
FEBRUARY
1 Joondalup Baptist College Year 12 orientation/motivation
3-5 Adelaide Branch, Prayer breakfast, church
6 Alternative Philosophies presentation
11 Passing The Baton Children’s Workers Resourcing Day (CMN)
18 Wedding (Mel & Steve)
19 Windsurfing camp reunion
23-27 Los Angeles, USA: The Tribe combined meeting
27-6 Guadalajara, Mexico: OAC International Conference, including open-airs
MARCH
…6 Guadalajara, Mexico: OAC International Conference
7-13 Chicago, USA: Willow Creek cousins, and The Tribe
17 Glen Echo camp reunion
25 Emmanuel school service
25 Mandurah Baptist College school service
APRIL
2-5 Easter school presentations
?-? and
13-18 Family Camps
2012 the end of the world?
I admit to mixed emotions when I think about 2012:
1) Serious: I do take seriously that one day there will be an end to time-as-we-know-it. And it may even be within our life-time, because of the exponential way global limits are coming to a head, like over-population, economics, energy supply, environmental limits, and gospel communications. But not in 2012.
2) Bemused: The Mayans simply ran out of room on their calendar stone! Hollywood is great at making block-buster, global events over stories based on the flimsiest of pretexts (Hello, Dan Brown.) If you’ve lived more than a decade, you’ve seen lots of these end-of-the-world predictions come and go. We know it’s just another fear-driven marketing tool!
3) Steadfast, excited, scared, trusting: Things are coming to a head, but haven’t yet. I can’t tell the future, but I can tell you the end of the world won’t be in 2012, because Jesus says no-one knows the time of the end-of-the-world: it will take us all by surprise, like a thief in the night.
So in 2013 I’ll be saying, “I told you so, no-one knows!” And then maybe, Bam! the end might come.
Whenever it comes, I’ll face it like I face death: with a mixture of grief, sadness, loss, fear-of-the-unknown, yes, but also excitement-about-the-Known, faith, love, relief, maybe even a sense of adventure. And I can only say those positive things because:
1. I’m convinced of the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection, and
2. the living dynamic of the Holy Spirit within me as the first deposit of that spiritual Life to come.
So then, you must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him. (Matthew 24 & 25)
Live as if He is already here – because He is!
Then the last day will have continuity with the New Day.
