Tuesday, 1 March 2016

REVIEW - Indepth look at Biblical scripture

American author and preacher Danny Armour presents an indepth view of the Bible in his book, That I May Know Him.

Danny, who describes himself as, "an author, avid student of God's word" and preacher, says the catalyst to writing his, "Biblical exegesis of triumph and freedom", was a desperate effort to "overcome sin."



Overcomer: Danny Armour found his way from victim to victor through his faith.


His clear explanations of the various passages of scripture in the Biblical books and the inclusion of actual passage numbers and the pronunciations of biblical words of that time, I found enlightening.

In the introduction section of the book, Armour talks about a journey which led to him finding healing for himself and his family, in his faith.

He opens up about his childhood and two major traumatic events of victimisation, which affected his life.

He says when the innocence of life began to fade because of these events; five years of sexual abuse and then later in his teens, narrowly cheating death from a street stabbing, he believes his view changed from victim, to protector.

"If I saw someone getting beat up, I stepped in to stop it. It was not something I thought about, it was just the way it was," Danny says.

Instead of returning to school, Danny started work as a carpenter and met a pastor, Bobby, who he says "led him to the Lord".

"I vividly remember it today. After receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, I felt clean for the first time in my life," he says.

Armour describes this time as the, "single most amazing thing I had ever experienced".

Life seemed to be getting even better for him and he eventually married.

However things still weren't right and all his locked away feelings about his past traumas began to rage out of control.

Danny says his mind was filled with chaos and pain.

"I could not shut it down. One night, sleep never came. The first couple of days I ploughed through it with all my strength but after a week I would just sit through the night and weep until the sun came up."

He admits after ten days in this state, he contemplated suicide.

But he owes his survival of that scary contemplation, to his faith.

"The condemnation became too much. I thought I was holding on to God but he was the one holding me. In time, the Lord met me where I was, to keep me from taking my own life," Danny says.

He believes his creator brought him to discover the answer to his question: "Why did I do the things I hated?"

Wanting to find the answer, he set on a "desperate" nine-year journey, which he says brought, "healing in my family beyond what we ever thought possible".

What I found a little concerning, is that after all he had gone through, Armour referred to his pre-faith self, as an "undeserving man" in the introduction.

In my opinion, the traumatic happenings were not his fault and some may say these difficult events may have been the reason he contemplated taking his life?

He goes on to explain what he means, in his book.

The book, That I May Know Him, explains the role Christianity plays in the war between human nature and human values held with God.
 


Armour says Christianity is not based on performance through the physical body in order to fulfil any type of (man made law), rather it is based on a relationship with God through faith.

"It is a unique Biblical expose unveiling what it means to know Christ and the principles established through the cross, for walking with God in ongoing triumph and freedom," he says.

That I May Know Him is available now at any online book outlets, such as Amazon.

Let us know if you have read the book and if faith has played the main role in healing through life's challenges, for you?

Enjoy!

Beating the Odds - BTO






















Saturday, 6 February 2016

Tireless volunteer lost to family and community

It is with shock that I learn of the death of Anne Talijancich - a tireless volunteer fire brigade member to the small rural settlement of Te Kopuru located south west of Dargaville in Northland New Zealand.

Here is the link to the NZ Herald article on the sad motor accident that claimed her life.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11585076

As well as being a huge loss to their families in the first instance when these tragedies happen, people such as Anne become valuable members of small New Zealand communities and when they are taken, not only the families but also the communities keenly feel the losses as well.

BTO sends our deepest condolences to Anne's family and friends and community in her sad loss.

In the 12 months to the end of December 2015, 321 people died on New Zealand roads. This is 27 more than the 12 months to the end of December 2014.

Thursday, 7 January 2016

Two survivors look back to a harrowing time

I saw a television interview on the Hope Channel this week with the two Australian miners who were rescued from the Beaconsfield mine after a rock fall hemmed them in, in 2006. Here is a link to a story about the incident in the Australian Geographic online publication:

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2013/05/on-this-day-beaconsfield-miners-rescued/

The television programme was the first time I had seen these two brave men Brant Webb and Todd Russell interviewed about their experience at any length, since it happened. No doubt they were extensively interviewed for news stories at the time.





Great reunion: Brant Webb and Todd Russell reunited with family after being rescued from the Beaconsfield mine in Australia in 2006. Photo Getty Images.


But their viewpoint on life during and since their experience really inspired me.

It's true what they say that our experiences can help us to push on or make us hide under a blanket.

These two men appear to have just got on with life. However, no longer in the mining industry, as I understand.

But I'm sure they must have been changed by what happened to them in many ways.

It was amazing how they used humour as part of dealing with their ordeal, at the time, while still in their underground cage waiting to be rescued. Russell told the story about Webb, as an asthmatic, had become upset and Russell threatened him: "If you don't settle down, I'll have to give you a kiss." Apparently, this was enough to settle Webb down!

In another part of the interview, Russell said the two understood the messages they were getting from people on the outside was with the intention of trying to keep them calm but the men became frustrated with not being told the truth about their situation.

It was also inspiring how the basic values in life become important when mortality comes to call. I believe this was evident when Webb said, "the greatest thing anyone can do is put his/her life on the line for someone else".

The men spoke about the feeling of seeing their families for the first time and the thousands of people that turned out to welcome them out of what could have become their eternal grave.

I remember at the time, how glad I felt for the families of these two men.

Brant Webb said there are people that do their kind of work that don't get to go home from something like this... a horror very real for the families of the 29 Pike River miners that never made it out of that mine, here in New Zealand.

Although it's a big ask to expect other people to put their lives on the line, there also hasn't been any closure for these families.

We wish for them a more settled and peaceful year in 2016.

Would love to know what you think about rescues of this kind. Should they be attempted in highly dangerous conditions to rescuers' lives or not, because there are differing opinions on this?

Beating the Odds

BTO.




Monday, 4 January 2016

Moderation in everything

I guess the answer is moderation in all things.

This link below from Yahoo sees US health professionals and medical scientists doing a U-turn on foods they once told people to avoid because of the cholesterol factor:

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/blogs/icymi/cholesterol-is-finally-officially-removed-from--naughty--list-122559246.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

Foods such as avocados:





And full fat dairy products such as cheese and full fat milk and cream:



I still believe taking heed to my GP's advice is wise. Doctors are human but we consult them for a good reason and that is to guide us in regard to our health.

Ultimately, our health is our responsibility and the informed decisions we make come from the advice we get and if we aren't happy with certain health advice, that's what second opinions are for.

I believe the idea of 'good' fats have been around for some years now, such as; olive oil and avocados and their oil, dairy products and red meat in moderation, to name a few.

I think a good, balanced eating plan is the way to go, unless you have some health condition that needs close, medical and nutritional monitoring, in which case I believe we should adhere to the advice.

Dietary advice can be obtained from your GP or GP's nurse, or a trained nutritionist.

For people who have special conditions where specialised advice is needed, there is usually a practitioner - like a diabetes nurse at your local medical centre who your GP will probably refer you to. If not, just ask.

Do you have a health condition where you have to be careful of certain foods or be on a special eating plan? Your experience might help someone else.

To your health!

Beating the Odds

BTO.





Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Oversensitivity or disrespect?

Sometimes I wonder if we have become too overly sensitive and PC about life in general?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11567212&ref=NZH_FBpage

This young Kiwi dancer in the New Zealand Herald article link above has made the big time and good on her for it, in my view.

Parris Goebel is now backup dancer and leading choreographer for the likes of Justin Beiber and Jennifer Lopez.

Her decision to use another international cultural dance style seems to have brought some controversy.

I'm sure Parris is aware of cultural sensitivity and its importance to the various communities from which it belongs.

Let's applaud and encourage her progress on the international stage and screen because it was probably not easy to have made it as she has.

Well done Parris and Beating the Odds wishes you well with your own incredible talent and on your continued journey in supporting these incredibly talented singers.

What do you think about dancers and singers using cultural dances and songs from other cultures?

Sunday, 6 December 2015

Petition for raising the age for children to leave foster care in New Zealand

The letter below encouraging people to participate in a petition is on the Fostercare Share ActionStation site and I thought it was an important enough issue to publish on the BTO blog:

LETTER STARTS:
 
"Did you know that in New Zealand young people are exited from foster care on their 17th birthday?
 
While most 17 year olds are worrying about things like exams, these young people are worrying about where they’ll live and how to support themselves.
 
With no support networks and no place to call home, many young people struggle to cope.
 
Leaving state care at 17 means teenagers can end up on to the streets for years.
 
It doesn’t have to be this way. There’s a simple change we can make – raising the age of leaving foster care from 17 to 21.
 
I just signed a petition calling for exactly that, will you join me?
 
Our government is currently reviewing Child Youth and Family’s role. This is the perfect opportunity that Kiwis from all walks of life to show that we don’t stop caring when our young people in state care turn 17.
 
By signing this petition, we can help ensure young people won’t be left out in the cold when they turn 17."
 
Please add your name now: www.actionstation.org.nz/wedontstopcaring
 
LETTER ENDS
 
BTO says:
 
The vulnerability of youngsters who are dependent on the state and the need for them to continue to have the safety nets of kind people who are willing to take them in, is important in today's society.
 
It is not acceptable to have a situation where they have nowhere to go and slip through the cracks of legislation because of their age, in this great country of ours.
 
I would hope that like me, you would get behind this petition for our young displaced people and help ensure they have loving, caring, warm homes to go to until they can fend for themselves.
 
Beating the Odds
 
BTO

Saturday, 5 December 2015

A place to take a quiet moment

When Ren Haskell's friend told her about a colleague who had taken her own life during work hours the tragedy became a catalyst to the women creating a quiet space in the middle of a busy city for people to reflect and relax.

During a work break the colleague stepped out for a short time but when she failed to return, staff members later learned what had happened.

"My friend was of course devastated about what had happened so we looked for a way to help people when the tough things happen to them and around them," Ren says.

Ren had been working for the Hari Krishna movement at its café in Water Street, Whangarei in Northland, New Zealand.

The HK movement ran a programme to help the homeless and children from low decile schools by providing meals - particularly breakfasts based around the well-known motto: 'feed the body and feed the mind'.

"I went to Buddi - the movement's leader and apparently they had considerable difficulty growing vegetables in the small garden next to the movement's café. So he told me the land was ours to do with it what we wanted and said they entrusted us with it," she says.

So the healing garden was created in the former vegetable patch and has been going for a year now.








Community at heart: Ren Haskell and friends have created a sanctuary where people can relax and reflect when the difficult times come.  




Ren says she realises people can 'chill out' or take time to think anywhere, such as the beach but it takes the cost of fuel to get there and it's not the same as a purpose-created space where it's needed.

"The idea of a healing garden being in such a central place is that people may be stressed by work or by life's events, they may have just received that dreaded phone call with bad news, or even hearing a certain song that brings back memories out of the blue. They can take time out at a place that is close to where they are at that moment," she says.

The garden is surrounded by a wall where people can sit and enjoy it.

She says although the small 4 metre by 10m space is in a busy area of the city, the way it is set out gives people that feeling of solace and fresh air, with something beautiful to look at.

Ren is starting to organise monthly gatherings at the garden, where people can bring something to exchange with others; such as a plant, or ornament and they can share their experiences if they want to.

"When I've been working in the garden, often people will come and talk to me about what they've been through, so that's how I know about many traumatic things that have happened to and around people," Ren says.

Hearing these stories has shown the garden is therapeutic as well as a place to enjoy, she says.

Do you know of any ideas that have been created in your community to beat the stresses of life?

Tell us about them as they may help others facing difficulties.

Beating the Odds

BTO.