ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Until earlier this year, I did not do much on Facebook. In fact, for some time, I only had a few Facebook friends, and thought that spending time on Facebook was pretty much a waste of valuable time.
Then, after connecting with an old friend from my Bible College days (2 years) in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, and realizing that she had a number of Fb friends from that era that I could reconnect with, I began to become more interested in utilizing this particular form of social media. Within the space of about three months, my friends went from about five or six to well over one hundred, made up of friends from Bible College, another year of Bible College in Katoomba, Blue Mountains in New South Wales, old friends from my almost twenty years residence on the Gold Coast, friends and relatives of my wife in New Zealand, as well as a number of current friends and acquaintances particularly from the churches we have been involved with since living in southern Tasmania.
As well as being Facebook friends with now over 140 individuals, recently I have joined several special interest groups on Facebook relating to my time at Bible College, as well as two separate Gold Coast groups, helping to recapture past memories through photos - Black and White, and Colour, and anecdotes concerning specific people, places, and events with which I had personal involvement going back some fifty years.
As much as I have enjoyed reconnecting with long lost friends from the past, and reliving memories of times gone by which held great significance to me, I also realize that those times, places, experiences, and for the most part, close friendships, are gone forever, and cannot be recaptured. The danger, I see, for me, and for others as well, is that we can get so caught up in trying to relive the past that we stop living for now, and with an expectancy for the future.
That is not to dismiss the past as providing all that was necessary to shape us for the challenges of today, but I have come to realize that if we are not careful, looking back at both the positive and negative aspects and influences of the past can stifle our progress now and for the future if that is our focus.
There is an interesting verse in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 10:7, where King Solomon wrote these words: Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?", for it is not wise to ask such questions. Again, do not get me wrong! I am not saying we should despise the past, but we should not cling to it, as if somehow, we can like Doctor Who, think we can travel back to times gone by, and relive them in real time. That is just not possible.
On this same point, it is very interesting and enlightening to consider the word NOSTALGIA.
One dictionary definition is 'A sentimental yearning for the past". The word NOSTALGIA comes from two Greek words NOSTOS - A Return Home, and ALGIOS - Pain, from which we get the word ANALGESIC or pain killer.
Whole industries have been built upon nostalgia. Those who have known me for a number of years, and those who have read my recent blogs will know that I grew up with a love for radio broadcasting, and eventually had the opportunity to personally be involved working full time in Christian radio for around ten years. Thinking about the whole aspect of nostalgia, and marketing to people's nostalgic emotions, some of the most popular radio stations in the larger capital city markets of our nations, at least in the Western world, are stations which play solely music from the 50's to 70's, because many in Baby Boomer and older generations have a longing for the way life used to be.
As a committed Bible-believing Christian, however, I am having to come to terms with the fact that God is NOT sentimental. He is the God of the NOW! He is as the Bible affirms the GREAT I AM!
The Director of Christian Life Bible College in New Zealand where I spent two years in the mid 70's used to love quoting the verse from Luke 9:62 where Jesus says: No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The same verse in The Message Bible, the Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson reads: Jesus said, "No procrastination.No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."
This is the first part of my blog which I have titled: Onwards and Upwards. Please look for the continuation of this theme in upcoming Posts, the next of which I hope to have out later this week.
If you are a Christian, and are reading this, let me encourage you to know that God's plans and purposes for you are for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
If you do not know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, go to www.vision.org.au Click on the Resourses button at the top, then Christianity, OR
go to www.livingwaters.com to find heaps of resources to help you both discover new life in Christ, and also how to effectively share your faith. God Bless
Then, after connecting with an old friend from my Bible College days (2 years) in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, and realizing that she had a number of Fb friends from that era that I could reconnect with, I began to become more interested in utilizing this particular form of social media. Within the space of about three months, my friends went from about five or six to well over one hundred, made up of friends from Bible College, another year of Bible College in Katoomba, Blue Mountains in New South Wales, old friends from my almost twenty years residence on the Gold Coast, friends and relatives of my wife in New Zealand, as well as a number of current friends and acquaintances particularly from the churches we have been involved with since living in southern Tasmania.
As well as being Facebook friends with now over 140 individuals, recently I have joined several special interest groups on Facebook relating to my time at Bible College, as well as two separate Gold Coast groups, helping to recapture past memories through photos - Black and White, and Colour, and anecdotes concerning specific people, places, and events with which I had personal involvement going back some fifty years.
As much as I have enjoyed reconnecting with long lost friends from the past, and reliving memories of times gone by which held great significance to me, I also realize that those times, places, experiences, and for the most part, close friendships, are gone forever, and cannot be recaptured. The danger, I see, for me, and for others as well, is that we can get so caught up in trying to relive the past that we stop living for now, and with an expectancy for the future.
That is not to dismiss the past as providing all that was necessary to shape us for the challenges of today, but I have come to realize that if we are not careful, looking back at both the positive and negative aspects and influences of the past can stifle our progress now and for the future if that is our focus.
There is an interesting verse in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 10:7, where King Solomon wrote these words: Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?", for it is not wise to ask such questions. Again, do not get me wrong! I am not saying we should despise the past, but we should not cling to it, as if somehow, we can like Doctor Who, think we can travel back to times gone by, and relive them in real time. That is just not possible.
On this same point, it is very interesting and enlightening to consider the word NOSTALGIA.
One dictionary definition is 'A sentimental yearning for the past". The word NOSTALGIA comes from two Greek words NOSTOS - A Return Home, and ALGIOS - Pain, from which we get the word ANALGESIC or pain killer.
Whole industries have been built upon nostalgia. Those who have known me for a number of years, and those who have read my recent blogs will know that I grew up with a love for radio broadcasting, and eventually had the opportunity to personally be involved working full time in Christian radio for around ten years. Thinking about the whole aspect of nostalgia, and marketing to people's nostalgic emotions, some of the most popular radio stations in the larger capital city markets of our nations, at least in the Western world, are stations which play solely music from the 50's to 70's, because many in Baby Boomer and older generations have a longing for the way life used to be.
As a committed Bible-believing Christian, however, I am having to come to terms with the fact that God is NOT sentimental. He is the God of the NOW! He is as the Bible affirms the GREAT I AM!
The Director of Christian Life Bible College in New Zealand where I spent two years in the mid 70's used to love quoting the verse from Luke 9:62 where Jesus says: No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The same verse in The Message Bible, the Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson reads: Jesus said, "No procrastination.No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."
This is the first part of my blog which I have titled: Onwards and Upwards. Please look for the continuation of this theme in upcoming Posts, the next of which I hope to have out later this week.
If you are a Christian, and are reading this, let me encourage you to know that God's plans and purposes for you are for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
If you do not know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, go to www.vision.org.au Click on the Resourses button at the top, then Christianity, OR
go to www.livingwaters.com to find heaps of resources to help you both discover new life in Christ, and also how to effectively share your faith. God Bless
This is so true Peter. We can get so caught up in the past that we forget to look forward with anticipation as to what God may have for us now and in the future. We end up wasting precious time and missing out on the blessings the lord has for us today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melanie. Great to hear from you. We did value you and Bryce as friends when we were in Launceston. God Bless.
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