Resurrection Sunday - My near death experience

Hi Everyone

As today is the day we celebrate Jesus' resurrection I thought it might be interesting for you to read about my first experience with God.

I was 15 years old and I had glandular fever. I had taken weeks and weeks off school and just lay in bed feeling terrible. To top it all off the glandular fever was making my asthma worse. I would take my asthma sprays and they would only provide the smallest possible relief.

Anyway one day I was especially sick. I thought I was going to die. My mother went to work but called my aunt to check on me. I couldn't walk and was coughing up blood.

My aunt took me to the hospital where they took me into one of the urgent emergency rooms immediately. They put me on an oxygen mask and they were just putting in a drip when I felt the room go starry, then grey, then black.

I went down a white tunnel which was full of love and brightness. The further up the tunnel I went, the brighter the white light was.

After some distance I heard the most beautiful voice. It said ''It is not your time to die. You must go back. There is something you must do."

I opened my eyes. I was in hospital attached to a drip and an oxygen mask. I was admitted to hospital for several weeks.

I didn't tell anyone of my spiritual experience until much, much later - when I was in my twenties. But I pondered it in my heart and it is one of the reasons I sought out Jesus and the church.

I still don't know what the thing is that I must do - I must wait patiently for an answer.

This memory comforts me and reminds me (like in Psalm 23) - "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me."

God Bless you all


Amber

The Shack - Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity

Hi Everyone

I just finished reading The Shack. It was a gripping read - well written, lots of action and emotion and, of course, a lot of spiritual information.

I will only tell a little of the story because I want you all to read it.

Basically a family goes camping and, while there, their youngest daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered. The father, like most of us when tragedy strikes, got angry at God.

He receives a letter from God to go back to the shack where the murder of his daughter took place.

What follows then is the story of his burgeoning relationship with God.

What I liked the most is that it taught, in an interesting way, that God is a God of love, of relationship and of forgiveness. God wants our good and He is good.

It's often hard for me to realize this when my own life has often been so negative. This was the same for the guy in the story. I also relate to Jesus more than I relate to God the Father or the Holy Spirit. This was the same for the main character, Mack, as well.

I would encourage everyone to give this book a go - even if you are not a Christian, or you are but don't believe God can speak so personally. Just pick up this book and see what you make of it. It is truly intriguing.

God Bless you all and have a Fabulous Easter Sunday Tomorrow.

Amber

In Memory of Simon Turner

Hi Everyone

Today marks the second anniversary of the death of my friend Simon Turner.

I met Simon several times in the psychiatric ward of the Royal Hobart Hospital about six years ago and we became friends.

Simon has been one of the nicest and most thoughtful people I have ever met in my life. He was gentle, intelligent, wise, kind and interesting.

He was also a very sincere Catholic and we had many thought provoking theological discussions. These were often challenging but never disagreeable. Simon had the unique gift of being loving in disagreements.

Like me Simon suffered from a combination of depression and schizophrenia. He said, several times, that he wanted to die. He would not, however, due to his spiritual beliefs, commit suicide. He told me that he wanted God to take his life so he could be with Jesus.

There is no doubt in my mind that Simon went to be with Jesus. He is now, no doubt, happier than he ever was on earth. But for me, and for many of his friends and family, his life was a tragic loss. '

I don't think Simon ever realised how important he was to so many people. People loved him and, even now, I miss him. I miss his little quirks like asking my cat for her opinion when he thought I'd made a bad decision, finding out where the idea of purgatory came from (it's in the apocrapha) and, most of all, his willingness to drop everything to help out a friend.

I was devastated by Simon's death and even now there is a 'Simon shaped hole' in me. Luckily I told Simon how much he meant to me before he died. This is important as many others didn't and were, therefore, guilty.

If you know someone wonderful let them know - they could die tomorrow.

Lastly I will end with the following Bible quote from Philippians. The Apostle Paul (who wrote it) wasn't mentally ill but the desire for eternal bliss echoes clearly the way Simon spoke about death and the afterlife.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain...I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." Philippians 1:21, 23-4.

God Bless you all

Amber

Amber's Update

Hi Everyone


Sorry I haven't been in contact much. I've been quite busy, and also quite tired. Anyway, just so you know, this is an update of how I'm going.


Polytechnic (aka TAFE) I am finding most of my classes stimulating. I like group work the best. Our group is 'Divine Pantomime' and we work really well together.

We have a really bad teacher for our accounting class which I find frustrating. I can do the work so I won't fail but many others can't. Last lesson about ten people walked out of class in despair.

Socially I am getting on fairly well with the other mature age students. There are a couple of younger ones who talk to us and a few that don't. I have become less worried about this.


Jessie (the cat) Jessie is settling in to her new home. She is very affectionate to me but susses visitors out a lot more than Kaffy did.

Jessie would really like to go outside and hopefully I'll have the chicken wire up in about a week so she can.

Jessie coped well with me being away for the conference.


Mental Health Basically I am coping extremely well in terms of my mental health. Occasionally I get a bit stressed or paranoid but I haven't got depressed or psychotic at all since I've been on my new medication (clozapine).

Please pray that I will continue to be healthy mentally.


Physical Health and Exercise Although I am eating more healthily and exercising more regularly my physical health continues to be a problem.

I have vitamin deficiencies, a fast pulse rate and asthma. I really need to give up smoking.

I am also exhausted at the end of each day and need about 10-12 hours sleep.

Please pray for me in this area.


Spirituality/Religion I am attending church and praying regularly but I want to do my personal Bible study each day. On many days I don't get around to it.

Please pray that I will do my daily Bible Study and that I will enjoy it.

I am enjoying serving the church in the position of secretary and I am gradually getting the hang of it.


Cleanliness I have been able to clean at least once a week which is a vast improvement. Pray that I will continue this and gradually move to 2-3 times a week as I get more energy.

Anyway that's all from me for now.

God Bless

Amber

Change of Church Leadership

"In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds." Psalm 45:4

This evening I read Psalm 45 to the church. It is both a wedding song and a prophecy about the 'wedding' between Jesus and the church. It is really flamboyantly descriptive and was wonderful to read. Verse 4 (quoted) was my favourite verse - mainly because 1) it mentions humility and majesty in the same breath and 2) It includes the word 'awesome' at the end.

Anyway today was the day for our previous Assistant Pastor (Dan Shepheard) to become the real deal. He takes the place of Mikey Lynch who will step into the Assistant Pastor's role for one year and then move on to University Ministry.

David Jones (the minister for our group of churches) preached a rousing sermon on Psalm 45 asking us to do several things - among them were support Dan in encouragement, finances and prayer, long for Jesus to come back, expect that people will want to become Christians when they hear our testimony about Jesus and be really spiritually charged.

I want to take this opportunity to welcome Dan into the ministry and also to say a public thank you to Mikey for his years at Crossroads. Both Mikey and Dan are inspiring godly men (albeit with different styles) and I hope and pray that the transition will go well for both men, and for the Crossroads community.

God Bless you all.

Amber

Old School Friends - Vanessa

NB: Don't worry I have permission to write about Vanessa - I'm not going to write about anyone without their permission.

Anyway about Vanessa.

I first met Vanessa in (I think) Grade 8 because we were in the same netball team.

Later we were both in the same class for many things - most notably Maths and Social Science.

I remember Vanessa as short and energetic and really allergic to cats. She told me nothing has changed except that she now has two children. I told her I was in awe of anyone who was able to raise children.

Vanessa remembered me as 'very intelligent' and very good at English. She said she wasn't surprised I'd written a novel. I was happy about that.

I asked her if I was a difficult teenager and she said no more than anyone else which was a relief as I always envisoned myself as difficult.

Vanessa is also renowned for introducing me to my first boyfriend Rene when I was nineteen.

In terms of spirituality Vanessa has just gone back to church and is rediscovering the faith of her adolescence.

I had a great time with Vanessa and hope to keep in touch.

God Bless Vanessa and all my other readers.

Amber

Another Beautiful Beach (Boat Harbour)

Hi Everyone

Yesterday I had a wonderful and relaxing day with my friends Eleanor, Megan and Karl, and Megan and Karl's children. We went to Boat Harbour beach.

It is hard to tell from the photo but the water at Boat Harbour is the most brilliant blue. It is so beautiful that it makes me marvel and thank God for his creation.

The sand is also really, really white. It is a picture perfect beach.

When Megan and Karl left Eleanor and I walked along the beach. The photo on the top shows what we saw. I was fascinated by the red, glutinous looking anenomes nicknamed 'blood suckers' which were all over the rocks. I thought they too looked beautiful.

I am so grateful to God for making this scenery and to conservationists and residents for making sure it is not spoiled.

God Bless you all

Amber

Appreciating Beauty Part Two (Man Made Beauty)

This is a painting I bought from local artist Rebecca Brogan at Salamanca. She had a nightmare in which demons were attacking her and got up and praised God.

I love both the colours and the message. It is psychologically and spiritually true that if we concentrate on the positive the negative will retreat. After all it is ultimately God's world and He is the greater power.

I think it is also part of our nature to be appreciative and soothed by beauty. The more beautiful and artistic a place is the calmer I feel. This is as true of man-made beauty as it is of natural beauty.

I am especially appreciative of visual art because I have poor spatial skills and can't do it myself but I can understand the creative processs as I write and act.

Anyway to see more of Rebecca Brogan's art look out for her at Salamanca or go to http://www.jtbarts.com

God Bless you all

Amber

The Beauty of Nature (Russell Falls)

"Every now and again take a good look at something not made with hands, a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance you are not alone in the world." Sidney Lovett



Pictured is Russell Falls in the Mount Field National Park. Both the falls and the walk there were so incredibly beautiful I felt awe, excitement and closeness with God.

Beauty, for me, is not optional. I need to see beautiful things in order to have peace within my soul.

When I was a child in Somerset, near Burnie, I would go down to the beach whenever I needed to calm down, to think or to talk with someone alone.

The beach, and its beauty, were very important in my childhood and this has become generalised now to nature generally.

It helps me, also, to know that God has an appreciation for beauty. After all He created the scenery. I therefore thank Him for creating such picturesque settings and pray that I will continue to appreciate them and not take them for granted.

God Bless to all my beautiful friends and family.

Amber