“IT’S NOT OK THAT IN THIS COUNTRY, POLICE RESPOND TO A FAMILY VIOLENCE INCIDENT EVERY 7 AND A HALF MINUTES.”

You find a variety of posters on the walls of hospitals. But yesterday I saw several in the local hospital – it was also the day when a tornado carved it’s mark in our local hospital – that really took my full interest.

The posters are put out by the Northland District Health Board and the posters call all Ages, Cultures, Communities and People! It says:

“FAMILY VIOLENCE IS NOT OK”

“Say YES to healthy relationships”

“Say NO to violence, abuse and neglect”

The posters advertising also an Emergency Contact Card with contact details. People are invited to take one. An emergency Phone Number is also given.

Front of Emergency Contact Card:

Inside the card are the Phone Numbers of Rape Crisis, Women’s Refuge, Victim Support, Police and Age Concern.

There are already a number of posts on this blog that deal with family violence. And – I was not going to mention it again. But it ‘just happened’ that I was having the local paper in my hand when that thought – not to mention family violence again –  was still on my mind and that I ‘happened’ to look at the following in the paper: “Two community buses will carry elder abuse and family violence prevention messages around the Far North for the next year.” (Northern News, July 1, 2009)

So it seems that FAMILY VIOLENCE is sadly very much in the NEWS, especially during this winter time. It seems, that winter is not a happy time for many people!

So we have to mention it again. We cannot forget about it!

You remember that it says on the poster mentioned earlier: “SAY YES TO A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP”. But how can we say YES to a healthy relationship? It is very dfficult, as we can see all over the place!

It is easier to say YES to a healthy relationship, when you have a LIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

You ask: ” How is it possible for me to have a LIVING RELATIONSHIP with the Lord Jesus Christ?”

PLEASE READ MORE POSTS ON THIS BLOG!

“It’s not the years in your life…….

It’s the life in your years!”

I saw that written twice in big coloured letters in the the local paper recently. (Northern News, July 1, 09) and I like it. I like it very much, because it is actually my story.

I remember very vividly the second of September 1958 in my life. I was eighteen years of age at that time. Until then the almost nineteen years in my life did not have any life in them. (It took me some time to realise that!)

Why? Why did they not have any life in them? Because I did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour.

But after the second of September 1958 I had life in my years, the Lord Jesus Christ!

I remember also something else from that time: Near the place where we lived (Bottrop, in Germany near Essen in the Ruhr – District) was a cemetery and just about in the middle of the cemetery was some kind of a monument with a cross and the writing on that monument was from the Gospel of John, John 11:25-26:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Also in the Gospel of John, in John 10:10 the Lord Jesus Christ says: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Please read also what the Lord says in John 5:39-40!

Do you have years in your life or do you have life in your years?

This is from the WEC magazine called “GOinto.org.nz”:

“Samuel Zwemer, a missionary to Muslims of about a century ago said, ‘so many young people’s minds and hearts are occupied by the weak things, by inconsequential things. Their eyes have never been illumined by a great vision, their mind has never been gripped by unselfish thoughts, their hearts have never been thrilled with the passion for the lost, their hands have never grown weary and strong in the lifting of a great burden.'”

A young man has the first part of this on video. And I have seen it with my own eyes:

A Duck with twelve very little Ducklings crossing the main street of Kaitaia (Commerce Street) from about where the BNZ is. A car is coming along – but stopping just in time to let the ducks cross safely over the road.

By now quite a good number of people have gathered – I can see at least one person with a camera – watching the ducks trying to cross the main street again – but this time they are almost getting run over. The crossing of the street is not successful this time and they are coming back to the side where they came from.

Eventually they are going off into the nearby park – hopefully to safety.

But I did not even have my camera on me!

Deuteronomy 32:4

“He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.”

Second Samuel 22:31

“As for God, his way is perfect;…”

Second Samuel 22:33

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

“Sign on a towing truck: We don’t charge an arm and a leg. We want tows!” – Coffee News – Vol. 99:5

Here in KAITAIA* we have at least eleven different religious meeting places (churches) on a land area of about one square kilometre.

I have counted them:

1. Exclusive Brethren, 2. Baptist Church, 3. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4. Open Brethren, 5. Abundant Life Centre, 6. Union Church, 7. Seventh- Days Adventist, 8. Apostolic Church, 9. Salvation Army, 10. Advance Ministries, 11. Virtue Christian Centre.

*ACCORDING TO THE 2006 CENSUS THE RESIDENT POPULATION OF KAITAIA IS:

5 202!!

Surely, that keyboard I saw in the church yesterday came from Germany, where I was born. In big letters you could read what was written on it from afar: “KURZWEIL”.

*****

Another reminder of Germany, my mother country? Yes! Another greeting from my earthly home? Yes! I have had already several greetings from Germany here in New Zealand. You can read about them on this blog.

But I am not very much interested in my earthly home, I am interested in my home in Heaven!

That’s why I went to church yesterday in the morning. In church we hear about heaven and how to get there. In church we sing hymns about heaven.

*****

But I am so glad that this keyboard from my home country ended up here in a CHURCH in New Zealand – and not somewhere else – and that hymns will be played on this musical instrument which tell us about heaven.