Giving

With the bushfire emergency in Victoria there has been a huge amount of support raised around Australia. This is great and I'm proud to see that all over the country we are wanting to help people in their hour of need.

But also other things related to this make me a little uncomfortable, and it's to do with all types of charities, not just the bush fire relief. Like when you go into a shopping centre and there is a big banner announcing how much money they have given to the cause. When some stores promise to give a certain amount from each packet of biscuits, or whatever sold. When you see ads which show how much a company has pledged to help a charity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they are giving. In a time of economic crisis when we hear about losses and falling whatever it's nice to see big companies giving back to the community. But I always have the feeling like it's part of their advertising campaign.
As if they are saying "Come and buy from us, we are such a nice and good company."

Can't they just give because it's a good cause without trying to get something for themselves? They don't have to hide the fact they gave, just not broadcast it so much.

Maybe I'm being idealistic. Maybe I'm creating a problem out of nothing.

And there's cricket, on the radio

For me, the sound of cricket on the radio is the sound of summer. In Vanuatu we could get radio national from Australia and I have memories of Dad carrying around his little portable radio as he did odd jobs around the collage. And on our trips home, the sound track of our long drives around the country was the ABC radio commentary.

It was only once I came back to Australia that I began to have an interest in the game. At first it was only on TV, but as I grew to understand what was going on, I could follow it on the radio. Cricket commentary is lovely and soothing, a slow marauder of topics around the game, with a description of each ball, interspersed with a few highlights like a wicket or a century or a controversial decision.
It is perfect to listen to when you are not really listening, like when I’m sewing or writing a paper, or doing housework.

I look forward to each test, and the days of listening pleasure they bring.

Now, if only Australia would start doing well again.

(photo from sxc)

A thousand years

So apparently the world hasn't blown up yet. That’s something to be thankful for :).

I don't really get what the experiment was all about, but from what I can gather they were trying to prove the Big Bang theory, or work out how the big bang theory works.

I've never been someone who has worried about exactly how the world was created. I believe God made it - that’s a given. Exactly how he did it, I'm not that sure of. And I'm not too worried about it either. Maybe he did make it in 6 literal days, maybe he used the collision of atoms and other scientific bits and pieces over thousands of years. After all, for God a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8). But that has never bothered me. My faith doesn't hinge on any one scientific theory.

Don't get me wrong. I love science. I did biology up to Year 12 and really enjoyed it. Science is a way of working out how God helps the world keep ticking. The fact I had to get the right chromosome from both my parents to get red hair amazes me.

I only have one question. Why is it that the world can justify spending $10 billion on an experiment which really doesn’t affect us that much, when there are people without food in a country next door?

Pink Ribbon

I was saddened this week to learn about the passing of Jane McGrath, wife of cricketer Glen McGrath and breast cancer campaigner, after an 11 year battle with breast cancer.
Glen McGrath has always been one of my favorite players (and is the best fast paced bowler ever), and I have always admired the love and support that he obviuosly had for his wife (a raity in international sportsmen these days).
Jane was only 42 years old, and leaves behind 2 young children.