http://www.philbaker.net politics, economics, philosophy, theology, media, words, church growth, poetry, running, cooking and stuff en Copyright 2004 Riverview IT http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6349 Nehemiah 1,1Chronicles 15,Ps 86 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6347 The Word of God gives us great help in attaining thepeace we need. It is living, very lively and active insezing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting himto the heart, and in comforting him and binding upthe wounds of the soul. It is powerful. It convincespowerfully, converts powerfully and comforts powerfully.Matthew Henry 1662-1714English Bible Commentator http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6348 Happened to consult again my Dictionary.com app for my iPhone and the Word of the Day is ...Salient - means "noticeable, conspicuous, prominent, forcing itself on the attention." Made me think - what "salient" person or situation or challenge will God place in front of me today? God tends to do this because I suspect that he is far more interested in the development of my character than in the maintenance of my comfort. And, the reality is, God often positions us to see something or someone right in front of us because he has equipped us and expects us to do something about it.Such was the experience of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. God placed before him the challenge - returning the people of God from exile in Babylon and rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. But God also positioned him in such a place and at such a time that he could do something about it - he was right alongside Artaxerxes I of Persia, the one human person who could make both things possible. And you can see the realisation dawn upon Nehemiah in 1:11 when he makes that beautiful statement, "I was cupbearer to the king." Where has God put you? What has God put in you? What has God put before you? When you step forward and connect those three, you often find yourself in Gods purposes for your life. http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6346 The Word of God which you receive by your ear,hold fast in your heart. For the Word of God is the food for the soul.St. Gregory The Great 540-604Pope Church Father and Teacher http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6344 Acts 28,1Chronicles 14,Ps 85 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6343 Acts 27,1Chronicles 13,Ps 84 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6342 2Kings 25,1Chronicles 12,Ps 83 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6309 The name Georgia Therese Tear is perhaps unfamiliar to many who read this blog yet for me it is a name that I will never be able to forget. The name invokes the memory of a young grade 9 student at IGGS who sadly passed away in her sleep in 2008. I conducted the funeral before at least a thousand family and friends at the IGGS auditorium. It was perhaps the most emotive and moving experience of my pastoral life.Last year, at the request of the school and Georgia’s family I helped conduct a short memorial service where a seat was dedicated to Georgia’s memory.I stood there in front of the hundred or so gathered in the freezing outdoor cold – memories and tears flowed freely as we remembered being in the same place this time last year.I stood there as a pastor – a shepherd helping in some way a group of people continue their journey of grief and love. Sometimes in the busyness of life it is so easy for me to forget the real attributes of a pastor and shepherd. I know that my role includes being a ‘jack of all trades’ – amongst them leader, visionary, finance expert, strategist, human relations management and marketing guru – none of these I feel absolutely comfortable mentioning. Perhaps it is because I don’t feel competent in many of these areas. Now I hear pastors using terms to describe themselves as change agent, entrepreneur or culture setter – again perhaps none of these are entirely misplaced.Yet I didn’t feel like any of these terms applied when standing with a grieving family whose sense of loss and sadness was just as real as it was twelve months ago.My essential calling as someone with a pastor’s heart was very real to me. I cared deeply for the people before me, they wept I wept, my compassion seemed to be bottomless, my love for these people whom I do not really know was profound and real. My heart cried out to just make things the way they were before this tragedy happened.Then I realized that this is the part of me as a pastor that no one truly sees. People see the supposedly confident communicator on a weekend where mere fragments of a sentence or even a single word can create a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of gigantic proportions that erodes confidence like a mud slide tears a hillside apart.The invisible and vulnerable side of the calling as a pastor is often hidden from sight. This is the unseen heart that believes in people, loves people, trusts people, wants the best for people, grieves with people, cries with people and encourages people. It is the heart that hurts and scars far too easily at times, gets discouraged too often at times and realizes the weight of responsibility is sometimes too heavy to bear.Yet yesterday in the midst of all the emotion, with my heart so heavy for the family of Georgia, I wouldn’t have swapped being there for all the influence, wealth, prominence and status of a person who thinks they have all those things.For that is truly the pastor’s heart in action at its rawest level – perhaps the glimpse into this unique heart of a shepherd helps you understand me more! http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6341 2Kings 24,1Chronicles 11,Ps 82 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6340 2Kings 23, 1Chronicles 10, Ps 81 http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6337 The Bible is to us what the star was to the wise men;but if we spend all our time in gazing upon it,observing its motions, and admiring its splendor,without being led to Christ by it, the use of it will be lost to us.Thomas Adams 1871-1940English Architect and Town Planer http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6345 I am the great grandson of a Welsh coal miner who migrated to Ipswich at the age of 14 without his parents to start a new life. He did what his father did before him - he mined coal. He had fourteen children, one of which he lost in the bowels of the West Morton coal mines. His life was lived in the city of Ipswich.It was the same for my grandfather who was a businessman, local councillor, Deputy Mayor, and later in life a Minister of a local church. And my father was an electrician, medical practitioner, and local politician of this city. With that heritage how can I not love this city? How can I not be saturated with the virtues of community? How can I not have running deep within my veins a heartfelt passion for the city of Ipswich to be all that it was destined to be?I can truly say I am a son of the city. I am born and breed in Ipswich; I live and work here by choice. There is a deep sense of calling in my life that binds me to this city and will continue to bind me to this city. I have heard the stories from my grandfather and father of the richness and greatness of the city of Ipswich." Once we were even going to be capital of Queensland", I can recall them saying.They spoke of the community spirit of the citizens of Ipswich, their uniqueness, their sense of tolerance, their ethos of hard work and a fair go. They spoke of the great characters of this city, pioneers in areas of business, commerce, industry and sport. I believed them and so I was raised with a vision of the eminence of Ipswich before me.Yet Ive also stood in the midst of this city in the desperately hard times. I have seen the woollen mills close, coalmines shut and railway workshops diminish as the heart of manufacturing was torn from this city. I saw families leave this city reluctantly as jobs decreased. I saw families, close to me, lose fathers, sons and brothers when Box Flat mine exploded. I saw how a politician played the race card and divided a tolerant city, despite the fact that within its borders 70 nationalities co-existed, speaking 90 languages, a better model of multiculturalism I have not seen. I saw Ipswich at the forefront of every newspaper and television news bulletin but for all the wrong reasons with crime and unemployment the headline. These were the desperate times and yet the tales of greatness told to me by my family caused me to never give up hope.Sometimes however when I was asked, "Where do you come from?" I was tempted to whisper West of Brisbane instead of proudly proclaiming Ipswich with a loud and clear voice. And then it happened. There didnt seem to be a set time for its awaking but the city started to blossom. Suddenly, not only its citizens, but others from within our nation and overseas discovered the beauty and hidden potential that was always here.Now I see the potential of Ipswich flourishing. National and international business and commerce leaders making Ipswich their corporate home. Outstanding education facilities including our world class university campus. Innovative technology industries including an aerospace industry centred on Australias largest operational RAAF base at Amberley. A lifestyle so attractive that people are discovering the beauty of our city and its people once again. We are not Brisbane yet we are linked to Brisbane.The story of Ipswich is not finished by any means - in fact it is only just beginning a new chapter. It is a chapter of hope and of a future and it is a story of the uniqueness and richness of a truly great city and the wonderful people who call Ipswich their homeI am one of many who believe the best for my city is still to come. I am proud to call Ipswich home. http://www.philbaker.net/blog/6339 Acts 26,1Chronicles 9,Ps 80