Marsha's Blog

 Good Morning Faithful Friends, Well, this week a few things happened that were not expected. First of all, I didn’t get permission to write about what I promised you last week. (Now you’re interested). It’ll come maybe someday, probably when the world isn’t so touchy politically.  What DID come home to remind us, is the brevity of life.  Last week … what shall we call them? … a “power couple” in our Australian church for many years had a tragedy. Let me explain.  Shey and Mena were young people when we came to Queensland about 20 years ago.  They went from our church into an organisation that we’ve worked with in missions over the years, called YWAM.  It stands for “Youth with a Mission” and has other humorous labels like “Youth Without any Money”, or how about “Young Women After Men”?  Seriously, It was an option for my kids and we feel that it’s really admirable what they do in the lives of young people all over the world.   Life went on, ...

While we were on our cruise a few months ago, we were in the inside room (the cheapest, because that’s how we roll) and obviously, when there’d no window and you’re tired of gazing into each other’s eyes, you end up watching TV.   The ship had only about two channels, and one was endless reels of “Antiques Roadshow”.   Mindlessly numbing, but it got me to thinking about a funny word they use a lot, Provenance. What does it mean? I’m glad you asked. The definition of Provenance is this:  The beginning of something's existence; something's origin.” For example, when a person, “tries to understand the whole universe and its provenance.” We all have a ‘Provenance”. And I’ll get to that later, but first let me tell you about Tony’s dad, (Uncle Buddy) and his gun. Many of you reading this will remember it hung as a mantelpiece over the fireplace in Jody and Buddy’s house in Holly Lake.  How he loved his gun and how he loved even more telling you all about its pro...

 Good Morning All… and for you folks in the Colonies (America), Happy Father’s Day! We don’t celebrate Father’s Day here in Australia until it’s spring, which is September. I think it has something to do with guys wanting power tools when the weather gets warm. Yes, it’s early winter here, and we’re definitely putting the layers on.  Yesterday I actually considered putting on a JACKET! I did have a wonderful birthday, thank you for all those wishes.  Tony suggested that we sneak off for a night into the nearby hinterland… We’re retired, after all, so we can exercise our autonomy.   It almost ended badly.  We arrived all flushed with excitement and anticipation at the B&B only to be told they’d never heard of us and we should go away as they were fully booked.  I claimed the high moral ground and proudly produced the verification………to be told it was for June 13, 2026!!  I’ll be calling the booking agent tomorrow…. We were torn between sneaking ...

 Good morning! I’m sure you already know this, but I came across this word, "Gaslighting" lately. I’ve heard it, but never had given it much thought. Now that I have, I think I may be a victim. When I asked Google, this is what she had to say (she tried to write this blog for me, but I told her gently and firmly to back off).  Anyway, determined to continue on my own, here's what I learned. Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse or manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in the victim's mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition. Does that sound familiar? I was thinking to myself, "This is a new thing"…  but wait, wasn't maybe Eve the first victim of gaslighting when Satan said, or should I say 'suggested' that she might be missing out on a fuller life by being 'restricted...

 Thank you for all your kind comments about my blog last week.   Unfortunately, the 'boy' I wrote about had a bad seizure which resulted in a head injury and a trip to the hospital. But he is recovering and appreciating your prayers. Poor kid, but grateful for lots of loved ones.   And, if you've seen the news, you may have noticed that the volcano I was watching over my shoulder while we were there has finally blown up! No injuries reported, and so far, no major lava flows. Last week, I asked you to pray for the people in Hawaii who struggle with their ideas of Pele, the goddess of Hawaiian volcanos. There seems to be a strong reluctance to interfere with her, and especially with her lava flows.  However, I read yesterday that German geologists have discovered that most Hawaiian lava is rich in gold deposits. This may help them lay aside their superstitions! Stay tuned …. Because I'm still sore (WHEN is she going to stop whining about her ribs?), I had a '...