Highs and Lows

The week began with a public holiday – can’t get enough of them!

So without really taking the time to recover from our trip to Gerringong and Berry, we had a big Family Day on Monday. A friend of ours works at Darling Harbour at the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World. She kindly and generously offered us some tickets for our family to visit BOTH places.
As we climbed out of bed, ready to begin another great adventure with the kids, Kylie moved Annie, but Annie didn’t slide across the bed as Kylie expected. Instead she screamed in pain. Closer inspection revealed that Annie couldn’t move her right arm. We had no idea how it had happened but feared that Annie’s shoulder had been dislocated. I walked her around the neighbourhood until she had calmed down. Then we tried a couple of little experiments, all ending with tears. So at 8am on a Public Holiday Monday, instead of driving to Darling Harbour, Kylie headed in the opposite direction – to the Doctor Surgery. By the time Kylie and Annie saw the doctor, Annie had decided that her arm worked quite well again and the doctor confirmed that all was well.

Our trip to Sydney began two hours later than expected, but it was SUPER! This wonderful friend has not only arranged for our entry, but even had bags of goodies from the gift shops for the children, and allowed us to enjoy photo’s with the Koalas. The Koalas are not allowed to be held in NSW (they can be in QLD), and slept through the photo’s, but the kids were thrilled to touch them.

We saw fish, rays, sharks, penguins, seals, starfish, eels, crocodiles and every kind of sea animal you could imagine.

We saw snakes, spiders, wallabies, birds, and even had butterflies landing on us in an atrium designed to replicate a tropical environment. The children loved it all and we stayed for hours. To our kind friend: Thank you.

Tuesday was quiet, with me at uni and the kids at school. Kylie worked hard on a church activity (and continued to do so all week).

Wednesday should have been a super day. I had a great time at uni again. I’m making super progress on my research, and am entirely absorbed by it. Late in the afternoon I exchanged a few emails with Timmy J (my little brother). The Rugby League State of Origin was on the TV at 7.30pm. I suggested that if he would like to catch a train from Sydney to Wollongong after work rather than going back to the Central Coast he would be very welcome. I also mentioned something about how much he would enjoy some excellent ice-cream with crushed mint slice biscuits as a topping. Tim didn’t need much more encouragement.

As I left the university it was pouring with rain. The traffic was banked up terribly and I was getting wet. It was on dark as I slowly steered my motorcycle around the cars to make up a bit of time and get out of the rain faster. Unfortunately someone was walking across the road in a non-pedestrian area and by the time I saw him I was about to hit him. I braked hard and, with the wet, oily road beneath me, the bike slid, laying down on the left side. My hand flew out to brace and took the full force of the fall. My helmet also took a solid knock. I was furious: furious at me for being where I shouldn’t have been; furious at him for crossing the road where he shouldn’t have been; furious at the rain for making the road slippery. But fury was no help. I lifted up the bike and rode away, only realising that I had hurt my hand when I got home. However, there was a big game on, my little brother was on a train to my place, and I wasn’t prepared to cancel my night and sit in a hospital waiting room. I put ice on it and ignored the pain.

I picked up Tim from the station and we enjoyed his visit for the night. The game was bad – NSW was annihilated – but the ice-cream was excellent, and so was the company.

Thursday morning I inspected the bike. Far too much damage for such a little spill. Close to $1000 if I get it all fixed. My hand still hurt too. By Thursday night it was swelling up and I went to the hospital. X-rays confirmed that there was no break.

Friday evening we spent some time enjoying an amazing meal with some friends. Kylie had cooked some stunning Thai pumpkin soup for entrée, stirfry for the main, and an amazing chocolate and pear pudding for dessert. Wow! During the course of the evening my hand began to expand again, and turn red. I returned to the hospital on Friday night for a second opinion. After waiting in the triage department from a little after 10pm until close to 2am I gave up.

The weekend has been quiet for me. I caught a cold by running myself down so much, riding in the cold and rain, and being out so late at unhelpful hospitals. So I have primarily been in bed. Humph. And my hand is still sore. Extra humph.

I have arranged for some basic repairs to the bike, and agreed to sell it. I’ve had quite a bit of pressure from mum – no surprises there! But frankly, while the bike may be cheaper and more practical in many ways, I have never really enjoyed riding, and it’s too cold, wet and dangerous for me to keep it up. Looking forward to it being gone. Just frustrated that it’s costing me more money to get it ready to sell. I hope to see it gone in the next 3-4 weeks, if not sooner. Then I’ll pick up a cheap little 4 cylinder car. It should serve the family better even if it costs a little extra to run compared to the bike.

The week started off so well. Alas, it didn’t finish quite so well. The great thing is, there’s so much to look forward to next week! I can't wait!

A Great Break

Monday of this week commenced in identical fashion to Saturday’s conclusion: Marking. I can categorically, conclusively conclude that I do NOT like marking! I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday seated in my office reviewing 900 exercises that had been written by PSYC101 students. My range of thoughts about the students varied dramatically throughout the process. Those who understood their work and communicated it effectively were a pleasure to mark. Those who chose not to answer the questions were equally, if not more, pleasurable to mark as their papers only required a big red zero.

Some students, with varying levels of effort and diligence, attempted the questions – poorly. These were the tough ones. I found myself thinking, “How did these people ever get into university?” and “Did they listen to a word I taught them?” or any number of even meaner thoughts. Most of the material was quite simple… or so I had thought when I taught it to them.

After five days of marking papers between 7 and 8 hours a day (I’d rather do removals… oh, perhaps not. I shouldn’t complain to loud!) I finally finished late Wednesday afternoon. What joy! What relief!

Things were generally quiet on Thursday. I made some progress on my planning for my research, and that was really all.

Friday I took the day off. Kylie and I sent the children off to school and then worked like crazy for the next few hours, tidying the house and packing bags. We picked up the children at around 1.30pm and headed south. Some good friends of ours own a property at Gerringong and invited us to spend some time there on the weekend. The 45 minute trip went very quickly, and we arrived to a beautiful home about 100 metres from the beach, and with acres of land behind it.

The bulk of Friday afternoon was spent riding their four wheeler motorbikes around the property. Chanel, Abbie and Ella were in heaven! They wouldn’t get off! However, despite the thrill they had, whipping around on the back of the four wheelers, their enthusiasm barely rates a mention compared with the wild glee that overcame Kylie as she hurtled across the grass whooping and “yeeha”-ing like a teenager allowed of her grounding in time to go to a party. Kylie was more excited that I’ve seen in ages, and the grin on her face was so large it was all I could see! I got a little concerned as I watched her speed down the hill. She was riding like someone with 10 years of experience rather than 10 minutes! We chased cows, rode the bikes (I got on the trail bike and took Kylie for a double too) and generally enjoyed the fresh country air. Serenity. Smiles. Super.

Kylie and I cooked the ten of us (they also have two children) a wonderful stir-fry for dinner. Then we tackled that task of telling ten tikes it was time to retire for the night. It took over an hour before they finally fell asleep, well beyond their bed-time. Pretty standard if I recall correctly from when I was a child. I’m pretty sure that when I was a kid I’d stay up all night when I had friends sleep over.

Once the children were finally “out” we played some board games, indulged in far too many sweets, and then climbed into the spa. I say spa, but it was really something more the size of a small pool. My body doesn’t appreciate hot places for some reason, and after an hour of so I was very uncomfortable. However Kylie and Deb stayed in until close to midnight. Too late for me. I stayed up, talking with Trevor until then, before collapsing into the bed, completely overcome with exhaustion. I love that feeling of being utterly tired, and lying in bed feeling gentle waves of relaxation make their way throughout my body. I couldn’t enjoy it for long though. I fell asleep too fast!

We arose far too early Saturday, thanks to the children of course. They were so excited to be “doing” again. After cereal, bacon and eggs, and juice, Trevor and I took the children for a walk for a couple of hours. They chased cows some more, then ran down to the boat ramp to pick up rocks and explore. Meantime Kylie and Deb wandered into town (500m in the other direction) to do a spot of window shopping. We drove 20 minutes south, to Berry, just north of Nowra, and played in the park there. Kylie and I fell in love with the place. So quiet, and romantic. In the park we saw a motorcycle gathering or rally of some sort. It included bikes from as early as 1906! It looked more like a basic bicycle with a motor on it. I wished I was a bike enthusiast because I could have really appreciated the history I witnessed.

We completed our trip at Bombaderry where we ate far too much at a Chinese buffet-style lunch, before driving back to Wollongong, drowsy, drained, and over-indulged! It was obviously a very quiet night. We had an unexpected visitor at aroun 8.30pm. An older gentleman and his wife (from church) had decided to surprise us with a bag full of goodies (Tim Tams, Mint Slice, Maison, Corn Chips etc) for reasons we still don't understand. We are still shaking our heads wondering why, but grateful for the seemingly endless kindnesses and generosity we are shown here in Wollongong.
Once again we find ourselves being blessed more than we deserve, and finding friends who generously make our lives more exciting than we could ever do ourselves. We are grateful. To make things even better, we’ve had a week of rain and cold weather yet our break on Friday and Saturday, though, were beautiful. Oceans of blue above us, gorgeous sunlight, and warm days; heaven on earth.

I’ve been forced to contemplate the purchase of some wet-weather gear for the motorcycle. A few too many showers have caught me in the past week. I’ve been utterly drenched! We’ve also had some funny things happen with the children. Here are a couple of quotable quotes…

“Hey Dad, look at my Scottish Tartlett skirt.” Chanel trying to describe her tartan skirt.

“You MIGHT be right, but I don’t know my times tables.” Abbie responding to Chanel’s answer of 42. Abbie had asked what 6x7 equals, but then realised that no matter what Chanel said, she didn’t know the answer herself. I assured Abbie that Chanel got the answer correct.

Lastly, and perhaps most exciting of all, we’re watching our children grow and develop beautifully. This week Annie has begun clapping consistently. She has also started saying “dadad.” Of course, it’s just sounds for her at this point. But I love hearing her call me anyway! She has really begun crawling, and she’s doing it quite well. In the next week I’m anticipating that she’ll be able to move from one room to the next. And finally, after 9 months, we have our first tooth! It’s through! And as usual, Annie lights up all of our days with her endless smiling and laughing. She has the most wonderful temperament. Our Chanel is also showing signs of growing up too, although I’m not as enthusiastic about this development. I’m not sure that Kylie and I are ready for a little girl who’s not so little anymore.

A Wonderful LIfe

In four weeks the year will be half through. I cannot comprehend how quickly the time goes. We have been in Wollongong for nearly 6 months!

Some fabulous news in regards to my studies this past week. I have been in contact with a Professor at Yale (in the USA). It’s unquestionably one of the most respected universities in the world. Her name is Amy Wrzesniewski. Amy has reviewed the basis for my research proposal for my Ph.D., and thinks it’s really exciting. In the past few emails I’ve received she has been very enthusiastic, and quite helpful too. I have had discussions with several researchers throughout the world, and only since I came up with this idea and contacted Amy have I had this kind of response. It’s very satisfying, and comforting, to know that one of the world leaders in the field likes my idea. Here’s hoping it keeps going the way it has so far.

Some more good news too, with regards to my studies. I have been invited to lecture in the next semester. I’ll be lecturing on communication in intimate relationships to second year psyc. students (two lectures). I’ll be lecturing on adolescent and adult psychological development to third year students (two lectures) and I’ll be lecturing to fourth year health psychology students (one lecture) on positive psychology. So I’m really excited about that opportunity. It’ll sure boost the credibility on my CV!

My week began with lots of research and exciting progress on my studies. Unfortunately, by Friday I had been given a whole lot of marking to do. I tutor about 120 of 300 students in PSYC101. Between three tutors, we have 300 activity books to mark, each with 8 assignments. That’s 2400 activities to mark. So I spent all day marking, both Friday, and Saturday. It’s the first time I’ve been required to work on a Saturday this year, so I can’t complain too much. But it sure is frustrating having to do so much work. I just want to scream at the students – CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION!!! Doing the marking has given me a lot of insight into how I can be a better teacher too though. I have given them all the answers they need, but a large percentage have not managed to get the right answers down on paper. Next time I tutor I’ll try to be more helpful. There’s no point teaching if they don’t learn it properly, even if the feedback on my teaching is excellent.

I actually caught a few student cheating too. They’ve provided identical answers, having simply done a copy and paste job. That will be an automatic fail for them. Serves them right too. We warned them about three or four times through the semester, and told them we’d catch them.

Kylie enjoyed a quieter week than normal. There was a trip to the Buddhist Temple, just down the road. Some of the girls from church have lived here for years and always wanted to see it, but never been there. So Kylie rounded everyone up, and in the end four of them went down to see things. They had fun, and Kylie was glad she’d seen it.

She also said she really preferred the LDS Temples. Kylie went with Katrina, Kim, and Debs. Debs is a great friend, and we’re really enjoying getting to know other wonderful people in Wollongong.

Chanel and Abbie had their athletics carnival at school on Wednesday. They enjoyed it, but not to the same extent as they enjoyed their cross-country and swimming carnivals. Unfortunately, my poor children have the same athletic gene that I possess… zero! I remember losing every athletic event I ever attempted. So did Abbie and Chanel. I take some comfort in knowing that Kylie also did poorly. In fact, Kylie says she would begin the 100m race and quit halfway along, crying because she was so far behind. So I guess the genetic influence left them with no chance. Oh well, can’t win them all. They do well in their other forms of sport.

Chanel is growing up a little too fast for Kylie and I. She’s only eight, but boy, does she push limits. She’s getting increasingly frustrated with her little sisters. The maturity gap is really beginning to show. We gave her a glimpse of grown-up life last night. It was a Saturday and a movie was on that she really, really, wanted to watch; Spy Kids. It was on at 7.30 and went until 9.30. Too late for Chanel, but we let her watch it anyway. She thought she was the bee’s knees. It was a great treat and we all had fun laughing together.

Abbie is still driving us crazy with her ENDLESS talking… she never stops, ever! And when she’s not talking, she’s spelling, or asking us how to spell, or reading out loud. It starts every morning when she gets out of bed. We call her Abbie Alarm Clock. Abbie is the first one up every morning, at around 6.30am. She starts reading and writing and talking… and doesn’t stop until 7pm when her head hits the pillow at night.

As for Ella, more laughs again this week. This little girl has personality and spunk to burn. She has both by the truckload. When I have to leave Ella wants to be with me. She runs outside at the first sign that I have to go and climbs onto the back of my motorbike, sitting there expectantly. I have never, nor will I ever, take her on the back of the bike. But she gets down there anyway. When I lift her off, she tears up the driveway and down to the first cul-de-sac around the corner where she waves and calls out her farewells to me. Then I watch in my mirror as she scampers back up the hill and into our driveway.

A couple of nights ago Kylie had put the girls to bed while I was at a meeting for church. Kylie was downstairs reading by the fire, when Ella tiptoed into the room. In her all too funny speech, Ella said, “Mum, I sit with you.” Kylie smiled and patted the chair beside her. Ella then continued, “Shell (Chanel) thinks I going to get in twubble, but I not am I.” She was so cute Kylie had to cuddle her.

Ella also surprised Kylie at lunch one day this week. After wolfing down her ham, cheese and tomato sandwich she asked for another one. Kylie thought that was a bit optimistic on Ella’s part, but indulged her anyway. Ella gulped the second sandwich down and then inquired, “Mummy, I have ‘nuvva one.” She polished off THREE ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. Wow! But we cannot get Ella to sit still when we say a prayer, or be quiet for that matter. Her speech is improving but still a long way behind for her age. She is beginning to do well in group time at kindy which is a sign of progress. And we love her to bits.

Annie has begun crawling! She has just made it to 9 months, and is pulling herself along the floor with gusto. Not a lot of leg movement happening yet, but the arms are going great, and we have progress. Very exciting. We have never had such a contented, smiling angel as this one. We love her so much, and she gets endless positive attention. Everyone wants to cuddle and hold her. Still not keen on sleeping through the nights though.

Today was Sunday. What a great day. Sitting through sacrament meeting was somewhat challenging with the children, but it felt great to be there. Really, really great. We heard some wonderful things, and felt terrific things too. It was good to be there. After church we were invited to someone’s home for a large lunch gathering. I ate too much (there’s something new… not) and at 8pm I still can’t fit in any dinner. Oops. After spending some time there we rushed home, arriving moments before mum and dad who had travelled the two and a half hours down from Gosford to be with us for the afternoon. Kylie cooked her best stew with dumplings (which I still can’t eat, but I’ll enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow), and mum and dad played with the kids. It was a really nice time. We don’t see my parents relaxed too often, but at our house there were no deadlines, no kids screaming and making a mess, no meals to cook or calls to make… in fact, there was nothing to do but spend time together. And that’s what we did. Wonderful.

On Fire

Not too much to tell this past week. I got hit by the flu truck and spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday resting, recovering and essentially being a big sook. During that time Kylie looked after the children and I. And I laid in bed or on the lounge. Hmmmm. I told you it was a quiet week.

I was finally back to it on Friday, and put in a reasonable day at uni. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with some friends that evening. And when we awoke on Saturday morning Kylie suggested that she was feeling a little unwell. Oh no! There’s no way I could do everything Kylie does. In order to nip it in the bud, I took the children out for the day. We left around 9am and returned just after 2pm.

First stop was Ella’s preschool, where I spent a little over an hour weeding “the jungle”. The children played and had loads of fun. Ella painted – mostly on her hands, face, and clothes! Then I took them down to the harbour. It is so beautiful there. We walked along the pier, with Ella flirting dangerously close to the precipice all the way along. That girl scares me so much! My nerves were frazzled by the time we got a safe distance from the water.

As we headed off to do some exploring, Ella came running to me holding her hands out. She had been playing with something brown and gooey. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I had my suspicions. And I wasn’t going to let her touch me with THAT on her hands. We walked to the boat ramp and Ella used the sand to wash her hands. Rinsing them off was a challenge, and as you might expect, Ella ended up a lot more wet than she should have. She splashed through the waves as they raced up the sand beside the ramp! At least her hands were clean. A bit of anti-bacterial gel and we were back in business.

We climbed to the top of a huge, grassy hill. The girls rolled down, giggling and squealing delightedly. Ella chose to join the fun, but from a different starting point. She laid down in the scattered grass clippings instead of the clean grassy patch that Chanel and Abbie had begun their downward journey.

An hour later and after a few tantrums, Ella was finally in the car with the other girls and we were off to buy some lunch. I couldn’t decide on which fish and chips shop, and ended up making a very bad choice.

The kids had a quiet afternoon at home while I prepared dinner with Kylie. Then, just as dinner was being served, Ella came into the kitchen saying “Sorry” and holding out her finger telling us it was burnt. We thought she must have burned her finger on the gas heater. We were trying to kiss it better when…

we smelled something…

It was in the lounge room...

And it smelled toxic.

FIRE!

Ella had put her little foam lounge chair over the top of the heater. It was burning and filling the house with toxic fumes. Kylie raced outside with the chair while I turned off the heater and ran around the house opening doors and windows. It was icy cold as the breeze began to remove the smoke and smell. Dinner got cold. But Ella was safe, and so was the house. Phew! What a day.

Just as the children were fading off to sleep, the phone rang. It was one of the members of the bishopric from church. He had to race off to Launceston in Tasmania and couldn’t give his talk in church. Would I give one instead?

So I spent a couple of hours putting together a 20 minute “sermon” before finally collapsing into bed a little before midnight (You can read it in the blog post below).

Today it’s Sunday. The talk went well. We had a terrific day at church. This afternoon we had pasta for lunch and I took all four kids for a 2 hour walk. It was terrific. As I contemplated the way we walked I chuckled at what it said about the children’s personalities.

Out in front by at least 100m was Ella. She is 100 mph all the time. And she runs her own race. Half an hour after I observed her forging the path ahead, she was lagging behind smelling flowers in people’s yards.

Chanel pushed the pram with Annie. She is the organiser, the protector, and the responsible one. We see it in everything she does.

Abbie was content to walk beside me, holding my hand. She is the soft, compassionate, caring child. And Abbie loves to be with people, and to feel safe and protected.

Of course all of the children possess these attributes and we see them at various times, but it was illustrative to consider their behaviour as we walked in the broader context of their characters.

After walking up and down 3 klms of some of Wollongong’s steepest hills Kylie picked us up so we didn’t have to traipse home. And another week has vanished, leaving us to remember the joy of last week, look forward to the possibilities of a new week, and extract every bit of experience out of the moment we’re now in.

Upon This Rock

At the climax of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gave this counsel: “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24–27.)

My children love to go to the beach. During the warmer months of the year we spent considerable time at Port Kembla, our favourite beach. We enjoy playing games and swimming, and the girls are particularly fond of building in the sand. Typically we create a fortress. We begin to dig a hole at a point along the shoreline where the waves can just reach. As we dig the hole, we pile sand in front of it to act as a protective “breakwall” to keep the water out.

As we dig we watch for incoming waves. Those waves have varying levels of impact depending on the strength of the foundations of the breakwall. When the foundations are solid, thick, and all encompassing, the waves have little effect on the wall. When the wall is too thin, short, or when it fails to surround our hole, the water washes over it and destroys our efforts.

Interestingly, when we build a solid wall it still only lasts for a limited time. Incessant destructive efforts from the ocean eventually cause it to crumble without our ongoing work to solidify and build and strengthen the foundations of that wall.

When the Saviour spoke of building a house, he was metaphorically describing the lives we build.

It is within our power to build a house of faith, a house of righteousness, a house of salvation. We can build a happy home, full of joy and love. But to do so, when so much of life’s adversity attempts to wash over us, requires us to build upon a Sure Foundation.

So what is the rock – the sure foundation – that we should build our homes, and lives upon?

That foundation, that Rock, was identified by the Lord Himself as he spoke with His disciples. He questioned them, asking who men say that he, the Son of Man, is. (See Matt. 16:13.)

The disciples responded by stating that some say He is the Baptist whom, it was claimed, had risen from the dead. He was also being touted as Elias who should restore all things; or Elijah who should come before the great and dreadful day; or Jeremiah, of whom it was also falsely claimed would prepare the way for the Messiah.

Then Jesus asks a far more important question.

“But whom say ye that I am?” (Matt. 16:15.)

The question is more important because it cuts to the heart of the matter. It’s interesting to know what others are saying and thinking, but what do YOU think?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all answer as Simon Peter. I imagine him leaping to his feet and without the slightest hesitation exclaiming: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16.)

The critical lesson in this interaction comes from the Lord, following Peter’s assertion. “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona.” (Matt. 16:17.) Why is Peter so blessed? “For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

It is not because Peter has witnessed miracles. He has witnessed the blind receive their sight, lepers made whole, the deaf hear, the mute talk, even the dead raised. But this is not how he knows who Jesus is. There were thousands who also saw what Peter saw, and they failed to accept Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. It is because he knows by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Lord; the Holy Spirit has confirmed the divine Sonship of this Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus continues, and this is the critical point in my talk today, by stating: “And upon this rock”—the rock of revelation—“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18.) REVELATION MEANS TO MAKE KNOWN, OR UNCOVER.

This is a critical issue. I am what some might call an “academic”, at least in training. I balk at that suggestion, but ultimately I guess I fall loosely into the category of scholar. At the very least I am a scientific researcher. Science is held up in our community by some as the source, the gold standard, of all truth.

Yet the Lord does not say, “Upon the rock of science and empiricism will I build my church.” He doesn’t state that if we do enough studies, or investigate the galaxies, or the cells of the body, that we will find Truth. His statement is that the rock of revelation will lead us to Truth. It should be our foundation. He also promises that the gates of hell shall not prevail against that Rock.

Having established what the Rock is that we should be using as our foundation, I wish to use the remainder of our time to discuss how our church is build upon the Rock of Revelation, and how our lives, likewise can be built upon the sure foundation.

The Church

At the time of Joseph Smith, there were two dominant views of Christianity. The Catholic view, and the Protestant view. These religious parties, and those that flowed from them, essentially agreed on certain characteristics of God and what He was like.

Trinity: Father, Son, & HG of the same substance.
He can be our father by adoption—if we accept Him.
He made us out of nothing. No pre-earth existence.
He is different in kind from us.
He is unknowable, a mystery. To know Him is to diminish Him.

One of the greatest revelations in the history of the world, and certainly in the past couple of thousand years is one upon which our Church builds its foundation. Joseph Smith, aged 14, was confused by the creeds of religions in his hometown. Creeds that explained God just as I did a moment ago. After study, pondering, and seeking answers, Joseph Smith sought to know more – from God, through prayer.

In answer to Joseph’s inspired prayer, revelation came. Knowledge, Truth, and Light were made known; uncovered, as it were. Joseph spoke, in person, with God our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. What was revealed? How does it compare with the philosophies of men adopted over the past centuries?

Three separate and real Beings (physical)
He is our literal Father.
He begat our spirits. We have always lived - with Him!
We are like Him and can become more like Him.
He is our Father, Friend, Advocate
Our first duty is to know God & His character. To know Him is to be changed by Him.

Our church is built on revelation – making things known and uncovered

Common Christian views of how God leads people include:

Catholics: Through the Pope and through the debate and politicking of early councils
Protestants: Through the Bible
Protestants: Through the body of believers

The LDS view is somewhat different.

Through a living prophet (Amos 3:7)
Through the Bible and additional revelation (unlimited!)
Through message of HG in mind and heart

Our Own Lives

I will briefly highlight three ways: Obedience, reading the scriptures, and prayer.

Personal Righteousness… we must be worthy if we are to receive revelation from God. It comes from His Holy Spirit, and the Spirit does not dwell in unclean temples.

Reading the Scriptures… We are commanded to “feast upon the words of Christ, for the words of Christ will tell [us] all things [we] should do” (2 Ne. 32:3). As we obtain the words of the Lord, we receive revelations. Things are uncovered. We are made aware of His will.

Prayer... Our scriptures abound with endless examples of revelations which come to us from our Father because of faithful prayers, and righteous desires. Sections 8 and 9 identify keys we don’t have time to discuss here and now to help us comprehend the revelations we receive. Miracles are manifest, we are recipients of revelation, as we live worthy lives, study, and pray.

Elder Eyring, in a superb address on Faith in October Conference, 2005, added that when we have done these things we could sit back and say that we have built a strong foundation, upon the Rock. We might say “I have done well, and created a strong foundation “by starting early and being steady in obedience. I will store it away against the times when I will be tested in storms.” However, this may be unwise because “faith has a short shelf life.” Just like the foundations of the sand fortress we built on the beach. Instead, he counsels, we will do well if we persist in strengthening that foundation, and “Go back and drink deeply and often” from the sources of strength.

Helaman counseled his sons, Nephi and Lehi, to “remember that it is upon the Rock of our Redeemer that we must build our foundation.” This can only be done when revelation confirms that He is our Redeemer.

My life is blessed, and my foundation strengthened as I reflect and acknowledge the revelations, answers to prayers, that I have experienced. They help me know that God hears our prayers and reveals truth to help His children.

I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is built upon the Rock of Revelation in accordance with Jesus’ instruction to His disciples, with a living prophet receiving revelation from our Head, Jesus Christ, in steering our course. Joseph Smith received a great revelation to commence the complete restoration of Christ’s Gospel to the earth. And I witness that I have received revelation through the Holy Ghost, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and my Saviour and Redeemer, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His Church, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Good Friends are God's way of Apologising for Family

This is going to be a little longer than usual… we’ve had a huge couple of weeks and some exceptional experiences.

Last time I wrote we were having a wonderful time in Brisbane. We had a superb trip. Our Sunday (which commenced after I wrote the last entry) was wonderful, visiting friends and enjoying great company. We spent the morning relaxing because Kylie was not feeling 100%. Then we left early for church. We arrived at the meetinghouse at midday, an hour early for our meetings, but on time to say hello to our old congregation, who were just concluding. We have never felt so welcome in Camp Hill! It was wonderful to see our old friends!

Church was ok, although I was a little restless, wanting to be social more than reflective. I think the children were feeling similarly. We left at the end of the sacrament meeting and visited a few more friends. Warm conversations, kind words – happy memories.

Our final day was to be Monday. We wished we could have stayed longer. I didn’t think I would ever feel like that about Brisbane. More wonderful visits with friends. Kylie caught up with a lovely lady and her children who was a friend we met through swimming lessons. As we arrived at their home, their daughter saw Chanel and came running. Chanel dived out the door and we smiled as they embraced with fervour! It was really beautiful. The kids had so much fun playing. It was an exercise in the most diplomatic and tender negotiations to get them back in the car at the end of their visit. Our day concluded with a family dinner at the park, which abruptly terminated after Adele’s little boy put his teeth through his lip. Ouch.

Tuesday (the 6th of May) we left Bris-Vegas for the ‘Gong. It was so wonderful to fly! In typical Coulson fashion we barely made it to the airport on time to catch the flight. The traffic on the Gateway was as terrible as ever – at 5.30 am! I can’t believe that so many people get up at that time. As we travelled to the airport I had my mobile phone on my lap. I had been talking to Kylie (in her mum’s car) about alternate routes because of the voluminous traffic! I jumped out of the car when we arrived, forgetting all about my phone. It bounced once on the asphalt, and splashed into the storm drain beneath my feet! I removed the grate and, ignoring the worried glances from passers-by and airport security, climbed into the drain to rescue my adventurous phone. It doesn’t rain in Brisbane, but there was still an inch of water in the bottom of the drain – enough to drown my phone and render it inoperable.

The girls looked fashionably cute walking into the terminal. They were all rugged up in their huge coats because of the cool morning, and the fact that we knew it would be 10 degrees colder in NSW than QLD. Each of them was dragging their little suitcases behind them and wearing their carry-on backpacks. They were so excited to catch the plane – but not nearly as excited as Kylie and I. And then we found that our flight had been cancelled! We were fortunate to be able to fly just an hour later on the next flight. Instead of 14 hours in the car, we were in Sydney 90 minutes later. The children were so exhausted following the 4.30 am start that they slept most of the way home. Ahhh, peace and quiet. Kylie and I savoured the silence.

Arriving Home

We had left our house key with a good friend from church while we were gone. She had told us she wanted to give us one of her old lounges, and was going to look after things while we were gone. We picked up the key from her on the way home. Our visit was brief, and concluded with her handing Kylie a letter. It was titled “The Arctic Chateau”.

As we began to read we laughed gratefully. It was so funnily written, and detailed how the “maids and room service staff” (our friends) had gone through our home from top to bottom to make it ready for our arrival. Curtains had been hung, beds remade with under-blankets, lounges installed (as well as a few other furniture items), the fridge and fruit-bowl had been stocked, flowers purchased, some odds and ends for bathrooms etc had been bought, and the house had been cleaned from top to bottom. All this while our friend was unwell!

Kindness like that is impossible to repay. We have some wonderful friends.

The following day, Wednesday 7th May, Chanel was unwell. No school for her… but she went with Kylie to drop Abbie off. Waiting at the gate was one of Chanel’s best friends with a big “Welcome Back” sign, hand-made, for our family. Paige and her mum had done it as a craft project in anticipation of our arrival. They were so sad that Chanel couldn’t stay at school.

On Thursday I rang the motorcycle shop to discuss a deal I’d been working on with them. I traded in my big black Honda. It was hard to do, because the bike looks so good. There’s a lot of status tied up with it. I traded down to a much smaller bike, but much newer. My Honda had been 11 years old and had lots of things about it that were going to cost me money. It had not been looked after well by previous owners, and I felt that it had already cost me too much. So I swapped it for a 10 month old Yamaha commuter (called a Scorpio). It only has 3,500 kms on the clock, and is still under warranty. So I’ve lost the status of the big one, but I’ve got the reliability and economy of a newer, smaller bike. Still, it was hard to say goodbye.

Little else occurred between Friday and Sunday. Of course, Sunday was Mother’s Day. Another big day in the Coulson home! We were up early, wishing Kylie a breathtaking, magnificent day. I cooked her favourite brekky. Bacon, eggs, tomato, pineapple, toast and baked beans, all washed down with fresh juice. Then reality hit as we prepared lunches and things for a long drive to Gosford.

We darted off to church, just arriving on time. At 12.30 we were on the road again, heading north. Two and a half hours later we pulled into Daleys Point. The evening wasn’t quite as “happy” as we’d have hoped. But there were several pleasant moments, including the whole family laughing around the table as we sang Disney songs. Oh, and the food was delicious – and abundant. Each of the children prepared part of the meal. We stayed far too long though, not leaving until after 9pm. So, after fighting to stay awake for far too long, we finally arrived home at 11.30 Sunday night.

I’m pleased to say that this week just gone has been much quieter than the previous couple. Routine has been re-established, and things have hummed along at a comfortable, even rate. On Wednesday evening Chanel was on the local TV news. Her classroom was featured as part of the coverage of national school testing (of which I am heavily opposed – but that’s for another conversation). It was exciting to see her, and no doubt her class talked about it with excitement all the next day!

Abbie loves talking to us about all of the good things we have in life. Every night she makes sure we discuss highlights of our day as we eat our evening meal. I had a really funny conversation with Abbie on Friday. She told me that she remembered how my mum (Nanny Coulson) had given her some pencils. She explained how grateful she was for them, and then stated, “It fills me with great joy Dad.” Priceless!

Yesterday (Saturday), little Ella had to have a blood test. We are having her comprehensively assessed by a psychologist in the coming weeks to ascertain the degree of challenge we face with her cognitive development. We’re hoping that we’ll be told that Ella is fine, just temperamentally difficult, and the main challenge she has is her speech and language. But the doctor wants to go over her physical health in detail too. Ella was so brave. She sat up on the bench and put her arm out. Then she cuddle Kylie. As the prick entered her skin she quietly said, “It’s hurting me too much mummy.” She is so precious. Kylie told her to count to ten and it would be over. They only got to 4 and it was finished. Ella savoured the lollipop the pathologist rewarded her with, and wore her little bandaid with pride.

After the needle, we took the kids to a Country Fair/School Fete where we paid too much for rides and fairy floss, but got good value in laughs and time together.

It has been a magical few weeks and we feel privileged to be able to enjoy it all so much.

Brisbane

I’m sitting in warm, sunny Queensland as I type this out. And it’s nice to be here.

Last week concluded after Kylie did a wonderful job speaking in front of over 1000 people at our Stake Conference for church. I was really sick though, and the day was uneventful. I remained in bed all day Monday and Tuesday (though I raced into uni to teach two classes on Tuesday afternoon). I also took Wednesday off. Each of those days was entirely uneventful for our family. In my time off I essentially did nothing although I spent some time helping Kylie around the house. (I didn’t realise just how big our house is until I had to clean it).

Chanel has been learning her multiplication tables and we bought some cards that turn the tables into a game. We have gone from struggling with the tables to knowing all of them inside out (including 8’s and 9’s) in 3 days. She has done amazingly well.

Thursday morning we piled into the car and drove to the airport to fly to Brisbane. The kids were full of anticipation, perhaps more for the chance to be with family than to actually fly on a plane. In typical Coulson style we arrived at the airport with moments to spare, checked in, and boarded the plane. After some confusion about seating – we weren’t given a seating allocation together! – we managed to take our place and enjoy getting to Brisbane in 90 minutes instead of 14 hours (which is what the drive would have been).

Disembarking at Brisbane saw us all express identical sentiments – “Wow it’s warm in QLD!” Jumpers and all of those warm clothes were shed in favour of t-shirts, shorts and thongs. It is an entirely different climate. We were surprised at how dry it still is up here. We have become accustomed to green surrounds in Wollongong.

Some friends were kind enough to loan their car to us, and, after picking up Kylie’s dad (who the kids were so thrilled to see again) we drove to the Gold Coast to visit with Nan & Auntie Jan. It was going to be a short visit but we had a great time and ended up staying a few hours. We ate an unexpected, but tasty, dinner on Nan’s best crockery and had a genuinely enjoyable evening. Then back to Brisbane as we fell into an exhausted slumber.

Friday was a genuine highlight for us. Chanel spent the day at her old school: Cannon Hill State School. She was invited in to her old class with her teacher and spent the day with all of her friends. She got to order lunch, and after school she went to Netball training with her old team. So much fun! Abbie enjoyed her day playing with her best friend, Elissa Thayer. They spent around 6 hours together. Abbie was satisfied, and had a contented smile as they exchanged farewells. She is beautiful. Ella also got to play with friends while Kylie spent the morning catching up with several of her best friends at a morning tea. I spent the morning finalising paperwork associated with my old Management Training job. It is now finished, and I can send in my final invoice.

The other interesting event for Friday was visiting our old house in Morningside. We wanted to check on it, and therefore have the opportunity to claim the associated portion of our trip as a tax deduction. The place looked terrific. There were more weeds than I would have liked to see but, generally speaking, we seem to have good tenants. As we toured our old home Kylie and I couldn’t believe that we ever squeezed into the place. We left there after a quick visit to our old neighbours, feeling very satisfied and confident that things will work out well there, at least for the short-medium term.

Saturday Kylie indicated that she was coming down with what I’ve had. I’m still not fully recovered, but it appears that Kylie has caught it. Oh dear. Nevertheless, Kylie enjoyed time with another good friend who gave her a gorgeous gift. A couple of years ago, this friend took Kylie out for her birthday. They had a wonderful day, and Kylie received a list of 10 things this friend loved about her. It was quite special. On Saturday, this same friend gave Kylie a gift that she has been working on for two years. It is a beautiful, ten-page foldout scrap-booked card that describes the ten things this friend loves about Kylie. Such a special gift.

Kylie also watched her sisters play soccer during Saturday afternoon which I think she really enjoyed, although I’m not sure if Kylie will be looking up the local club in Wollongong to join up.

We were supposed to have fish ‘n chips for dinner, but I suggested that it would be cheaper (and tastier) to cook a roast. We ate in style! But it took an hour longer to cook than we expected because I wasn’t used to the oven. I was quite proud of myself though. I cooked for 8 adults and 4 children: roast chicken (x2), about 30 potatoes, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, corn and broccoli. Kylie made the gravy as only she can (the best gravy comes from Kylie’s pan). Yum. Of course, since cooking a roast is messier than fish ‘n chips, I also had to clean up. But it was worth it.

So far the holiday has been terrific. We return to NSW on Tuesday morning. We’re hoping that the rats in the ceiling will have moved out…