man with unique authority, insight and power that crowds clamour to see.

Somehow during the meal an infamous woman slipped in to the gathering. She was a woman who was despised by all the good people as a notorious sinner. She walks to where the young preacher is reclining at the table (in those days people did not sit on chairs, they reclined on cushions). Tears are running down her face, and they spill on to the preacher’s feet. She uses her tears to wash his dusty feet, and then rubs them dry with her long hair. Freaky!! Then she kisses them and pours some perfume on them. Simon is outraged. How dare this evil woman touch his guest in this way! And as for the young preacher, shouldn’t he know what sort of person she is? How can he stand her presence, let alone her touch?

The young preacher – whose name was Jesus – turns to Simon and tells him this story…

 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii (about $50,000), and the other fifty (about $5,000). Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon answers “I guess the one who owed the most money”. “You’re right” says Jesus. The Bible says that we all have a debt that we owe God. No-one likes getting bills, and sometimes its easier to ignore them, which is what many people do with God. They deny His existence or the existence of any debt. “I’ve lived a good life”, they say with Simon, “if there is a God He will probably say I’ve done OK”.

Jesus pointed out to Simon that it doesn’t matter whether you are an obvious “sinner”, or someone with just a few “little” sins to their name, you still have a debt to God. God loves to forgive the big debts and the little ones. The “sinful” woman showed great love to Jesus in faith that He would accept her instead of rejecting her like others had. Jesus rewarded her faith by forgiving her sins.

Don’t ever think that God is not interested in people like you. He loves all people equally, and wants everyone to be a part of His family both in this life and the life to come. Being in that family does not depend on how good you are, it depends on how good God is. God wants to forgive you. Will you acknowledge your need of forgiveness, and accept God’s gift?

Praying for Rain

On Sunday morning we concluded our church service by getting into groups and praying for rain. How awesome to hear that rain arrive and settle in to give us about ¾ of an inch (in my backyard anyway)! For many people, the timing of the rain was just coincidence, but I have noticed that coincidences happen more often when I pray! It needs to be said, however, that many Christians have prayed many times for rain but have seen seasons wiped out by drought. “What’s with that?” you might ask. Is God random in how He answers prayer, or is He simply uninvolved and it just comes down to fate or chance?

God Cares

The first thing to emphasise about this is that God does in fact care about you and what you are going through in life. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your circumstances are, God cares about that, and is available to help. The thing is that He doesn’t always help in the way we want Him to. We often want a vending-machine type of God. You put the money (or the prayer) in and you get what you want. God isn’t like that. He has His own priorities and purposes. He cares for you, but is not controlled by you. God knows that very often it is the hard things in life which teach us the most important lessons, that make us mature as people and equips us to be able to help others. Leaning on God and learning from Him during tough times is one of the most difficult lessons in life, but one of the most important.

What Do We Really Want?

Many of us would love God to give us the winning Lotto ticket or some other way in to “the good life”. But when we really think about it, that’s not what we really want. We want good relationships. We want to feel a sense of pride and self-worth. We want to make a difference in the world. We want to enjoy life and take it easy, but that’s not all we want. At least not if we are wise.

Jesus claimed to come “that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

When Christians pray for rain or anything else that involves a material blessing, we are asking because God has told us to! We want God to provide for our us and bless our work. Even more than that we want God to bless others, especially to ease the stresses that people are under. In doing so we also recognise that God may have other plans. He might achieve greater good by withholding material blessings. Having life to the full is much more than just having our material needs met. It involves having a joy and peace even in the toughest of circumstances. It involves learning to care for the problems of others instead of being all wrapped up in your own. Most significantly of all, it involves having a personal relationship with God that transforms this life and prepares you for the next. We wouldn’t swap our relationship with God for any amount of money, rain or anything else.

So we are going to continue to pray for rain, and for sunshine, and for protection from frosts and pests and diseases; but most of all, we will pray for people to discover the “full life” that Jesus promised. Have you discovered the abundant life that Jesus offers?

God on My Side

On Monday night the ABC aired Andrew Denton’s documentary from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas last year. As a Christian, I found myself strongly identifying with what some of the interviewees said, but at other times I felt myself grimacing uncomfortably at some of the stuff that goes on under the banner of Christianity. If you didn’t see it, it’s well worth a look.

One of the key themes that Andrew brought out was the importance of the Bible as the source of truth for Christians. Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God and therefore infallible. In other words, it was God Himself who inspired the Biblical authors with the words to write, and so what they wrote down is a reliable and trustworthy guide for us. The Bible therefore influences us (or at least it should!) in every area of life.

The issue that Andrew probed toward the end of the documentary was: What about the Muslims? Don’t they have just as much right to believe that their book is the truth? The response he received was “No, it’s a lie”. That seems like a very bigoted and arrogant view!

In actual fact, it’s the only view that it is possible to hold if you believe the Bible is true. They can’t both be! Either you accept that they are both less than what they claim to be, or that one is right and the other is wrong. So how do you decide?

I have volumes on my bookshelf full of information about the reliability of the Bible. There is some really mind-blowing evidence to support it’s divine origin, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to give just one side of the argument. One thing the Bible does say, though, is that the truth becomes clear to those who are willing to receive it. I give this challenge: get hold of a Bible and a copy of the Qu’ran, and read both. Ask God (if He exists!) to reveal Himself through what you read. Either you will conclude that they are both bogus, or one of them will strike you as the truth.

10 Reasons Not to Wash

Some people think washing is important, but here are some reasons one person gave to justify his decision to give up on washing:

1. I was forced to as a child.
2. People who make soap are only after your money.
3. I wash on special occasions like Christmas and Easter.
4. People who wash are hypocrites—they think they are cleaner than everyone else.
5. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is best.
6. I used to wash. It got boring, though, so I stopped.
7. None of my friends wash.
8. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
9. I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier.
10. I can't spare the time.

OK, so these excuses are all pretty lame. We all know that getting cleaned up is important and none of these excuses cut it as reasons to avoid washing. These excuses aren’t really about giving up on washing though, they are about giving up on Church.

Just as washing is important for the body, being part of a church family is important for the soul. It helps us to discover and live the full life that Jesus came to give us. There are a number of Christian Churches in the Narembeen Shire and they are each quite different from one another. Why don’t you check out the back page of the Fencepost for details of what’s happening, and then go check it out? I think you’ll find that deciding to get involved in Church is a great decision to make. If you are someone who has been turned off Church or turned off God for whatever reason, I am always happy to talk to you about that. Give me a buzz on 9064 7210 or drop me a line at m.c.birch@narembeen.com.

Does Belief Make a Difference?

If you say that you care about the environment, but you don’t bother to recycle or you regularly throw rubbish out of your car window, then you obviously don’t really care about the environment. If you say that you care about people who are suffering but you don’t do anything to relieve that suffering, then you obviously don’t really care. If you say you care about your kids but you don’t spend time listening to them, enjoying them and training them for life then you don’t really care that much. If you say that your marriage is important but you don’t do anything to keep the romance alive and the commitment strong, then you don’t actually care that much about it.

According to the Australian Community Survey (1998), 74% of Australians believe in God. More recently in the U.S., a survey of over one thousand doctors found that 76% believe in God. Another recent survey of 1600 young people born between 1976 and 1990, conducted by Monash University and the Australian Catholic University, claims that 48 per cent believe in God, while 20 per cent do not, and 32 per cent are unsure about the existence of God. According to the National Census in 2001, about 80% of people in the Narembeen Shire say that they belong to a specific religious group.

But saying or thinking that you believe in God is one thing. What difference does it make to what you do?

I have found that when I have put my faith in God into action, it has made an incredible difference in my life. The Bible says that faith without action is dead – it’s good for nothing- but faith that moves us to action can change the world.