In The Telling

Story=Power - 2 - in small group

2012-01-16T16:15:00.001+11:00

Story

Strategy

Story=Power - 1 - in sermon

2012-01-16T16:09:00.003+11:00

Story

Strategy

The Serpent Scroll

2009-02-27T05:41:00.001+11:00

Getting kids excited about the Bible has been my passion for over 20 years. Here's my first book-shaped attempt!

"The Serpent Scroll" is an imagination exploding journey into the Bible for upper primary aged kids. Once they have read this, I guarantee, they will never see the Bible as boring again!

Order your copies today and tell everyone else to do the same!

Call your local Adventist Book Centre and request a copy.
Or, type "serpent" into the search field at:
http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/

And start blessing kids with books that get them into the Bible!

Second Chances

2008-10-23T08:06:00.001+11:00

Second Chances (a poem)
by David Edgren

Would God give a second chance
to a fool like me?
There is no reason for Him to glance
at my open plea.

I can only dream
and only pray
and only hope
that I can say,

"Yes, God gives second chances
to fools like me."

Hole

2008-10-23T08:00:00.001+11:00

Hole (a poem)
by David Edgren

She gently reached out
and carved a hole in his chest
slowly rotating her hands
until she had a firm grasp
on the heart of the man.

He sat in marveled bliss
as she slowly removed his heart
holding it gently in her hands
where she kept it safely
for quite some time.

If only he could see that she
would surely put his heart back
in the hole she had so gently made
and then run quickly away leaving
the hole and a wounded heart.

If only he would realize that
a hole in a mans chest chiseled
out by female hands is the
slowest hole to heal and the
heart sometimes bleeds.

An artist does not understand
their skill and few artists ever
admit that they have the talent
that everyone else sees
shown with such grace.

He pretends she is not an artist
doing what she has learned
over time with many hearts
and many men.
He doesn't want to see...

The Gift

2008-10-23T07:58:00.001+11:00

The Gift (a poem)
by David Edgren

I give you this gift,
hold it with care,
for the weight can shift,
and it can tear.

I've had it for many years,
and over it shed many tears.
Now I give this gift away,
and with you, I hope it will stay.

I release to you my greatest treasure,
and with it I hope you never part.
This gift I give, of such great measure,
is the gift of my heart.

2005-10-23T14:14:00.000+11:00

Marching Men
by David Edgren

Props
4 chairs

Characters
Inventor
Narrator
4 Marching Men (MM1, 2, 3 & 4)

Set Up
Four chairs sit next to each (Dressed like toy soldiers)
other facing the audience
Inventor stands at one end of chairs

Sketch

Narrator: “Once upon a time there was an inventor who loved to create fantastic contraptions. Over his lifetime he had completed many unique inventions and had many patents to his name. As the crowning effort of his career he invented four Marching Men.”

Marching Men come in from side of stage singing, “Oh we’re marching, marching, marching. Oh we’re marching, marching, marching. Etc...” and march in a circle around the chairs and the inventor. Each time a Marching Man passes the Inventor he yells out the number of times that he has went around the chairs.
Just before they get to the number six the inventor steps into their path and faces them. When the first man reaches the inventor he halts abruptly and yells, “SIX!” The man behind him runs into his back, yells, “SIX!” and stops. The other two do the same.

Inventor: (to MM1) “You’ve been working hard. Would you like to take a rest?”

MM1: (Shouts) “I was made for marching and marching is what I shall do!” MM1 does a 45 degree soldier turn to face audience and then takes one stiff legged step forward.

Inventor: (to MM2) “You’ve been working hard. Would you like to take a rest?”

MM2: (Shouts) “I was made for marching and marching is what I shall do!” MM2 does a 45 degree soldier turn to face audience and then takes one stiff legged step forward.

Inventor: (to MM3) “You’ve been working hard. Would you like to take a rest?”

MM3: “Yes, actually I would.”

Inventor: “Please take a seat.”
MM3 sits in third chair.

Inventor: (to MM4) “You’ve been working hard. Would you like to take a rest?”

MM4: (Looks a bit confused with the situation and then resolutely shouts) “I was made for marching and marching is what I shall do!” MM4 does a 45 degree soldier turn to face audience and then takes one stiff legged step forward.

The inventor goes around behind MM3 and begins rubbing his shoulders while the other three continue marching and singing. (They should take longer to make the lap than normal and yet seem to be marching harder - lift knees higher and take smaller steps) As they pass by MM3 the inventor prods him to join the group again. He jumps into his position between MM2 and MM4. As they get to the end of the lap they each yell “SEVEN!”

The Marching Men keep marching but begin counting at “ONE!” again. The exact same scenario as above is done again until the “SEVEN!” is reached.

On the third ‘week’ as they are marching MM4 falls over dead on lap two, MM1 dies on lap three, MM2 dies just before completing lap five. MM3 continues marching until “SIX!” and then the inventor stops him.

Inventor: “You’ve been working hard. Would you like to take a rest?”

MM3: “Yes, thank you” and sits in chair.

Inventor begins rubbing MM3’s shoulders. After a few seconds MM3 turns to Inventor and speaks.

MM3: “What happened to my friends?”

Inventor: “They all ran out of stamina and their systems shut down.”

MM3: “Why didn’t you make them rest?”

Inventor: “I made all four of you to march. Rest was only a gift that I offered you. You were not required to take it, only to know that it was available. The freedom to choose was left to each of you.”
MM3: “Well, if they died already, how long will I live?”

Inventor: “At the rate your going, I reckon you’ll live forever.”

Scene freezes for five seconds. All five actors leave stage together.

THE END

DADDY'S EMPTY CHAIR

2005-10-16T08:15:00.000+11:00

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come
and pray with her father.
When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed
with his head propped up on two pillows.
An empty chair sat at his bedside.
The minister assumed that the old fellow had been
informed of his visit.
"I guess you were expecting me, he said.
'No, who are you?" said the father.
The minister told him his name
and then remarked,
"I saw the empty chair and I figured
you knew I was going to show up,"
"Oh yeah, the chair,"
said the bedridden man.
"Would you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this,
not even my daughter," said the man.
"But all of my life I have never known how to pray.
At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer,
but it went right over my head."
I abandoned any attempt at prayer,"
the old man continued,
"until one day four years ago,
my best friend said to me,
"Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter
of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest."
"Sit down in a chair;
place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair.
It's not spooky because he promised,
'I will be with you always'.
"Then just speak to him in the same way
you're doing with me right now."
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it
a couple of hours every day.
I'm careful though
If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair,
she'd either have a nervous breakdown
or send me off to the funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story
and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil,
and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called
to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
Did he die in peace?" he asked.
Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock,
he called me over to his bedside,
told me he loved me
and kissed me on the cheek.
When I got back from the store an hour later,
I found him dead.
But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before Daddy died,
he leaned over and rested his head
on the chair beside the bed.
What do you make of that?"
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,
"I wish we could all go like that."

Discipline and Discipleship in our Schools

2005-08-24T14:32:00.000+10:00

By David Edgren

Where our schools were once designed as a safe place for our kids, they are now, by necessity, being redesigned to mentor secular kids and evangelise them with the basic stories and teachings of the Bible. This restructuring has been necessary due to the huge influx of non-Christian kids that are enrolling and enjoying our Adventist schools. Why are secular people attracted to Christian schools? The parents are told clearly that their children will be taught Christian beliefs and values. And, to our amazement, the parents often inform us that our values and teaching are the very reason they are enrolling their children in our school! Why?

In discussion on Aug 23, 2005 the Board of Directors for the Tasmanian Conference of The Seventh-day Adventist Church a number of reasons were unearthed. Primarily, it is our values based lifestyle that is so attractive to parents. Secular schools can promote a values based system, but the foundation of their system is a society that is focused on punishment for crime rather than healthy moralistic living. As Christians, we come from the exact opposite position. We are values based because our God is Love and his values compel and empower us. This difference results in public schools that have very little ground to stand on in convincing kids to be good for goodness sake and Christian schools that, following the example of Christ, teach and model servant leadership and self-directed behaviour. It is as if we have a virus of goodness and purity with which the world wants to be infected. As Pastor Kevin Amos, President of the Tasmanian Conference, stated, “People want to catch what we’ve got!”

In has been said that if you make a better mousetrap or preach a better sermon, the world will make a beaten path to your door. This is what is happening in our Schools. Our mousetrap is effective at catching the unkempt kids of today’s world and turning out passionate young people who pursue righteousness. Our sermon is one of being “other’s focused” and Christlike. It is a sermon that public schools cannot preach. And it is a very effective and life changing message!

What precisely is it that draws the world to our doorstep? According to Neil McGrath, Principle of Northwest Christian School in Penguin, Tasmania, the specific drawing cards are our values (such as respect and clean language), our lifestyle, our peace of mind, and our detail to the little things in regard to the character development of their children. In a nutshell McGrath said, “The parents are drawn to the differences between us and other schools. And the kids actually like to be disciplined.”

It was this statement that got me fired up! A continuum of Christian experience formed itself on the paper in front of me. The word discipline is negative (at least every time I heard it as a kid I didn’t like it!). The word discipleship, on the other hand, is one of training, empowerment and Christian growth. Discipleship is a foreign concept to the world and is exclusively Christian to those who do understand it. The actual concepts of discipleship and discipline are parallel. They are the same process, but from different foundations. Secular society disciplines wayward kids, youth and adults through it’s various disciplinary systems. Christian organisations, however, disciple people toward their Christlike potential and purpose.

The shift in thinking that happens at the cross is radical. We move from being controlled from the outside – discipline – to being controlled from the inside – discipleship. Our compulsion to obey comes not from rules and regulations, but from the indwelling Spirit of God. We are drawn toward glorifying God through emulation and away from impressing our peers and leaders through obedience. Our nature becomes Christ-centred rather than self-centred, and our desire to obey comes from a passion to represent our God as accurately as possible rather than to identify ourselves as inherently good people deserving of praise.

So, back to school. Why does our Christian principled educational system draw secular people? Because we are representing Christ. What happens if we cease to represent Christ and begin to focus on our values based system? I would suggest very dangerous things would happen. If, on the other hand, we as Christian leaders and educators keep our connection to our Saviour strong through daily devotions and passionate prayer then our nature, as his representatives, will continue to draw all men to Jesus!

In His Image - Edge Article

2005-08-07T07:50:00.000+10:00

I wrote this article for The Edge magazine. I've been a columnist for the edge for over three years now. I love writing! Enjoy.

Ever wanted to be a Samson? Rippling muscles, long flowing hair, powerful persuasion tactics (killing a few thousand men with the jawbone of an ass is no small feat!)

Or perhaps being an Esther is more your style. Gorgeous, brave, picked in a line up by the most powerful man in the land. (Did you know she spent a year being bathed in oil, perfumes and cosmetics before the big day?)

Whatever the case, guess what? Samson had serious pride issues and Esther was afraid of rejection. Sure, they would have been on the cover of Sport’s Illustrated, Rolling Stone, and The Edge. But, all celebrities – no matter how great they look – have human hearts and frail spirits. Just like us.

Samson trusted his strength to make up for his character deficits. Don’t. It doesn’t work. Whenever he lost his temper he blew a gasket. Once he ripped a lion apart. Another time he tied foxes tails together and burned his enemies fields. There was also the time he ripped the city gates from the ground and carried them to the top of the nearest hill. Or the time he killed 30 men to steal their clothes in order to pay a debt he owed. You never read of Samson walking quietly into a café and ordering a Latte. He didn’t do ‘civilized.’ His pride led him to misery. Eyes gouged out, head shaved, pushing a mill wheel round and round and round. Why? Because he trusted his strength. He had muscles on his muscles, but his character was paper thin. And it was character in the end that really mattered. It always is.

You can’t put a photo of character on the front of a glamour magazine. You can’t write an article with 10 steps to the perfect character. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a decision. And another one. And another one. For years and years – as many as you live – every decision you make. When your beauty has faded, your character has just begun. Paul said, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

There are a lot of things we think of when we ponder Heaven. Streets of gold. The tree of life, sea of glass, a river coming from the throne of God. Sitting at Jesus feet. But, of all that will be in Heaven, there is only one thing that you will have brought with you. The rest will already be there. That one thing is your character.

Every angle the media comes from leads us to the conclusion that looks are everything. But your character begins where skin deep ends. Do you want to be truly beautiful? Start with your heart. Do you want true strength? Develop a Christlike character. Look at Jesus. Every day. The more you do, the more you will become like Him. And when you get to Heaven, He’s going to give you a new body. But your character will continue from where you left off before his second coming! So, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) Let us explore His perfect character. We are, after all, made in His image.

Rocks in my Head!

2005-08-06T00:38:00.000+10:00

Rocks in my Head!

By David Edgren

Foolishness to the world - I've got rocks in my head

1 Cor 1:20-25

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Do Christians have rocks in their heads?

To the world – it appears that way!

Illus: James (Video Store) - Do U get lots of schizophrenics becoming Christians?

- the deeper the sin, the greater to forgiveness

Romans 5:20 - The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

- Christ draws those who struggle - his answers are amazing!

“You must really enjoy getting together with people of other faiths and sharing what you believe!?”

Illus: “Circle of light” cooperative gathering for the sharing of common ideals.
- Asked to share, “What is unique about LOVE in your faith?”
- Scorpion Story - even our God is Foolish - his nature is unchanging

Body of Christ - Jesus is Head - The ROCK is my Head

1 Cor 12::27 - We are all part of the body of Christ.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Eph 5:29,30 - Christ loves the church (his body)

²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body.

When we claim Jesus as our Saviour he saves us. When we claim him as Lord we serve him. This means that he becomes our master, our leader, our example and the head of our body.

Eph 4:15-16 - become like Jesus, made fit by the head

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The church is the body of Christ. Each of us is part of his body. We are each needed. It is important to remember though, that he is the head. We must take our commands from him. He is the control centre of the church. The more we listen to his will the more accurate and effective we become at serving him.

Everything is learned by repetition. Only in training our bodies to obey our head can we grow, mature and develop skills. Synapses in the brain take training. Repeated enough they become reflex. Every athlete practices until the actions become 2^nd nature – reflex. The unnatural becomes natural!

Illus: firing a gun – Hyampom, waving the gun in Tim’s face.

Using a gun effectively takes hand, eye, posture, brain for correction. Even your index finger is important! very! And it even takes training in etiquette! If we are not in constant connection with the Head – Christ – we loose our ability to serve Him effectively.

Col 2:18-19

¹⁸Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. ¹⁹He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Without the head the body is in real trouble. It is interesting in nature to see this acted out. It may seem a bit odd and even disgusting, but let’s explore the nature of the body without the head attached…

Illus: Types of death - like cutting an animals head off - different responses

1. Rattle snake - body thrashes, head keeps biting! (Satan)
2. Lamb – Doesn’t flinch or make a noise - willing (Jesus)
3. Chicken - Head dies, body goes crazy! (church)

It is very important that we remain connected to Christ. We don’t want to be a headless body of any sort! How can we be sure that the Rock – Jesus – is truly the head of our body? How can you know that you are fully connected to him?

Rom 12:4-5 - we need each other! We are each gifted in unique ways.

³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to hisfaith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

When we are working together for a common purpose – to bring the lost to Christ – then we know that we are part of the body. When Christ’s purpose overwhelms our own desire we know we are connected to the Christ – the HEAD! When we value every other church member as of equal value – even more honourable – than ourself we are truly becoming an integrated part of the body of Christ. Forgetting ourselves for the glory of God! This is true Christianity!

Always on my mind & in my heart - The Rocks in my Head!

2 cor 5:20 - ambassadors for Christ to World

²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Matt 7:24-27 - those who hear & follow are wise

²⁴"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Matt 28:18-20 - Mission statement!

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Acts 1:8 - go Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria & the Ends of the Earth!

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Progression - home first then out in steps

Conclusion:
Your story is your weapon against the Devil! Tell your story – How you met Jesus and how He saved you – tell it well and tell it often. And when you find someone who believes then lead them to Jesus! Even if it’s only one person a year – there is HUGE potential!

Multiplication vs addition
yr 1 - 1 Christian (A) leads 1 person (B) to Christ
yr 2 - A disciples B, A & B each lead 1 person to Christ
yr 3 - A&B disciple C&D, A-D lead 1 person to Christ
yr 4 - A-D disciple 4, A-H lead 1 person to Christ
yr 5 - 8 disciple 8, 16 lead 16 to Christ
yr 6 - 16disciple 16, 32 lead 32 to Christ
yr 7 - 32d32, 64l64 (Rosny in 6 yrs! From 1 person!!)
yr 25 - 33 million Christians!!!

Illustration: Saving Hamsters

Saving Hamsters

2005-08-05T12:24:00.000+10:00

When I was in Year 7 I decided to raise a little money. I bought two hamsters. A boy hamster. And a girl hamster. When they were old enough the girl hamster had babies. I had talked to the local pet store and they had assured me that they would buy the babies from me once they had hair.

The morning after the first litter of hairless baby hamsters were born I carefully added food to the dish and water to the bottle on the side of the cage. As I was leaving my room to head off to school I realized that it was quite cold on my desk in the corner where the aquarium with the little family in it was resting. So, I quickly picked up their home and moved it over to the window where the morning sun could warm the babies and parents.

When I returned from school I was heart broken to find that the sun had mercilessly cooked all of the babies. The mum and dad were fine. But the heat had been too much for the fragile newborns. They were all dead. All seven of them. I felt horrible. It was my fault. If only I would have left them on the desk. If only. I knew they needed sun. But they also needed protection from the sun.

When the next litter was born I devised a plan. I arranged the aquarium so that only half of it would get sun. Then they could get some sun, but still have the freedom to move away from the sun. But the little babies didn’t get the point. They didn’t see the grand plan and they just sat there in the sun. And cooked.

So, with litter three I added a new phase to my plan. I went to the fridge and got a small piece of cheese. Then I went to the spice rack and got the black pepper, some coriander and a pinch of salt. It was perfect. I went and arranged myself so that I was leaning over their aquarium. And then I ate the cheese. It worked. Slowly… But it worked. The mixture was perfect and I began to shrink. Soon I was only the size of one of the parent hamsters and I was sitting on the edge of the aquarium swinging my legs. I dropped into the aquarium, making sure not to land on any of the third litter. I curled into a ball and the final phase of my incarnation medication kicked in. I grew fur, four little pink feet and a really cute wiggly nose. I was a hamster! Yes! But I still had all my human super smarts. I had a plan and it was in full swing.

I went to the little baby pinkies and said, “Hey guys, spend a bit of time in the sun and then move over into the shady side. Don’t get cooked like those who have gone before you.” They just stared back at me – with closed eyes and wiggling noses. I tried again, “The sun is hot! The sun – that big round thing out the window – it gets real hot. It’ll warm you up. But, then you’ve got to move! Ok?” They squeeked in my general direction. Had they understood? I couldn’t tell.

By this time their parents had come to check out the new hamster that had dropped from above. They waddled up to me and nuzzled me for a bit. Suddenly I had a thought, These are the parents! The guardians of the little ones. I’ll tell them! So, I did. They didn’t seem impressed. Their response baffled me. They said, “Nope. That’s not why the babies die. They just die. The have all died. Death is inevitable. Nothing we can do about it. And we reckon, why not die warm. So, we put them in the sun while they die.” I was dumbfounded. I tried to correct their misconceptions. It’s the sun that’s killing them! They didn’t like my ideas. Who was I to correct them anyhow?

I went and began picking the babies up in my little bucktoothed mouth and carrying them to the cool corner. The parents began squeaking uncontrollably. After I dropped a baby in the shade and headed back to pick up the next one, the mother would grab the one I’d just dropped and move it back into the sun. It was useless, but I kept trying. And trying. And they kept ruining every attempt I made.

Then I had another idea. I began furiously pulling out all of my hair. The two adult hamsters stopped scurrying and watched me in fascinated horror. I ripped out every bit of hair that I could reach with my teeth. Then I explained, “You are adults. You have hair. Your hair protects you from the sun. Watch.” Then I went over and laid down in the sunny corner. On top of the babies. Protecting them from the sun that was bearing down on us. I began to get hot. Very hot. My breath started to speed up. My back stung where the sun seared my hairless skin. My breath became like breathing fire. Finally it was too much and my little hamster body died. The parents saw me stop breathing. They approached carefully and sniffed. I was dead. They pushed their noses against me and rolled me off of their little ones. Then they buried me with the sawdust that covered the floor of their home.

Moments later my dead body began to pulse. It began to swell. Life returned to me. But I was stretching out of my hamster shape. I was back to the shape of a boy. As I grew tall enough I grabbed the side of the aquarium and climbed over onto the desk. I continued to grow until I was back to my normal size. I hopped off the desk and knelt down to look through the glass. What effect had my example had. Had my death accomplished anything? I watched in overwhelmed happiness as the father and mother hamster gently picked up their babies and moved them into the shade. It had worked. My death had given life to my little creatures. And my example had changed the worldview of two little furry parents.

When did you stop believing my story? How much of it was true? I did raise hamsters when I was in year 7. I did cook a cage full of them in my window. But, I had to solve the problem in a different way. Every day I had to move the aquarium into the sun for an hour and then back to the shade. The parents didn’t understand. And I wasn’t able to become one of them to teach them, to die for them, to show them how much I loved them.

But Jesus did. He had that power. He became one of us. He, the God of the universe – our Creator – took on our broken form and allowed himself to be crucified so that we could live. This is foolishness. Foolishness to the world. But it is life to us who are being saved.

I would rather be a fool for Christ – praising his name, exposing my faith and inviting the world to him. I would rather be a fool for Christ, than the wisest man on this fireball waiting to happen. I choose life. I choose Jesus. What about you? Will you be a fool for Christ? Your story will be unbelievable. And people will tell you so. They will call you a fool and your story a pack of fairytales and lies. But, the more you tell it and the more the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of your listeners the more fruit you will see. People will come to Jesus. They will come out of the fiery future that awaits them without Christ and they will live. If…. If… If you are willing to be a fool for Christ.

40dKJB - Sermon 3 – My Response to Jesus

2005-07-22T21:53:00.000+10:00

Based on Discovering the Real Jesus by Bill Bright
Part 3: How Do I Respond to Jesus?

Illustration: The Car of Life.

Imagine that you are in a car travelling at extremely high speed. You look out the window and see things going by in a blur. The only thing that is clearly visible are the other cars travelling along side you. As you study these cars you realise something to your astonishment. You are not on a road. You are falling. Free falling. So, being an intelligent human being you whip out your calculator and jump into the back seat where you keep your trusty whiteboard and you begin doing some serious thinking.

Use whiteboard and explain Terminal Velocity.

So, now you understand your situation. You understand it very well, in fact. You have terms and definitions for every aspect of your situation. But you still have one VERY LARGE problem… You are falling, at Terminal Velocity, towards a sudden stop which is certain to end in death. In fact, you’ve got it on good authority that death is unavoidable. “The wages of sin is death.” You are falling. Falling. Falling. What will you do? You have two choices. 1. Recognise your fate and begin panicking – allow depression to overwhelm you and morosely await your demise. Or… Option 2. Ignore your fate – Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. These are the two reactions to a live of meaninglessness and certain death. We see these two reactions in every person in the world who hasn’t heard of option number 3. Some people are sick, lonely, angry and depressed about life. Other are extreme, crazy, party hard, laugh it off, love is lust and risk death at every turn because life’s inevitable conclusion is death and why not go out in a blaze of glory?

But we know option 3. “The wages of sin is death… BUT… the gift of God is eternal life.”

Without Jesus the car is catapulting towards Hell

No road. Just free fall. I can seem like a lot of fun. Free falling is. But the sudden stop at the bottom

will kill you!

With Jesus the car is put on the road – on the straight and narrow.

Jesus is the road

He is the way, the truth, the life. With him you’re on track. Without him – you are lost.

The Holy Spirit is the navigator (Rally car racing – right 3, left 5)

What happens if you are not listening?

The Bible – Road Map – Imagine if you never read it! “It’s alright, I’m on the road!” (the road to where?)

There are a few things that are required for life on the road that are not required for life in free fall.

A working engine – a broken down car won’t go – You need to be a healthy, balanced, well tuned person.

Petrol – Put water in your petrol tank. Petrol prices are high. Just put water in your tank. Why not?

You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. With God’s power and leading. Not mans ideas!

A law abiding driver – doing it your own way will get you killed & possibly someone else

Ill: Teenage driver in Germany – hit Aussie team – killed one, injured 5

“Australia's next generation of women road racers has suffered a terrible blow after six members of the team were stuck by a car while training in Germany. Amy Gillett was killed while team mates Louise Yaxley and Alexis Rhodes were seriously injured when an 18-year-old learner driver veered across the road and struck the riders on Monday.”

Something as simple as crossing the middle line – can end life. – Such a little rule – such horrible consequences when it’s broken!

Why is the Law important? Because it saves lives! It get’s you to your destination safely. The Law protects us. That is why the Bible can say that the Law gives freedom. It set’s you free from death and destruction!

Moral Relativism: This is the worldview that our society is currently subscribing too. It’s basic premise is that your reality defines your morals. Therefore each of us has different morals, different laws of life, different rights and wrongs – because each of us has a unique life experience. There is no absolute truth. Even to suggest such a thing is seen as self-righteous, arrogant and naive. It takes a generation or two to see the results of worldviews – what kind of person does it create? We are now discovering a generation of directionless, disenchanted, insatiable adrenaline junkies at one extreme, or dissatisfied, unmotivated depressed self-help addicts at the other extreme. And one thing is clear – Moral Relativism doesn’t work. We are all made to a common pattern and a common instruction manual brings us together and gives us hope as a people.

We have God’s Word. God’s Law. God’s way. And it has been demonstrated for generation upon generation that following God’s will brings us peace, joy, a purpose and an eternal reality. God has written for us a pattern that, if followed, will not fail to give us a hope and a future!

James 1:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

What is this Mirror we are to look into? God created us in His image. Therefore, if we look at God we should see an example of what we should look like. Moses once asked God to reveal himself – Show his glory – and God did. He wrote down his perfect law on stone. This law was a transcript of God’s character. So, if we look into the Law of God and reflect it in our lives – we will be representing the image of God! We are going to look into the mirror now. Remember what James said, “Anyone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like… is like a man who sees God’s law and doesn’t do what it says.” Let’s have a look at God’s perfect law – his 10 Commandments. The transcript of our God’s character…

The Ten Commandments are declared in Exodus 20. They were delivered directly by God nearly 3,500 years ago...

"And God spoke all these words, saying: 'I am the LORD your God…

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

What happens when we know God’s law and yet we ignore it? Can we drive our car on the straight and narrow without the Law? We’ve met Jesus, we’ve experienced his grace, we know about the cross, but we choose to ignore His recommendations and requirements… What happens to us? Will we stay on the road?

The answer is in Romans Chapter 1. It’s a long passage, but it is necessary that we read it so that we get the big picture! Let’s read Romans 1:21-32

²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

²⁸Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The natural reaction to rejecting God’s law is that we get sucked into the law of this world again. The law of grace and love is overwhelmed by the law of Self and Lust. And we are side tracked. We are pulled off the road. Our car swerves and we begin plummeting into chaos. There is only one way to stay on the road. Only one way to ensure that we are Heaven-bound track.

Romans 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The ONLY way to persevere, the only way to stay on track, is to “Fix your eyes on Jesus!” He started your faith and he will finish it. Our only job is to stay focused. Stay focused on Him and let him do his work in us. Sin is a struggle. You will have temptations. Satan will try to have his way with you. Many of Satan’s attacks will look like God has forgotten you. But, Paul continues this passage in Romans with a powerful challenge. He says, “Don’t see these tough times as random mishaps. See them as God providing you with growth opportunities!” How will you deal with the tough times? How will you deal with the temptations? Paul suggests, “Take it as an opportunity to grow! Say, ‘thank you Jesus for this chance to understand you and your suffering better! Take me through this!’ Grow through it. See it as God refining you!”

Romans 12:4-13

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son

⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³"Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Sounds like heresy, doesn’t it? God punishing us? God shaping us with hard times? God disciplining us? There is something interesting and overwhelming that happens when you become a child of God. He begins to do a good work in you. And sometimes that GOOD contradicts the BAD that clings so forcefully to your character – to your attitude – to your language – to your desires – to your heart. And when you enter God’s presence his holiness encounters your sinfulness. Isaiah was a prophet – a man of God. And when he saw God in vision God sent an angel with a burning hot coal from the altar and purified Isaiah’s lips – God burned Isaiah’s mouth! Why? From the words of Isaiah himself comes the answer, “I am a man of unclean lips.” God disciplined Isaiah for his unholy talk. And Isaiah “endured hardship as discipline.” Then God showed Isaiah his glory! Isaiah knew God had only the best in mind for him. God wanted Isaiah 100% and Isaiah wanted that too. The healing ember was God’s gift to Isaiah. Christ was the sacrifice on that altar. And Isaiah was forgiven for his sin. But, experiencing the sacrifice personally caused pain. And growth.

What is my point? What am I saying? What I’m saying is this – In all that happens to you, in all joys, in all struggles, in all pleasure and in all pain you can choose your response. Your response is your free will. No one can make you be bitter. That’s you – choosing to be bitter. No one can make you rejoice. That’s you – choosing to rejoice. Jesus died. That was his choice. No one made him do it. He himself said, “Do you not know that I could call 10,000 legions of angels to my defense?” Jesus “who for the joy set before him endured the cross” … Jesus – chose joy. He knew the joy awaiting him after the pain. And he focused on the joy. That’s how he was able to focus, in his dying moments, on his mother, on his accusers, on his nextdoor neighbor on the cross. Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross”. He calls you. He calls you to respond to what he did for you that day. What he did for you eternally. He offers his joy. And asks that you have his attitude – His attitude – until the day that joy arrives in the clouds of glory.

Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶as you hold outthe word of life.

If the God of the universe could humble himself so drastically to serve us, what act of service is beneath us? Is there anything – anything at all – that a true Christ-follower will not do in service to others?

What is your response? What is your response to Jesus?

Will you make the pilgrimage to Jesus? For thousands of years faithful followers of many faiths have made pilgrimages to holy places. The Isrealites came yearly to the day of atonement in Jerusalem. The devour Muslim longs to journey to Mecca. In the history of the Christian church our fathers-mothers-brothers and sisters in faith have journeyed to shrines all over Europe – shrines that were reputed to have healing properties – a nail from the cross of Christ, A shard from his tomb, the shroud he was wrapped in, a few hairs from the virgin mary’s head, a splinter from the cross. People would travel hundreds of miles by foot to have the power of God in their lives. Some made the journey to Rome and paid the price to remove a loved one from pergatory and then did the penance required – an “our father on each step” until you reach the door of the Vatican. Then your loved one shall be ensured passage to Heaven. Until the day that Martin Luther made the pilgrimage to Rome. And he realised that this was not the Gospel. Luther spent the rest of his life trying to convince people (and doing a fairly impressive job of it!) that God was available not in a certain place or through a certain ritual – but through the blood of Christ, now, right now, where you are. And it doesn’t cost a gold florin, it doesn’t require penance. It’s free. Jesus paid the price. You are free.

Jesus once encountered a young woman who was caught up in a payment and penance worldview. She expected to get what she deserved. She lay at his feet expecting the first stone at any moment. Jesus knelt down, took her head in his hands, looked into her eyes and said, “I do not condemn you. Now, go. Go and sin no more.”

And she, Mary Magdalene – forgiven much, loved much. She followed him until His dying day… and beyond. She chose to live God’s way because God’s love had changed her. She was blood bought. And there was no going back. She belonged to Jesus. With her whole heart!

You too, if you have fallen at his feet, have been forgiven much.

What is your response? What is your response to Jesus?

Eggcellent Churches

2005-07-19T12:26:00.000+10:00

At the LEAD Weekend I presented a lecture on strategies for a healthy church. Here are the slides and explaination of each...

We started the presentation by drawing something on an egg that represented us as an individual. Many of the eggs were very artistic. All were informative about the person.

There are many ways that church members cause damage to new attenders at church. Some are intentional, some are accidental. We must be careful not to CRACK our fragile baby Christians.

Every church member needs to represent Christ in the way they treat new people. We need to be healthy Christians ourselves so that we can be holistic in our natural representation of Christ. New people need an accepting place in which to learn to love Christ and his church.

Every church should be a place of Nurture, Evangelism and Worship. Every thing we do should be 100% of each. There is nothing that happens at church that would not benefit from including Nurture, Evangelism and Worship in the planning and implementing of the program or event.

Nurture: This is a model for group leaders - Head elder, small group leaders, Head of any department, Pastors, etc. With our small group of leaders we can DIVE into nurturing them. In focusing on fewer people we can minister them more completely. Every leader of leaders in a church should focus on Discipling their group members, Involving them in as much as possible, Visit with them often and Encourage them in their ministry and leadership.

Worship happens constantly in the life of a Christian. This worship may be in personal, family, small group, church, meetings, or many other forms. But, in all worship to experience true POWER we need to include Prayer, Obedience to God's law and will, study of the Word of God, Expressing our faith and appreciation of Christ's action in our lives and Rejoicing in all that Jesus has done for us and through us.

40dKJB - Sermon 2 - "Why is Jesus SO Important?"

2005-07-09T15:15:00.000+10:00

40 Days of Knowing Jesus Better

Sermon 2

Based on Discovering the Real Jesus by Bill Bright

Part 2: Why is Jesus So Important?

Introduction

God became man. The Creator of this Earth, The Creator of each star in the sky and every dust particle in the universe… became one of the creatures he had created. His power was so unfathomable that he could speak things into existence. He said, “let there be light.” And there was light… And it was good! Because of His power with words this God of ours became known as “The Word” John 1 says

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men….¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Explaining God

Explaining Jesus – is like explaining quantum physics…to a monkey.

If Jesus had spent his time trying to explain his true nature to the disciples his job would have been impossibly hard and their reactions to him would have been very different.

And Jesus said unto them, "And whom do you say that I am?"

They replied, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the ontological foundation of the context of our very selfhood revealed."

And Jesus replied, "What?"

Explaining the Trinity

Cyrus, “Jesus is God, right? Jesus’ Father is God too? How many God’s are there?”

Illustration: Soft cheese – sitting next to me on a cheese board with some crackers. Me, “How many pieces of cheese are there?” Cyrus, “one” Then I cut marks – dividing it into three sections. “Now how many pieces are there?” Cyrus smiled, “Three.” Me, “Yes there are three, but it is also one piece, isn’t it?” Cyrus, “Yep.” And that was good enough for Cyrus!

Explaining Christ’s Dual Identity – 100% man, 100% God (can be as hard to understand as the Trinity!)

Discussion with Joseph online – But he was man, but he was God!

John 1 – Word became flesh (forever!) Jesus will remain in this dual nature for eternity.

Did Jesus come as an example, a saviour or both?

Both… But a Saviour first.

The Saviour of the World

John 3:16-21

¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

OBJECTIVE #1 – Eternal life for those who accept his son

¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Statement on Objective #1 – If God’s primary goal was to give us an example then this text wouldn’t be here. Having a perfect example and being told to “live up to it!” would make us feel condemned.

¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Jesus has MADE believers perfect

Hebrews 10:10-14

we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. ¹³Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, ¹⁴because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

All were made perfect together – before & after the cross – at the cross

Hebrews 11 – none of them achieved their hope – they are hoping for Heaven

³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

The Central Message of Hebrews: JESUS IS INTERCEDING FOR US TO MAKE OUR PLACE IN HEAVEN SURE!

Heb 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This Messiah of ours!

The Passion of the Christ – after the movie everyone just sat there. For ALL of the Credits. No one left. Afterwards a girl stumbled to the front and fell on the floor weeping. A friend went to comfort her. And this was just a movie! Imagine the effect it must have had on those who knew Jesus, Loved Jesus and lived alongside him. And why did He do it? He did it for you. He did it for me. He did it for all of us.

Philippians 2:5-11

… Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (or bragged about)
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is God – the image of the invisible!

Colossians 1:15-17

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:1-3

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. ³The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

ONE MAN DIED ON A CROSS AND 2000 YEARS LATER HIS BLOOD IS STILL WASHING AWAY YOUR SIN!

That is why Jesus is SOOOO important.

He is so much more than whatever you think he is. He is infinitely overwhelming, extremely under valued, devastatingly ignored, occasionally praised and eternally worthy. Jesus is everything we need. He is life for mankind headed to death. He is Salvation to the lost. Jesus is…

Jesus is… Jesus. The Messiah. The Saviour. The friend of sinners. The forgiver of sins. And the giver of eternal life. Jesus truly is everything!

40dKJB - Sermon 1 - "Who is Jesus?"

2005-06-26T09:11:00.000+10:00

40 Days of Knowing Jesus Better
Sermon 1
Based on Discovering the Real Jesus by Bill Bright
Part 1: Who is Jesus?

Illus: Sign “Jesus is the Answer!”
Graffiti: “So, what’s the question?”
What is Jesus the answer to in your life? How do you answer this sceptics scribbling?

Blind Man – John 9
Questioned about the identity of Christ:
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God they said. "We know this man is a sinner." He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" John 9:24-25

Moses & the Burning Bush – “I AM that I AM!”
Jesus claimed to be the I AM who met Moses. In fact he claimed that he knew Abraham and was greater than “Father Abraham!”

John 8:58-59: "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

“I AM the living bread which came down from heaven.”
"I AM the light of the world.”
"I AM the door.”
"I AM the good shepherd.”
"I AM the resurrection and the life.”
"I AM the way, the truth, and the life.”
"I AM the true vine”
“I AM the Son of God”

Many paths to Heaven? All roads lead to God? Not according to Jesus. And not according to us if we believe in Jesus! Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. Not because we are arrogant or prideful… But because Jesus says “I AM the way, the truth, the life… the light, the door, the resurrection… I AM the one and ONLY son of God. And through the Son comes eternal life. Without the Son there is NO life.” Jesus is the only path to Heaven. Jesus is the only road to God.

What happens when someone finds Jesus? Truly finds him?

There is a story in all four Gospels about a woman who found Jesus. When she met Jesus she was changed. From death to life. From lost to found. It was night and day when Mary met the Christ.

Mary Magdalene
Caught in adultery
7 demons cast out
Sat at Jesus’ feet
Alabaster box – anointed him for his burial
She heard him say he was the Messiah. And She believed him.
She knew a king was to be anointed. She bought the special scented oil.
She heard him say he was going to die. And she believed him.
She knew a dead body needed perfume. So bought the Alabaster box.
She went to the party uninvited. She knew Jesus would be there.
She anointed the Messiah. She prepared his body for burial.
She believed and she acted on her belief.

Different pictures in different Gospels – It depends on who you talk to!
Matthew – Jesus fulfils the prophets. He is the Messiah!
Mark – Jesus is the God of the down and out – the poor, the non-jews, the women.
Luke – Jesus is a miracle worker.
John – Jesus is God. He was, and is and always will be – God!

John: Jesus is God – explicit statements and proofs
1. Woman at Well – John 4
a. Living water – Ask and you will never thirst again!
b. The Messiah will come and Explain
c. I am he!
d. “I have food you know nothing about!”
2. Bread of Life – John 6
a. The true bread comes from heaven and gives life to the world John 6:33
b. Moses didn’t give you Manna, my Father did. Now, the Father offers you not Manna, but God-Man! – John 6:32
3. Jesus is everything you need
a. “Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
b. Promise resurrection for those who believe, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:54

Mark’s “The Son of God”
1. In introduction – “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1
2. Demon – “We know who you are! The Son of God!” Mark 3:11
3. Centurion – “when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Mark 15:39

Why is it that only those who were “against” Christ recognised his divine nature? In Mark the heros are the poor and the Women – they see Jesus for who he really is. But, his disciples are constantly failing to see the whole picture. They see only what they want to see.

Mark’s Finish – 16:8 – “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”
THIS IS MARY MAGDALENE! Afraid? Silent? Bewildered? Not for long!
THAT Can’t be the end! We know it. Mark’s readers knew it. And early Christian scribes couldn’t leave Mark’s hanging ending alone – they HAD to finish the story. That was Mark’s intention.

Jesus – A good man? Not an option!
Liar, Lunatic or Lord.
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us." - Mere Christianity, CS Lewis

Jesus, the Son of God, truly is THE ANSWER!
So, what is the question? The question was presented by Jesus to his disciples. It is a question that anyone can answer. It is the answer however, that makes all the difference.

Jesus, “Who do people say that I am?”
Matt 15:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:81-27
Who do people say that I am?
Prophet… Elijah… John the Baptist…
Who do you say that I am?

Peter: “You are the Christ!”
What is your answer? Who is Jesus?
Is he just an historical figure? A good man? Who is Jesus?
Is he a man? Is he God? Is he both? What is your Answer? Who do you say that he is?

Nicodemous met Jesus at night “We know you are a teacher straight from God!”

Demons shouted, “This is Jesus, the Christ, the SON OF GOD!”

Peter said, “You are the Christ.”

Pilate asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “It is as you say!”

Caiphus the High Priest, asked, “Are you the Messiah?”
Jesus replied, “I AM!”

Mary ran and told the disciples, “Jesus is alive!”

Peter said on the day of Pentecost, “Jesus, whom you crucified, is alive!”

Who is Jesus?
Who do you say that he is?
Your answer will make all the difference!

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Scripts

2005-06-09T15:09:00.000+10:00

Script 1
Script 2
Script 3
Script 4
Script 5
Script 6
The Whale's Tale Parable

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 1

2005-06-09T15:02:00.000+10:00

The Whales Tale
By David Edgren

Script 1: Intro to 2^nd coming
Theme: 2^nd Chances

Name Animal Role Character
Octoposius Octopus Teacher Wise, serious
Oliver Oyster Follower Agrees with everyone, easy going
Archie (lead) Urchin Oldest Responsible, honest
Sebastian Crab Doubter Questions everything, searching
Stu Clown Fish Dumb Afraid of everything, skittish

Scene 1

Archie, Sebastian and Oliver pop up.

Archie: Hi Sebastian!

Seb: Hi Archie.

Oliver: Hey guys.

Archie: Oh, HEY Oliver! I didn’t see you over there!

Seb: That’s cause he was so clammed up! (laughs)

Oliver: I’m not a clam! I’m an oyster! A Silver-lipped Oyster to be precise!

Seb: Whatever! It’s all the same to me!

Oliver: I’d expect that coming from a gabby yabby!

Seb: A YABBY!?!? I’m no yabby! I’m a full grown Lobster thank you very much!

Archie: (laughs) He got you back, Sebastian!

Seb: I’m gonna go pinch him with my pincers. That’ll show him what a Lobster is all about!

Archie: Now Sebastian. Be nice. He was only kidding around. Just like you were. I have a question for you guys.

Seb: Oh, yeah?

Oliver: Really, what is it?

Archie: Have you heard of a Great Blue Whale that is going to take us to the surface?

Seb: Yeah, right. We don’t have any fins or flippers. We have to stay on the ocean floor.

Oliver: That’s true Sebastian. But, my Clam-pa told me a story about something like that when I was a baby.

Archie: (excited) Really?!? What did he say?

Oliver: I don’t remember. It was just a story he used to tell me before tucking me into my sea-bed at night.

Archie: Well, I heard two dolphins talking about it and I think it’s true! I’m gonna go ask Stu!

Seb: Cool! I’ll come with you.

Oliver: Yeah, me too…

The three disappear.

Scene 2

Stu comes up by himself.

Stu: (darting back and forth and shaking) I am so scared. I hate the open water. I feel so safe at home in my anemone. Darts back to his corner.

The three others pop up.

Seb: (yells) HEY STU! How are YOU!?

Stu: (screams) You scared me Sebastian! Don’t yell so loud.

Seb: (laughs) Calm down Stu. I was only kidding.

Oliver: You are sooo mean Sebastian.

Archie: Yeah, Sebastian. … Hey Stu, Have you heard of the Great Blue Whale?

Stu: (screams really loud) WHERE? A WHALE? WHERE? THEY ARE HUGE!!!

All three jump away from Stu in fright!!!

Seb: (Angry) BE QUIET, STU! What’s wrong with you?

Stu: I’m afraid of whales. Especially the Great Blue Whale – he’s the biggest one in the whole ocean!

Archie: (excited) So, you’ve heard of the Great Blue Whale?

Stu: Yes! They come and squish your anemone!

Oliver: We’re talking about the one and only Great Blue Whale. Not all the other Whales!

Stu: (screams again) What other whales!??! Are there lots of them? How far away are they?

Seb: (shouting and angry) STU! STOP SCREAMING! I am so sick of you. You are such a wimp. Do you know what your name means? STU? STU – PID! That’s you. Stupid. Cause you are always screaming about everything when there’s nothing to scream about.

Archie: Sebastian! That is not nice. You are being very mean.

Oliver: Yeah, Archie. You should not say such mean things.

Stu: (he’s right) I am stupid. I’m scared of everything. I gotta go.

Stu leaves.

Archie: Well done Lobster. Hope you’re happy.

Seb: Yeah, I am. Because he’s gone. What an annoying fish.

Oliver: I think we need to go talk to Octoposius about the Great Blue Whale. He knows everything.

Archie: Good idea. Let’s go.

They all disappear.

Scene 3

Octoposius comes up alone.

Oct: Hi Kids! My name is Octoposius. I am a the oldest octopus in all of these waters!

Oliver, Sebastian and Archie pop up.

Oliver: Hi Octoposius!

Archie: Hey Octoposius!

Seb: You know what? Stu is the most annoying fish in the whole ocean. And there are a lot of fish in the ocean.

Oct: Wow! You sound upset, Sebastian!

Seb: I am, because Stu is Stupid. And I told him so! He needs to learn to calm down. He’s always screaming. I really put him in his place.

Oct: Did he like it?

Seb: I don’t care. He had to hear it! About time someone told him the truth.

Archie: Sebastian yelled at Stu. Told him he was a stupid wimp.

Oct: That’s not very nice Sebastian. You were a very bad friend when you said such mean things.

Seb: (sad) Yeah, I guess so. I get carried away sometimes.

Oct: I think you need to go back and say sorry to Stu.

Seb: Yeah, I guess I should.

Oct: And will you.

Seb: ok.

Oct: You promise?

Seb: Yeah, I promise.

Oct: Good on ya, Sebastian. I’ll look forward to hearing your story of forgiveness next time you come to visit me.

Archie: Hey Octoposius. Is there really a Great Blue Whale who is coming to take us back to the surface?

Oct: (very happy) There sure is!

Oliver: WOW!

Archie: Can you tell us about him?

Oct: Sure, he is the most amazing creature to ever swim the seven seas! He loves us so much that he forgives us for all the bad things we do. Sebastian, when you say sorry to Stu The Great Blue Whale will forgive you even more than Stu will!

Seb: That’s good. I need lots of forgiveness because I do lots of bad things!

Oct: Well, that is one thing that the Great Blue Whale is very good at! That’s why many people call him the God of Second Chances! Because he always forgives, forgets and forgives again!

Oliver: The God of Second Chances… I like that!

Archie: WOW! Thanks Octoposius! I really wanted to know if the story was really true.

Oct: It certainly is.

Oliver: We should go tell Stu that it’s true!

Oct: Good idea. And Sebastian don’t forget you promised to say sorry to Stu.

Seb: Yeah, I know.

All four Disappear.

Scene 4

Stu, Oliver, Sebastian and Archie come up together.

Stu: (sad) You came back.

Archie: Yeah. … Go ahead Sebastian.

Seb: Go ahead and what?

Oliver: You promised Sebastian! Remember – 2^nd chances!?!

Seb: Yeah, ok. Hey Stu, I’m sorry for saying you were a stupid wimp.

Stu: Oh that. Yeah, well it hurt a lot Sebastian. But, I forgive you if you really mean it.

Seb: I mean it, Stu. I am really sorry.

Stu: Then I really forgive you.

Archie: That’s great guys! Look at that – even we can give each other 2^nd chances. Just like the Great blue Whale.

Stu: (screams) WHERE? WHALE? WHERE?

Oliver: (laughs) It’s ok Stu. He’s not here now. But, Octoposius told us that The Great Blue Whale is really real! And he told us that The Great Blue Whale loves to forgive us and give us second chances!

Seb: Yeah, That’s why I decided to say sorry. Because I wanted to give you a second chance just like the Great Blue Whale gives me second chances – over and over and over again!

Archie: Isn’t that great news, Stu. The Great Blue Whale isn’t scary. He loves us!

Stu: That makes me feel a lot better! I will try not to be scared of whales anymore. I’m going back in my anemone. See you guys later.

Oliver: Bye Stu.

Archie: Yeah, Bye Stu!

Seb: I gotta go too, guys. See ya later.

Oliver: Bye!

Archie: Bye. Bye kids!

All three disappear.

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 2

2005-06-09T15:00:00.000+10:00

The Whales Tale
By David Edgren

Script 2: The Promise of the 2^nd coming
Theme: A promise is a promise forever

Scene 1

Stu comes up first – alone. He starts to swim away from his corner of the stage but darts back to it.

Stu: (Screams) I am so scared of leaving my home! I don’t like to be out in the deep blue sea! But I really want to swim around with my friends. If only I could be brave enough. Ok, I’m gonna try again.

Stu tries to swim across stage again. But Sebastian pops up just as Stu is doing well. Stu SCREAMS and darts back to the corner.

Seb: (Laughs) You are such a scaredy-fish! You are always screaming about everything! Why don’t you just grow up?!?!

Stu: I was just trying. I swam out of my anemone! I was doing real good and then you showed up and scared me.

Seb: I didn’t scare you. You scared yourself. You do it all the time. You scream about everything. Like if I said “SHARK!”

Stu: (Screams) WHERE? I hate sharks! Where is it?

Seb: (laughs) There is no shark you lilly-livered-bait fish! You are so stupid that even a guppy would scare you!

Archie comes up behind Seb. Stu can see Archie, but Seb is looking the wrong way.

Stu: No I’m not. I’m not stupid. You better say sorry again for calling me that.

Seb: (Angry) I’m not saying sorry for the truth! You are Stupid!

Archie: (Loud & upset) SEBASTIAN!

Seb: (Screams) You scared me, man! Don’t do that!

Archie: Sebastian, yesterday you promised that you would be nice to Stu.

Seb: No I didn’t. I promised to say sorry. And I did say sorry. I didn’t promise to be nice!

Archie: A promise is a promise forever! Saying sorry means you will change and not do the mean things again. You weren’t really sorry.

Seb: Yeah, I guess I wasn’t. Oh, well. Who cares. Stu’s just a scaredy-fish.

Stu: And you’re just a bully.

Archie: You can both learn to be better. Stu can learn to swim out of his anemone and Sebastian - YOU can learn to be nice to people!

Seb: Yeah. I guess you’re right. Sorry Stu. I’ll be nice.

Stu: It’s ok. And I’m gonna be brave and swim a long ways one day!

Archie: Good on you, Stu. Hey! I know a song about that. I’ll teach it to you.

Sing Theme song “Down deep”

Scene 2

All puppets but Stu and Octopsius come up together.

Archie: Hey Oliver! How are you?

Oliver: I’m great! You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Octoposius said yesterday. That the big blue whale is coming soon. Do you think that is a promise we can believe?

Seb: Not MORE promises!

Archie: Sebastian, you are so crabby.

Seb: Oh, very funny. Ha ha! Yeah, like I’ve never heard that one before! A crabby crab. DUH!

Oliver: Gee, Sebastian! You really are crabby. What’s wrong?

Seb: Archie made me say sorry to Stu again.

Oliver: Again? Didn’t you promise yesterday that you wouldn’t be mean anymore?

Seb: Oh, not you too! I promised too... (say sorry, not be nice) - *interuped by Archie

Archie: (LOUD!) Sebastian! Stop right there. A promise is a promise forever. Now, you have to drop it. (to Oliver) Oliver, you were saying?

Oliver: Yeah, what I mean is, If there really is a whale how do we KNOW he is REALLY coming back?

Sebastian: Maybe we should call Octopsius.

Archie: Good idea! Hey kids, can you help us? 1, 2, 3 - OCTOPOSIUS!!! Let’s try again 1, 2, 3 – OCTOPOSIUS!!!

Octopsius comes into the scene.

Oct: You screamed?

Archie: Hi Octoposius! Oliver has a question.

Oliver: Yeah, I wan’t to know how we can be sure the Great Blue Whale is really coming back. How can we?

Oct: Because of the promise!

Sebastian: Not you too!!! Promise, promise, promise! I said sorry! Ok? I’ll be nice! Ok?

Oct: Wow, Sebastian, you seem really upset! I’m not talking about your promise. I’m talking about the promises that the Great Blue Whale left for us. The Scrolls!

Seb: Apple Scrolls?

Oliver: Cheesy-mite Scrolls?

Archie: What kind of scrolls?

Oct: Ancient paper scrolls left behind by the Big Blue Whale!

Seb: That doesn’t sound very tasty!

Oct: We have many scrolls full of promises about the Big Blue Whale. He promised many times that he would come back. And a promise is a promise forever.

Seb: I’ve heard that somewhere before!

Oct: And it’s true. Yes children, the Big Blue Whale will return just as he promised.

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 3

2005-06-09T14:52:00.000+10:00

The Whales Tale
By David Edgren

Script 3: Signs of proof that the Whale is coming back
Theme: The 1^st and 2^nd coming of Jesus

Scene 1

Whale song plays. Sebastian is confused by the sound.

Seb: (runs from one side of stage to other, finally sees Stu & goes to him) Hey, Stu. Did you hear that?

Stu: (scared & shaking) Yes! What was it?

Seb: I think it was a KILLER WHALE calling his friends to come and eat us!

Stu: (SCREAMS) I hate Killer Whales. They scare me.

Seb: They scare me too. But maybe it wasn’t a Killer Whale. Maybe it was… ummm…

Stu: Maybe it was a rock sliding off of a cliff and it’s gonna squish us!

Seb: I don’t think there are any cliffs around here. I don’t know what it was… But one thing I do know FOR SURE! I am going to go hide!

Stu: Me too! Bye Sebastian!

Seb: Bye Stu.

Both disappear behind stage.

Scene 2

Whale song plays. Archie swims alone.

Archie: (to kids) Did you hear that? What do you think it was?

Archie: That’s right! It was a whale song. And I know what it means! Do you know what it means?!?

Sebastian pops up.

Seb: (scared) Archie, did you hear that scary noise?

Archie: Scary? I wouldn’t say it was scary. It’s exciting!

Seb: What’s so exciting about KILLER WHALES coming to eat us?

Archie: Killer whales? Who told you that? It wasn’t killer whales! It was a sign!

Seb: A sign of what? That the world is going to end!!?!??!

Archie: Actually, yes. That’s part of it.

Seb: OH GREAT! (to the kids – shouts in fear) The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Oliver comes up.

Oliver: Hey guys guess what?

Seb: Ummm – The world is ending?

Oliver: No! I found a secret cave! And it’s full of amazing treasures!

Archie: WOW! Where is it?

Oliver: It’s not that far, follow me!

The three disappear under the water.

Scene 3

Seb, Oliver and Archie come up together.

Oliver: Here we are. Look at all this stuff! Isn’t it amazing!??

Seb: YEAH! Look over there – I see a scuba mask.

Oliver: We should give it to Stu. It could save him from a shark or something.

Archie: Very funny Oliver! But, we’re not cartoon fish like Nemo. We are real puppet fish!

Seb: Hey look over there! It’s a treasure chest! Filled with Gold and Jewels!

Oliver: Wow! This is soooo cool!

Archie: Hey guys, look at the walls. What is all that scribbling?

Seb: Looks like drawings or something.

Oliver: I think it’s writing. Like what those fish in schools learn!

Archie: But, I wonder what it says!

Seb: Let’s go get Octoposius!

Archie: I’m the fastest. I’ll go get him. Be right back!

Archie disappears and reappears instantly with Octoposius.

Archie: See, I told you I was fast!

Oliver: Hey Octoposius, look at this amazing cave I found!

Octoposius: It is amazing! I remember playing in here when I was a little squid.

Seb: You’ve been here before? We thought it was a secret.

Octoposius: Well it is called the cave of secrets. Not because it is hidden, but because of the secrets hidden on it’s walls! Did you notice the writing on the walls?

Archie: Yeah, I did! That’s why I got you! What do they mean? Where did they come from? Who drew them? How old are they?

Octoposius: (laughing) Hold on a minute Archie! Let’s take one question at a time! They are very old. Some of the drawings are from before the last visit of the Great Blue Whale!

Oliver: The Great Whale has been here before?

Octoposius: He sure has! He lived with our ancestors for a few years a long long time ago. Some of the drawings predicted that the Great Blue Whale would come and live with us. And he did! Just like he promised!

Seb: How did the drawings get here? Who drew them?

Octoposius: Good question, Sebastian. The Great Blue Whale occasionally sends us a porpoise of purpose with a special message.

Archie: A porpoise of purpose?

Octoposius: that’s right. The porpoise’s are the Great Blue Whales messengers. They give the message to one of the wise ones and he the writes in on the wall in the cave of secrets for future generations to read and understand.

Archie: Are you one of the Wise Ones, Octoposius? Can you understand the writings on the walls in here?

Octoposius: Yes, my child. I understand them all.

Archie, Seb, Oliver: (chanting) What do they say? What do they say? What do they say?

Octoposius: They are all promises. Many of the ancient ones speak of the first visit of the Great Blue Whale. But, that has already happened. Others tell the story of how the Great Blue Whale protected us from the Killer Whale of Death!

Seb: (Scared) The KILLER WHALE OF DEATH?!?!?!

Octoposius: That’s right. But, we don’t have to be afraid. Because The Great Blue Whale fought the Killer Whale of Death and won the fight!

Seb: You mean the Killer Whale is dead?

Octoposius: No, not yet. The Great Whale died in the fight! But, by dying he protected us forever from the Killer Whale of Death!

Oliver: The Great Blue Whale is dead?

Octoposius: Oh NO! He did something amazing! He died, but then he came back to life! He was too good to stay dead! He’s alive again and will never die again!

Archie, Seb, Oliver: WOW!

Octoposius: The rest of the drawings promise that the Great Blue Whale will come back again. This time to take us off the ocean floor! To take us to the surface! To live, forever with him!

Archie: When will that happen?

Octoposius: See that drawing right over there? What does it have in it?

Oliver: A VERY BIG WHALE!

Octoposius: That’s right. And what else?

Archie: Music notes – coming out of his mouth.

Octoposius: Good! What word are the notes arranged to spell?

Archie: SOON!!!

Octoposius: That is the only drawing in this cave that hasn’t happened yet. It means that when we hear the whale singing then we will know that he is coming very SOON.

Seb: (very excited!) I HEARD IT! I HEARD IT! This morning! I thought it was the Killer Whale. But, it wasn’t. It was the Great Blue Whale. He was singing!

Octoposius: That is very exciting news, Sebastian! I have been hoping for this day since I was a child. Let’s all go home and tell our friends and families that the signs are all fulfilled! The Great Blue Whale is coming very soon!

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 4

2005-06-09T14:51:00.000+10:00

The Whales Tale
By David Edgren

Script 4: Telling others about the Whale’s soon return
Theme: We are the messengers

Scene 1

Archie and Octoposius come up.

Oct: Hello, Archie! What are you up to today?

Archie: I’m just thinking about all we have learned in the last few days!

Oct: Oh, really? And What have you learned?

Archie: Well, on the first day you told us that God is a God of second chances. And you told Sebastian that he should say sorry to Stu and give him a second chance!

Oct: Yes, that’s right. And the second day we talked about promises, didn’t we?

Archie: Yeah, “A promise is a promise forever!”

Oct: That’s right!

Archie: And yesterday we heard the song of the Great Blue Whale! And you said the signs of his return were all around us!

Oct: Yes, it’s true. The Great Blue Whale could come any day!

Archie: When will he come? I want him to come today!

Oct: I’m sure you do, Archie. But, what about your friends and family who don’t know about him?

Archie: What do you mean? How can they not know about the Great Blue Whale!?!?!?

Oct: Because no one has told them. That is our job! We must tell everyone so that they can be taken to the surface. Only those who believe will rise on that day!

Archie: Really?!? Well, I better go start telling people! Bye Octoposius!

Oct: Goodbye Archie.

Archie and Octoposius disappear.

Scene 2

Sebastian and Stu come up together.

Seb: Hey Stu, have you noticed that the surface seems to be closer right now than it was this morning?

Stu: Of course it is! The tide is out!

Seb: What are you talking about? What’s tide?

Stu: It’s when the water moves. It gets deeper and shallower during different times of the day.

Seb: Oh yeah! I remember Octoposius teaching us about that. Why does it happen?

Stu: I think it’s because all the fish have a big drink when they first wake up in the morning and it makes the water level go down.

Seb: (laughs) Yeah right! That’s sooo wrong.

Stu: Fine! Then you tell me why it goes up and down!

Seb: I reckon it’s because all the big fish are hungry in the morning. So, they jump out of the water to catch flies. When they all jump out the water has less fish in it and it gets lower.

Stu: That’s more dumb than my reason!

Seb: No it’s not!

Oliver and Archie come on stage.

Stu: Yes it is. I bet the real reason is much better than that!

Archie: The real reason for what?

Seb: Oh, hi guys. The reason for the tide going out!

Stu: Do you know why the tide goes in and out each day?

Archie: I think it has something to do with the moon.

Seb: (laughs) Right! Like that ball of light can change the water! Ha! That’s the dumbest reason so far!

Oliver: I know why.

Seb: What?

Oliver: I know why the tide goes in and out.

Seb: Really!!?!! Why?

Oliver: Because when the land goes up, the water goes down! Every morning the land rises with the sun. It floats up real high. Then at night the land sinks back down. That’s all it is. Just the land moving!

Stu: I don’t know. That doesn’t make any more sense than the rest of the silly ideas we’ve come up with.

Archie: Well, it’s not really that important because it happens every day wether we understand why or not. But there is something that’s gonna happen soon that we need to understand! Octoposius told me that The Great Blue Whale is coming very soon! He said we should tell people!

Seb: Soon! Soon? What does soon mean? Today? Next week? Next year?

Oliver: Yeah! Soon must just mean whenever he’s good and ready! What does “Soon” mean in Whale time?

Stu: HEY!.It would have to be at high tide. Cause if the Great Blue Whale came at low tide he would scrape his belly on the coral! He needs lots of water! Yeah, he must be coming at high tide! We better get ready!

Seb: Calm down Stu. There’s a high tide every day. What makes you think The Great Blue Whale is coming today?

Stu: Cause Octoposius said soon! And when my Mum says “Clean your anemone now. I’m coming to check soon!” Woah boy! I know that means real soon!

Oliver: Yeah! Soon is … SOON! Holy Mackerel I better floss my pearly white and get my shell shined!

Archie: You guys really get yourselves worked up about things! Octoposius said that how “Soon” is up to us!

Seb: Yeah, right! Ok! I say let soon mean… NOW! … There he is! There’s the Great Blue Whale!

Stu: (screams!) Where? Where?

Oliver: Where? Where?

Seb: NO WHERE! Because it isn’t up to us. How can it be up to us?

Archie: It is up to us. We have to tell people. And when all our friends and family have heard the story of the Great Blue Whale coming back, then he will!

Oliver: WOW! We better start telling people!

Seb: So, as soon as we tell EVERYONE… Then the Great Blue Whale will come?

Archie: That’s what Octoposius said.

Oliver: And Octoposius is one of the wise ones!

Stu: I’m gonna go tell my Mum and sister!

Oliver: Yeah! I’m gonna go tell the shell family!

Seb: I have always trusted Octoposius. So, I’m gonna go tell all my crustacean friends!

Archie: I’ve got an urge to tell the urchins! Let’s go guys! Let’s tell the world.

All: YEAH! Let’s tell the world!

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 5

2005-06-09T14:38:00.000+10:00

The Whales Tale
By David Edgren

Script 5: Being patient and doing your best

Theme: We are all valuable and capable of growth

Scene 1

Archie, Oliver and Sebastian on stage.

Archie: Hey guys! Haven’t seen you since yesterday! How have you been?

Seb: Great! I told lots of people about the Great Blue Whale!

Archie: Yeah, me too. I told my whole family and everyone on my coral reef!

Oliver: I told all the shellfish I could find. And then I went to caves and told the eels!

Archie: Wow! That’s great Oliver.

Seb: Hey Oliver, look at me.

Oliver looks at Sebastian.

Seb: (laughs) I never noticed that before! You have a tooth. ONE tooth! Only one! Look at my mouth! I’ve got a whole set of teeth – TOP AND BOTTOM! And you only have one! (laughs again)

Oliver: It’s not a tooth!

Archie: Yeah Sebastian, It’s not a tooth.

Seb: It’s not? So you’re saying you don’t have any teeth! You’re a toothless wonder! You better brush a bit more carefully cause there is one big piece of gunk in your mouth!

Oliver: It’s a pearl.

Sebastian: A what?

Oliver: A pearl.

Scene 2

Stu shows up.

Stu: (very excited) Hey guys!

Seb: Hi Stu.

Oliver: Hi Stu.

Stu: (shouting now!) HEY GUYS! Look at me! Do you notice anything different?

Seb: Uuuuhhhh… You lost some scales?

Stu: No.

Oliver: Oh, I know… Did you used to wear glasses?

Stu: NO!

Seb: It is your fins? Have you had them trimmed?

Stu: No! Guys look at me! Look where I am! Don’t you see?

Archie: OH!!! I know! Stu, you left your anemone! You did it!

Stu: Yup! And, I’m not even scared. I can do it! I just kept practicing – a bit more every day. A little farther… A little farther… A little farther… and then … TA DA … Here I am! Swimming free!

Archie: Good job Stu!

Seb: Yeah! Well done Stu-be-do-be-doooo!!!

Oliver: I knew you could do it Stu! You’re a legend! Now you can swim everywhere with us!

Stu: Hey Oliver, you’re pearl seems bigger and brighter than normal! What have you been doing to it?

Oliver: See Sebastian! I told you it was a pearl! … I polished it real nice yesterday before going to tell everyone about the Great Blue Whale. But I haven’t been doing anything to make it grow. It just does that on it’s own.

Seb: How? How does it grow?

Oliver: I don’t know. It’s been there as long as I can remember. But every day it gets a little bigger and a little smoother.

Stu: Archie, do you know why Oliver’s pearl grows?

Archie: No, but I bet Octoposius would know. Let’s call him!

Stu: Yeah! Great Idea!

Archie: Ready kids? 1-2-3 OCTOPOSIUS!... Let’s try one more time… 1-2-3 OCTOPOSIUS!

Scene 3

Octopsius pops up.

Oct: You bellowed?

Archie: Hi Octoposius!

Oct: Hello, my fishy friends. Hey! Look who has ventured away from his anemone! How does it feel to be out in the deep water, Stu?

Stu: It feels great!

Oct: I bet it wasn’t easy to be so brave!

Stu: Nope. I’ve been practicing day after day for weeks. I wanted, more than anything, to swim around with my friends.

Seb: And now he is! Just look at him!

Archie: Yeah! We are so happy for our little friend! Stu is Stu-pendous!

Oliver: YEAH! Stu is super-duper Stu!

Seb: (howling) Stu-be-do-be-do we love you!

Stu: Ok guys! You’re a bit to much. Thanks for making me feel so great!

Oct: I’m proud of you Stu. You have done something really amazing! You have learned to be brave and do something new – something you have never done before. That’s what growing up is all about!

Archie: Hey Octoposius. We have a question about Oliver.

Oct: He’s an oyster. A Pinctada Maxima – or commonly called the Silver-Lipped Oyster. Does that answer your question?

Archie: Not really. We were wondering about the pearl in his mouth.

Oct: All oysters are capable of making pearls. Some oysters can make up to 50 pearls at time in the same shell! But Oliver is a special kind of oyster. The Silver-lipped Oyster produces the rarest and most precious pearl in the whole world and only one pearl at a time. These pearls are treasured for their luxurious size and brilliant satin luster!

Seb: But where does it come from? How come it keeps getting bigger?

Oct: Good question Sebastian. A pearl is actually created by an irritant.

Seb: Like Stu?

Oct: Sebastian! That’s not nice. No, not like Stu. An irritant like a piece of sand or coral. Oliver’s shell gently coats the irritant in layer after layer of rich pearl coating until there is a large pearl in his mouth worth hundreds of dollars!

Seb: But, when I get sand in my mouth I just spit it out!

Oct: And imagine what would have happened if Oliver had spat the piece of sand out that is now a lovely pearl? Oysters are known for their patience. Because they allow the irritants in their lives to be coated gently over time they end up with beautiful pearls in their lives!

Stu: Kind of like what I did with my fear!

Oct: That’s right Stu! You kept trying again and again and now you have turned your irritant – your fear – into freedom!

Archie: I guess we can all learn from Stu and Oliver.

Oct: And what can you learn?

Archie: That being patient and trying our best wont hurt us, it will help us!

Oct: That’s right Archie! And that’s exactly what we must do while we wait for the Great Blue Whale to come back. Be patient and keep doing our best. And we will be rewarded with the most precious pearl of all – living happily ever after with The Great Blue Whale!

Oliver: That sounds great!

Archie: Sure does!

Seb: I can’t wait!

All disappear.

The Whale's Tale - Puppet Script 6

2005-06-09T14:22:00.000+10:00

The Whale’s Tale
By David Edgren

Script 6: The Whale is Here!
Theme: We MUST tell everyone about the soon return of Jesus

Name Animal Role Character

Octoposius Octopus Teacher Wise, serious
Oliver Oyster Follower Agrees with everyone, easy going
Archie (lead) Urchin Oldest Responsible, honest
Sebastian Crab Doubter Questions everything, searching
Stu Clown Fish Dumb Afraid of everything, skittish

Scene 1

Stu & Sebastian on stage.

Stu: What an amazing week!

Seb: It sure has been! We have learned so much.

Stu: Yeah! You learned that you should be nice to me!

Seb: That was a hard one to learn!

Stu: Oh, thanks Sebastian. You did promise to be nice to me.

Seb: Yeah yeah. And a promise is a promise for ever! But you were really annoying! You always scream about everything!

Stu: That’s because everything is scary! Or at least everything WAS scary. But I learned to be brave!

Seb: Yeah, and I learned to give people a second chance!

Oliver and Archie arrive.

Archie: Hey! You two seem to be getting along a lot better!

Seb: Yeah. We see eye to eye now!

Oliver: So, what changed?

Stu: We did! I mean, I may still be a bit fishy and Sebastian still gets crabby, but we’ve learned to like each other even though we are different!

Seb: Yeah! I like Stu-be-do-be-dooo! Cause he’s Stu-pendous!

Archie: That’s great that you two have become such fast friends! You are both becoming more loving!

Oliver: I think that would make Octoposius very happy!

Seb: Should we call him?

Stu: Yeah! Cool! I hope he can hear us!

Archie: Ok, kids… are you ready? 1 – 2 – 3 OCTOPOSIUS!!! Lets try again 1 – 2 – 3 OCTOPOSIUS!!!

Octoposius pops up.

Oct: You rang?

Oliver: We’ve just been talking about how much we’ve learned this week.

Stu: And how much we’ve grown!

Oct: You certainly have! Stu, you’ve learned to overcome your fear. Sebastian, you’ve learned to keep your promises. Oliver has learned how valuable he is and Archie… Well, we’ve all learned what a great leader Archie can be.

Seb: What have you learned Octoposius?

Oct: I have learned that the best teachers in the whole world are the students! You have all taught me sooo much this week.

Scene 2

Whale song sounds!

Stu: (screams) What was that?

Seb: Was that what I think it was?

Archie: That sounded just like the Great Blue Whale we heard the other day!

Oct: It certainly was! And he is very close!

Oliver: How can you tell?

Oct: Because it was loud!

Whale song sounds! (LOUDER!)

Seb: That time it was even louder!

Archie: WOW! The Great blue Whale must almost be here!

Oct: I think you’re right!

Oliver: I sure hope my shell is clean enough and my pearl is shiny enough!

Oct: Don’t worry about a thing Oliver. If you love the Great Blue Whale and believe he can take you to the surface, he will – no matter how clean or dirty you are!

Archie: Yeah! It’s not about us. It’s all about Him! He’s coming to save us because he loves us, not because we impress him!

Whale Video Clip on screen.

Seb: LOOK! There he is!

Archie: It’s the Great Blue Whale.

Oliver: He’s sooo beautiful

Stu: I’m not even scared!

Oct: That’s because there is nothing to be scared of! The Great Blue Whale is here to take us to the surface!

Stu: Hey, he’s swimming away!

Seb: Where’s he going?

Archie: Will he come back?

Oliver: Maybe he is swimming over there so that everyone gets a chance to see him.

Oct: I think you are right Oliver. We have nothing to fear. The Great Blue Whale promised he would return – and he certainly has. The second part of his promise was that he will take us to the surface to live forever with Him. He will keep that promise too!

Seb: But when? I want to go to the surface now!

Oliver: Yeah! I want to see the clouds!

Stu: Are you sure he’s going to come back?

Oct: Yes, I’m sure. He will keep his promise. He always does!

Archie: I’m gonna go tell a few more people how much the Great Blue Whale loves them!

Oct: That’s a great idea, Archie.

Stu: Yeah, me too, me too.

Stu Leaves.

Oliver: We haven’t got much time now. We better tell everyone QUICK!

Oliver Leaves.

Seb: See you guys at the surface! I just thought of someone else to tell!

Sebastian leaves.

Archie: Thanks Octoposius! You taught us everything we needed to know. See ya!

Archie leaves.

Octoposius: You’re welcome Archie. (looks at audience) Bye kids! Don’t forget, God loves you and is saving a place for you in Heaven! All you have to do is love Him back and believe that he can save you… And HE WILL!!! I’ll see you at the surface!

The Story of the Olive Tree

2004-09-15T23:54:00.000+10:00

In the middle of an ancient olive orchard there lived a regal and perfect olive tree. While many of the other olive trees in the orchard had nice olives, none could compare to this grand-daddy of all trees. The olives from the ancient tree in the midst of the garden had rich texture and powerful flavor.
Occasionally the gardener would come to check on his trees. One day, as he approached the mighty tree at the heart of the orchard he drew a machete and chopped off one of the strongest braches, right where it connected to the tree. He then lopped a branch off a small scrawny tree from the edge of the orchard and grafted it into the open wound he had created on the strong vibrant tree. As the strong tree and the miserable branch bonded a remarkable thing happened. The rich sap from the grand tree began oozing into the newly attached branch and the weak branch began to pulse with life.
As time went by the gardener grafted in a few more branches from other lesser trees throughout the orchard. Each time lopping off a perfectly strong and healthy branch to make room for the weaker branch. One day as the farmer approached the patriarch of the orchard he stooped and picked up one of the discarded branches that used to be so glorious. It was now withered and nearly dead as it had been disconnected from the trees’ deeply nourishing sap for quite some time. The gardener then did something that he had not done before. He cut a wedge out of a fleshy area on the side of the tree. Then he cut off the first few inches of the disconnected branch and shaped it to match the wedge in the trunk of the tree. Carefully he grafted the wasted branch into the new hole. The sap began to flow deeply into the branch and soon life returned to the limb that had nearly been dead.
Paul, in concluding this story comments, “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to your nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!" (Romans 11:22-24)

Give My Best to the General - A Parable of Passion and Obedience

2004-08-15T10:34:00.000+10:00

By David Edgren

The General paced down the row of soldiers lined up in formation. He checked for posture. He checked for neatness. He checked for the passion of his men. The General stopped front and centre and shouted to the troops, “Today is the day, men! Today is the day that we win this war! I need each of you to give your best – 100 percent. As a unit we can win this war today. But I need every single one of you.” The General paused and looked into the eyes of a few soldiers. "But I don’t need you here,” the general pointed to the ground and gestured to the battlefield in front of them, “I need you here!” the General pointed to his temple, “and I need you here!” This time the General banged on his chest with a closed fist. With a sweeping gesture he continued “We can’t win the battle out there! We must be victorious in our hearts and minds first and foremost. We will vanquish this enemy today if we work together with all our hearts and minds working together as one!”
After his rousing pep talk the General called the bugle boy to his side. “I need you to do a final call to arms. We’re missing a few precious men. We will need everyone today. Go back to the camp. Play the call to arms at the head of camp. Then run to the other side of camp and play it there too. If you see anyone tell them that the General needs them in formation now!”
With a quick, “Yes sir!” the bugler ran to do his Generals bidding. After playing the call to arms at both ends of camp he began running back to the troops. But as he was running he heard something. He stopped and listened. It was the sound of coughing and it was coming from a nearby tent. The boy stuck his head inside the tent and saw a man lying on his cot. “Didn’t you hear the bugle? The General requires everyone’s presence.”
The man feebly turned his head toward the boy, “Yes, I heard. But I can barely move. I am very ill. I would come if I was able. Please give my best to the general.”
The boy left the tent and began running toward the battle, but again he was stopped in his tracks by a human sound. This time it sounded like sobbing. He approached a tent and stuck his head through the flap. Inside a young soldier sat at a writing desk crying as he wrote a letter, “My dear Love, I fear that I shall never see you again. Every passing day brings closer the reality that I shall die in this horrible place.”
The bugler felt guilty doing so, but he interrupted the soldier, “Excuse me sir. Didn’t you hear the call to arms? The General requires every man at the battle front.”
The soldier lifted his eyes and fixed his teary gaze on the young boy. “You wouldn’t understand what I am feeling. I love her more than anything! I am so scared. I don’t want to die. I wouldn’t be any use to the General today – probably just cause an accident with the state I’m in.”
“But, the General made it extremely clear that ALL men are to report for duty.” replied the bugler, “You will be court marshalled! The General believes that this battle will decide the war. You are needed!”
The soldier turned back to his letter, “I can’t come. I’m a mess. Just go… Oh, and give my best to the General.”
To boy ducked out of the tent and raced toward the General. He was running late and needed to blow the call to attack when the time came. As he rounded the final bend at the edge of camp he again heard a man. This time it was not a cough or crying. It was someone singing. He quickly headed toward the tent and stepped inside. A Soldier stood in front of a mirror in casual dress. He sang to himself, “You are so beautiful to me!” as he preened himself.
The boy was enraged and nearly yelled at the soldier, “Can’t you hear? I played the call to arms just metres from your tent not ten minutes ago!”
The startled soldier turned and laughed, “Yes, little man, I heard your bugle, and a fine musician you are!”
“I wasn’t just playing a song!” shouted the boy, “That was a call to arms and you know it! Why aren’t you in uniform? The General is going to be irate! He requires the service of every man for today’s battle!”
“The General will do just fine without me. I was one of the scouts yesterday and I saw the enemies camp. The battle is in our hands – no problem. I also saw a fine piece of property on one of the hills during my scouting expedition. I am going to go claim that piece of property for my lady and I. That’s how confident I am about today’s battle! Now, run back to the General. He’s going to need your bugling skills any minute.”
The bugle boy turned away, amazed at the man’s brazenness, and went through the flap. As he took a step away from the tent the man inside shouted, “Oh, and give my best to the General!”
The boy quickly ran back to the troops and found that they had already marched a fair way toward the enemy. He ran past the soldiers and made his way to his place next to the general at the front. As he fell into formation the General asked, “Did you get the rest of the men to come.”
The bugler reported, “No sir. There were three men still in their tents. One was quite sick. The second was writing a letter to his girlfriend and crying. The third was… well, he was admiring himself in a mirror and planning a day of leisure.”
“HE WAS WHAT?” bellowed the General.
“He was in casual dress, sir. And he told me he was so confident of your success today that he was going to claim a piece of property for his family.”
“He won’t be needing land when I get through with him!” shouted the angry General, “A cold cell will be all the room he needs for a few years.”
The bugler finished his report to the General, “Sir, each of the three men told me to give their best to the General.”
The general shook his head, “Give their best to the General?” He mimicked, “That’s what they should have done.”

The Teabag Gospel - Illustrating Salvation!

2004-08-15T09:31:00.000+10:00

Using a simple tea bag you can share the keypoints of the Gospel story. You will need:
1. A tea bag (any folded teabag will work)
2. Scissors
3. Blank Piece of White Paper
4. Fire (match, lighter, etc)
5. Table or other flat fixed surface

What each thing represents and what to do with it:
Teabag – you and me (filled with sin)
Label – What the world says you are
String – Tied to the World. But when Jesus died on the cross it set us free!
Cut String – When we ask God to take over our life he gives us a new identity. Free from the world we rest in the Master’s Hands.
Cut Bag – Jesus opens our heart
Poor tea onto white paper– and removes all the sin. He makes us as white as snow.
Stand tea bag up – Jesus then gives us the strength to stand. To really stand! For the time in our lives we aren’t bent by Sin.
Pick up paper – But Jesus doesn’t just leave our sin lying around for people to look at. As far as the East is from the West – That’s how far the Bible says our sins are removed from us. The Bible says that our sins are thrown into the deepest part of the sea.
Throw tea over shoulder, show paper – And then not only are we as white as snow, but our record is clean. As if we had never sinned!
Bag – Once we are set free from the world, saved by Jesus and purified from our sins, Jesus never abandons us.
Light match – Jesus promised that he will send the Holy Spirit to burn in our hearts and lives.
Light bag – And we will continue to burn for Him until Jesus returns to take us to Heaven to live with Him for eternity!

bag rises off the table and floats up into air!
Often the bag comes back down and you can adlib something about the mellinium and the return to Earth in the New Jerusalem after 1000 years.
(have fun with it!)

The Two Dandelions - A Kingdom Growth Parable

2004-08-15T09:17:00.000+10:00

By David Edgren

Part 1

Once upon a time on a small grassy hillside overlooking a hidden valley their grew two dandelions. On the first dandelion the stalk was training the seeds in the way that they should go.
“One day,” he said, “a gust of wind will come and you will be torn loose from the stalk. When this happens you must be ready. So, listen carefully and I will prepare you for what is to come. You must have your arms fluffed and ready. Lift your arms up high and spread your fingers out as far as you can. When the wind lifts you from the ground you must spin! Spin with all your might. Spin your way up into the sky and go where the wind caries you. Birds may come and try to eat you while you are in the air. You must spin away from the birds. When you come close to the ground and are about to land, find a nice moist spot where you can take root. Spin yourself toward a hole or crevice in the dirt that you can fall into. When you land on the ground work yourself into a hole or under a clod of dirt. Then grow, grow, grow! And one day you will become a great dandelion like I am!

Just as the stalk had promised, one day the wind came. One of the little seeds did everything he had been taught. He stretched out his fluffy little arms. The wind caught in his fingers and lifted him high into the air. He concentrated on spinning. He spun with the wind. He spun away from a bird that flew by much to close. And then the wind began to die down and the seed slowly settled toward the ground. He did his best to find a soft moist place to land. He spun himself into a muddy field. He had made it. He was safe!

Then the sun came out. The sun grew warmer and warmer. At first the sun’s heat felt good. Then the pain of the searing heat overwhelmed the little seed. His shell became hot and soon the little seed was baked. The seed died.

But then the rain came. Gently the rain fell around the little dead seed. And something amazing happened. Small sprouts grew out of the baked seed. The sprouts reached deep into the ground and the seed grew into a strong healthy stalk.

Some time went by and the stalk waited for his seeds to grow. The seeds that he could teach all that he had learned from the stalk of his childhood. But they never came. The stalk stood alone – seedless.

Part 2

Same story except the training is different.

Once upon a time on a small grassy hillside overlooking a hidden valley their grew two dandelions. On the second dandelion the stalk was training the seeds in the way that they should go.
“One day,” he said, “A little boy will come and pick us. He will blow his sweet breath through you and you will soar into the air. His sweet breath will reach under your arms up and will lift you from the stalk and will cause you to spin through the air. Birds may come and try to eat you while you are in the air. But somehow his sweet breath will guide and protect you. When you come close to the ground and are about to land, fear not for the sweet breath of the boy will find a nice moist spot where you can take root. When you land on the ground there will be just enough power from the boy’s sweet breath to work you into the ground and then you will grow, grow, grow! And one day you will become a great dandelion like I am!

Just as the stalk had promised, one day they heard footsteps in the valley. A boy ran on the hillside yelling, “Mum! I found a dandelion!” And just as the stalk had promised the boy plucked the dandelion up and held it to his pursed lips. The little seed heard a huge intake of air and then felt a mighty gust of warm sweet breath burst through his world. He felt his arms as they fluffed up and lifted him into the air. Amazingly he began to spin. He spun and spun for what seemed like an eternity. He saw a bird swooping toward him and felt a warm burst of air blow him aside so that the bird missed him. Then he felt the sweet breath guiding him to a beautiful muddy spot to settle in. He had made it. He was safe!

Then the sun came out. The sun grew warmer and warmer. At first the sun’s heat felt good. Then the pain of the searing heat overwhelmed the little seed. His shell became hot and soon the little seed died.

But then the rain came. Gently the rain fell around the little dead seed. And something amazing happened. Small sprouts grew out of the baked seed. The sprouts reached deep into the ground and the seed grew into a strong healthy stalk.

Some time went by and the stalk grew strong and healthy. When the time was right seeds began to grow on the mature stock. Seeds that he would tell the story too. Seeds that would wait for the boy to come. The boy with the sweet, sweet breath.

Anon - A Poem of our beginning

2004-08-05T14:51:00.000+10:00

Anon
by David Edgren

Sunlight gingerly played with shadow
to form early morning patterns
on the face of a sleeping lad.

Anon slowly opened his eyes
with the groginess of sleep
still lingering in his mind.
He squinted at the amber ball of light
which had brought him to consciousness.
"Where am I?" he wondered.
He surveyed his surroundings;
a bed of leaves and grass,
a fire with embers still glowing,
a satchel under his head.

A moment later Anon was standing;
his mission remembered,
his heart raced.
He had been walking three days
toward his goal and today
he would arrive.
The anticipation of meeting the man of Eden,
the father of all who lived,
was overwhelming.
All his life he had ben told the stories;
a garden, a God, a man and woman
a serpent, a lie, a fallen race.
They had seemed nothing more than tales
until he'd come of age.
Now they seemed to reek of possibility.
He had to see, he had to know.
Would the garden be there?
Did the angel with the burning sword
actually stand at the gate?
Was there a man called Adam
with whom he could speak?
He thought as he walked
and walked as he thought.

His pace quickened.

...

Anon soon rounded the final bend
and there, in the middle of the path,
to his surprise, stood a house.
He pondered for a moment,
approached the door
and cautiously knocked.
The door swung open a moment later.
Again Anon found himself surprised;
this time at the sheer size
of the man who peered down at him.
Anon wondered how seven
seemingly short generations
could leave a race so devastated.

"Yes, my son?"
the voice from above rolled
like a clap of thunder.
"Are you Adam?"
the question hit Anon as rediculous
the moment it passed his lips.
"Yes, my son!"
Adam laughed and walked
outside with a single stride.
"I have been so for nearly 500 years.
who might you be?
And which clan do you come from?"
"I am Anon,"
the boy said with a smile.
"And I bring greetings from
the elders of the fourth branch
of the clan of Enosh."

"How is my third son's son?"
Adam asked with a tone of sincere interest
"I have not seen him for nearly 25 years!"
"I passed through the village of the first branch
on my way to meet you.
Enosh was there and I was able
to make his acquaintance
for the first time in my short life.
He and his kin loved me.
Enosh is truly a man of God.
I told him of my journey plans
and he gave me a message for you."
Anon could see the joy and anticipation
in the eyes of the father of every man
so he quickly continued,
"Give him my love," he said,
'and tell him I will see him
at the great family reunion.'
that is all he said, father."

Adam smiled at the thought of seeing Enosh.
The reunion would be in two summers
and every man, woman, and child
in every branch of every clan
who adhered to "The Way"
would be present.

Conversation continued far into the night
and Adam promised Anon
that they would walk to the garden
in the morning.

Sleep came easily.

...

They were all true,
none of the tales were tall at all.
The angel with the flaming sword
was most certainly there.
The Garden was absolutely beautiful
even though it was overgrown and untended.
The sections that Anon could see
from the trail along the Garden's perimeter
were more colorful and glorious
than he had ever imagined.
As they walked
Adam told Anon all the old stories.
Anon had heard every one of them before,
but never in first person.
Adam worked his way backward with the stories:
the joy of Seth's birth
the ousting of Cain
the death of Able
the sacrificial system
the first sin
the years of joy in the Garden
the creation of Eve
Adam's own creation.

The sun slowly reached it's zenith
in the sky above.

A lull in conversation
brought Anon to ask a question
that children often asked their mothers,
"If you were never born from the womb
as we, your children, were . . .
Do you have a belly button?"
Anon looked down in embarrassment.

Again Adam laughed his throaty roar,
"Is this what the tales
of the Garden have come to?"
Slowly Adam's laugh faded to a gentle smile
as he continued his answer to Anon's query.

"My son, I was never born,"
he stated as he lifted his shirt
to show an undimpled abdomen.
"I was created from the dust
by the hands of our God.
I spent no time in a mother's womb,
as each of my children have.
I was placed, upon my completion,
in the perfect womb.
That womb was called the Garden.
In that womb I walked and talked
with my Creator.
He trained me and educated me.
I was being incubated toward perfection.
When I chose to leave the Garden womb
and move into the cold grey world outside,
my umbilical cord of spiritual life
which connected me to the Father
was cut so that I could live,
as I thought I wanted to,
by my own will and desire.
The wound of that separation
is not so small and simple
as the stomach's tiny dimple.
Much like a belly button
this wound comes with birth,
but takes a lifetime to heal.
This wound is the ever-present
overwhelming plight of every man.
It is a wound, my son,
that lasts through the ages.
It is a wound called greed.
It is a wound called lust.
It is a wound called sin."

Adam paused and looked into Anon's eyes,
"In answer to your simple question:
yes, my son, I do have a belly button."

The Whale's Tale - A Parable of End Time Faithfulness

2004-08-05T14:40:00.001+10:00

The Whale’s Tale
By David Edgren

Once upon a time in a land far deeper than most, there lived a family of oysters. These oysters had some very odd beliefs, as did most of the other sea creatures. The strangest of these beliefs was that the Great Levitating Ocean God would return soon. The oysters and their cousins, the octopuses and squids, affectionately called this God "GLOG," which was merely an acronym for His full name. They were quite sure he would not be offended if he knew.
The oldest of the elders were not alive the last time that GLOG passed over their home. Therefore they had only the legends and stories of recent sightings elsewhere to hold on to. Occasionally GLOG would pass near enough that the entire ocean floor would resonate from his singing. It was at these times that reverence for GLOG would return to the oyster community and some of the adolescent oysters would come back to the religious meetings.
There were a number of reasons that the molluscs worshiped GLOG. First of all, he was huge. There was no form of measurement known to the oysters or their cousins by which one could measure the length, or even the width of GLOG. One legend said that if all the oysters lined up on the ocean floor they would not be able to match the length of GLOG.
Secondly, GLOG was not bound to the ocean floor. He mysteriously hovered far above. Some of the octopuses even claimed to have seen GLOG completely leave the water and return moments later with a terrific crash. This was unimaginable to the oysters. In fact, many lifetimes ago, a GLOGian octopus philosopher had been privileged to attach all eight of his suction cup covered legs to GLOG for a brief period of time. During this time GLOG launched himself out of the water and Octoposious (the philosopher) was torn loose on re-entry to the ocean. It was because of this experience that Octoposious later wrote the immortal words, "A fish does not realize that he is in water, until he is in air." This, of course, was beyond comprehension for the oysters. But they were sure it was a great truth.
Thirdly, GLOG lived forever. As far as oysterian history as well as collective molluscan history went back, there have always been records of GLOG. GLOG was past, present, and future. He was eternal.
It was the religion of the oysters to be as GLOG-like as possible. They knew that they were incapable of leaving the ocean floor on their own. The oysters also knew that they could never be as big as GLOG. But this was okay, because only GLOG was worthy of his supreme size. Molluscs have very short lifespans and so eternal life on the ocean floor was out of the question.
The fundamental truth of GLOGery was that soon GLOG would return, take the worthy molluscs to his home, give them the ability to levitate, and give them eternal life. This was the dream of every religious mollusc. So they spent their days learning to sing GLOGerian chants, did their best to treat each other nicely, and spent a lot of time listening to the elders pontificate on the finer intricacies of GLOG.
One day music could be felt on the ocean floor. All of the oysters came out from under their rocks and began looking up through the murky mass of water. Soon the massive body of GLOG could be seen above them. Some of the wayward oysters ran back under their rocks and begged the others to crush them.
Slowly, some of the oysters began to rise off of the ocean floor. Most of those ascending to the surface were the elders and the very young. The elders, who had been tormented by non-GLOGerian molluscs and called "spineless fools" by other sea creatures, now felt elated. Their days of asking, "When will the evil in this land be stopped?" were over. The day of vindication had finally arrived. The young, who still had unspoiled faith, giggled with glee because they knew this was going to happen all along. The entire group formed a circle and joined GLOG in singing the song of absolution as they continued floating to the surface.
The others, hiding under the rocks, knew it was their own fault they weren't on their way to GLOG's home. They all had plenty of time to change and were warned of GLOG's soon return repeatedly. Now they closed their shells in shame.
It was for those oysters who failed to believe, as well as for us in comparison, that Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "I suppose you could never prove to the mind of the most ingenious mollusc that such a creature as a whale was possible."