I’m looking to make some changes here at The Journey over the next couple of weeks and I’m hoping you can give me a little help.
Can you please take a couple of minutes to complete this short survey?
Thanks for your help.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
His footballing skills earned him the nickname of ‘God’ but his off field behaviour after retiring from football saw his life spiralling out of control.
Gary Ablett has now spoken publicly about his battle with depression and drugs as well as the shame and guilt he felt over the death of Alisha Horan.
Jon Anderson’s story at News.com.au is well worth the read. In it Ablett talks openly about his struggles and his battle to overcome them.
I have battled with bouts of depression right throughout my life and it got to a point where I was so desperate to relieve it I started to experiment with drugs.
Most people have no idea just how debilitating and painful depression is. It’s much worse than just feeling down, it’s mental anguish.
You can’t describe it with words, and it robs you of so much. It has so many devastating symptoms.
I started using cocaine thinking it was the answer, and for the first time in a long time I wasn’t depressed.
Gary Ablett has also spoken about the faith that helped to pull him back from the brink.
It’s only because of my relationship with Jesus, and God’s unconditional
love and acceptance of me in Christ, that I’m still here today – and I don’t say
that lightly.Sometimes it’s through the most difficult and painful times that we learn the most valuable lessons. There is nothing like failure to force you to examine the foundations of your life.
The Lord has taught me that the battle to feel good about myself can’t be won by simply trying harder. I had to completely change the basis of my self-worth and security.
For some time after it I used to worry about what people thought, until one day Jesus spoke to me and said, ‘Gary, most people don’t even know who they
are, let alone who you are, so why should you worry about what they think?’The Lord began to take me on a journey concerning the true basis of my
self-worth and security, and I’m learning that the true basis of my self-worth
is based on what God says is true of me in His Word. He created me. He alone
knows my true worth and value.This is setting me free from the fear of failure and rejection that comes from basing your worth and security on performance and other’s opinions.
Failure is hard to handle but thankfully it doesn’t have to be the end. I hope and pray that Gary Ablett can continue to overcome his past and move towards a brighter future.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Gary Ablett – Depression – Football
Yes, I know I’ve been missing in action for a number of days.
I’m working on something and all will be revealed soon.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Phil Cooke has published an excellent post regarding the dangers of email.
In his post, When E-Mail Can Get You Into Trouble, he states the case for being very careful with our electronic correspondence before giving a number of practical tips.
I’ve listed the broad headings here but you really need to head to Phil’s post to get the full story. It could save you a lot of future heartache.
1. Never say anything in an e-mail you wouldn’t want shouted from the housetops.
2. Delete your e-mails on a regular basis.
3. Personally, I need to keep certain e-mails related to business, client relationships, deadlines, etc.
4. Never tackle a really tough issue through an e-mail.
5. Don’t feel like you have to answer all your e-mail.
6. Even if you’re not the culprit, you can get implicated just because of slanderous or sensitive e-mails other people send to you.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Email – Phil Cooke – Internet
We all dream about it and from time to time we hear about it happening.
Imagine finding something in a rubbish pile only to discover that it’s worth over a million dollars. It’s enough to have you rummaging through every bin in your neighbourhood.
Out of New York comes the story of Elizabeth Gibson who found a valuable painting while out for a walk. She decided to take the painting home and later found that it was a stolen artwork that had been missing for many years. She discovered the origins of the painting via some internet research.
Reuters is reporting that the oil painting is by by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo. It is titled Tres Personajes or Three Personages and yesterday it sold for over a million dollars at a Sotheby’s auction.
Elizabeth had returned the painting to its rightful owners but still received a $15 000 reward and an undisclosed percentage of the sale.
Gibson walked by the vibrant, 38-inch by 51-inch (97 by 130 cm) work, then “immediately knew I had to go back. I knew I had to take it,” she said weeks before the auction.“It was a huge, powerful and beautiful painting and I said to myself, ‘It is wrong to be in the garbage,'” Gibson added. She was told that shortly after her find, a trash collecting truck had come by and hauled away the refuse.
Have you ever discovered something valuable amongst some rubbish or going cheap at a garage sale? Have you ever given something away only to discover its true value later?
I guess you’re a bit like me in wondering why I never find such amazing items.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Tres Personajes – Rufino Tamayo – Sothebys