Jono Miller

Monthly Update November 2011

Tue, 08/11/2011 - 12:39 |

ON ALL THINGS GOOD

‎”Goodness is not an abstract concept, it is an element of the character of God.”

I always like to believe the best about people. I always try to find the good in any situation. I expect people to be upright, honest and generally good. Maybe I am naïve. Maybe I am trying to encourage people to be the best they can be. But I want people to be good. I want to believe they are good. I want to be good and I want to believe that I am good.

But the only way I can achieve those dreams is to reduce goodness to something that I can grasp, understand and possibly attain.

Today I wrote on Facebook: I don't go to church because I'm good and I'm not good because I go to church. I go to church because God is good and oh how good it is for brothers and sisters to be together in unity!

In English we overuse the word ‘good’ almost as much as we overuse the word ‘love’. We give it the very highest and yet most common of meanings. We attach to it the pinnacle of intense worth or casually expel it in a flippant phrase.

But God is good! And all good things come from our Father!

And He has made me good – not through anything I have done or deserved. And He has good plans for me. And parts of those good plans are unity and encouragement with my brothers and sisters. And part of those good plans is to allow God to produce fruit in my life.

Now that sounds good.

UKRAINE CONNECTIONS

This has been a dramatic week for me as far as Ukraine goes.

Firstly, I received a package from Ukraine. It was a beautifully illustrated book of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. It was a present from my good friends Irina, George and George Jnr. Please continue to pray for George Jnr who at 6 years old is only just taking a few faltering steps.

Secondly, I was able to have a Skype call with Natasha. They now have a good internet connection in their own home so I will be able to talk more often. We chatted about a few things. UTSIM needs some prayer. The only teacher, Sveta, has been in hospital the past three weeks. She is suffering from Bell’s Palsy. A number of people around town have stepped up to help out with UTSIM. Most of all please pray for a recovery for Sveta.

But the big and rather shocking news this week from Ukraine has been the corrupt conviction and impending imprisonment of Vlad. He is a young guy living in Rzh and attending our church there. He has a real servant heart and a beautiful faith in God. Read more of his story here – and please pray for Vlad. I will try and keep you posted as more details come to light and if there is anything you or I can do to help. On Transperancy International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine comes in at number 134. Australia is number 8 while NZ is first equal with Denmark and Singapore. So it gives you an idea of the sort of injustice Vlad is up against.

And in other Ukraine news, Dan Gollan turned 40 on Saturday. Although I missed the festivities, according to the photos on Facebook it seems like Dan is a bit of a pirate at heart – who would have thought . . . !

CONNECTIONS DOWN UNDER

The busy season is almost upon us. I have joined the choir for Carols in the Park again this year. It is a great event put on by our church and the choir is open to all community members. Every Saturday we rehearse and this is a good time to ‘rub shoulders’ with other members of the community. It was good to meet up with a guy I stood next to singing bass last year. He has suffered a stroke since last year and now has to have someone bring him as he can’t drive. Please pray for the impact that the choir can have on our community. If you live in Sydney and want to join, please let me know.

Kid’s Club has only a few weeks left before we wrap it up for the year. Some of the kids have faithfully come every single week and they soak up the stories from the Bible and I know these seeds planted in their hearts – God can bring fruit from in the years to come. Please pray that we finish well and pray for leaders for next year.

School is fast running towards its end for the year. Very soon I will have the pressure of report writing. I am also continuing to struggle finding the correct balance of motivating learning and corrective discipline. Please pray for me as a classroom teacher with a big responsibility which I don’t want to take lightly.

Between playing touch footy on Mondays and squash when I can with Masha and Losha, I’m trying to keep fit and active.

WHAT YA READIN’?

I’m reading Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees by Thomas Hale. It is a missionary story from the 1970s and 80s in Nepal. Although I haven’t read too far I am enjoying it especially as I compare the many changes that have happened in the developing world in the past few decades. Some of the practical challenges have changed dramatically – but the everyday emotional and spiritual challenges of people all around the world remain basically the same.

I think I will have to ramp up my reading once the summer holidays come.