Unforgivable Sin

September 17, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
13 Comments

Forgiveness.jpgHow far is too far?

Can a deed be so dark that there’s no pardon or forgiveness from God?

While we don’t seem to hear people talking about sin so much these days we still know that there are things that cross the line.

Can we be forgiven for murder? Are sexual crimes unforgivable? Is there forgiveness for the increasing number of people facing child pornography charges?

Does forgiveness mean that people no longer have to face the consequences of their actions?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Today we tackled the subject of unforgivable sin.

Ross talked about the many calls he gets from people asking if they can ever be forgiven for the things they’ve done. Many people call his Sydney radio show asking whether suicide is forgivable.

One woman spoke to Ross about having a harsh conversation with her son. When she visited his home the next day she found his body. He had committed suicide. The woman wanted to know if she could be forgiven for the harsh words she’d spoken and whether her so would be forgiven for taking his own life.

I’ve heard people say that God could never forgive the terrible things they’ve done and I wonder whether it’s likely that their sense of unforgiveness comes from an inability to forgive themselves.

You can hear what Ross had to say by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.



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Swans ready to take the flag

September 14, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
12 Comments

SwanDistrictsFCLogo.jpgNext Sunday afternoon I intend to be at Subiaco Oval.

For the first time in 18 years, Swan Districts will be playing in a Grand Final.

I’m sure that most people would be picking Subiaco to grab their third Premiership in a row, but win, lose or draw, Swans have had a remarkable year and taking the flag for 2008 is certainly not out of the question.

With a mid-season form slump that saw them lose several games in a row, no one would have predicted that the mighty black and whites could have lifted so well to place themselves in this year’s Grand Final, but after beating West Perth yesterday by ten points, they’re ready to fight for the ultimate prize in the WAFL competition.

The Swans led at the first change by six points, but trailed by 27 points at half-time as Adam Campbell fired up at full forward to try and put the game out of the Swans’ reach.

However, the ‘comeback kings’ of season 2008 controlled the majority of the second half to claim a 15.14 (104) to 14.10 (94) victory in front of 5556 fans at the Arena in the first preliminary final played away from Subiaco Oval since 1934.

Swans, the only team to have beaten the mighty Subiaco this season, will take on the Lions in the WAFL grand final next Sunday, September 21 at Subiaco Oval. – WAFL Website

I’ve only ever been to one other WAFL Grand Final. That was back in the early eighties when WAFL footy was still huge in Western Australia. I slept on the concrete outside the gate to ensure a good seat. When the gates opened thousands of people flooded in to stake their claim. I got a seat one row back from the fence which is where I sat all day to watch Swans win a Premiership.

There won’t be a full house at the game next Sunday but I certainly intend being there. It’ll be a lot more civilised as I wander up to the gate with my numbered ticket and then make my way to my seat, but I can assure you, victory will be just as sweet.

Swans will certainly go into the game as the underdogs but I’ll be hoping for a massive upset and big celebrations after the game.



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Your words are powerful

September 11, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

CompassionDay.JPGI’m just wiping the tears away after reading this post at the Compassion International Blog.

One of the things that really hit home for me during my trip to Haiti and Dominican Republic with Compassion Australia was the extreme importance of writing letters to sponsored children. Hearing the children talking about their sponsors and the overwhelming joy they felt whenever they received a letter from them was an amazing revelation. We met one one lady who had been recognised by the President of her country for her incredible study results. She kept the certificate handed to her by the President in the same folder as the letters from her sponsor family. They were both precious to her and they were kept together as her most prized possessions.

In the post I mentioned at the Compassion International Blog this truth is demonstrated through the words of Roberto Medrano, a Compassion worker in El Salvador.

It is amazing the influence a sponsor can have on the child. For example, I remember a 25-year-old Compassion graduate. She is a Christian who is married and has two babies. She also serves as a center worker. Even though she is an adult and loves Compassion’s ministry, she always cries because in the 15 years of sponsorship her sponsor did not write one single letter. She wrote her sponsor dozens of letters, but she never received any response.

If you sponsor a child through any aid agency, can I encourage you to make some time tonight to write that child a letter. My words here can’t even begin to express the influence your letters can have.

In Dominican Republic we spoke to a beautiful young lady who never once received encouragement from her parents for her schooling, yet because her sponsors kept in touch regularly over many years and encouraged her with her studies she is now achieving top results at university.

If you don’t yet sponsor a child I plead with you to do something about that today. If you’re in Australia I can get you signed up today, just contact me directly, or you can visit the Compassion Australia website. If you’re outside Australia you can go to the Compassion International website. Please let me know if you decide to change a child’s life through sponsorship.



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He's Back!

September 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

lance_armstrong.jpgEver since he retired from professional cycling there have been rumours that Lance Armstrong would make a comeback, so when the latest rumours started circulating I figured that I wouldn’t believe them until I heard the words from from Lance’s own mouth.

If you click here you’ll see Lance telling the world that he’s back.

As well as the short video of Lance announcing his return to professional cycling there is a media release annoucning a few more details.

Today, Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and cycling champion, released the following statement regarding his return to professional sports:

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma. After the passage of Proposition 15 in Texas, a $3 billion investment in the fight against cancer which is helping to make this disease part of the national dialogue in America, it’s now time to address cancer on a global level.”

Mr. Armstrong will discuss his cycling program and an international LIVESTRONGTM strategy on September 24th in New York City at the Clinton Global Initiative.

If he intends riding for an eighth tour victory, the 2009 Tour de France should be amazing. I can’t wait to see Evans, Contador, Armstrong, Sastre and several other serious contenders battle it out through France.



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Bob is a Palindrome

September 9, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
3 Comments

I just love this Weird Al song.

It’s simply titled Bob and it comes from Al’s 2003 album, Poodle Hat.

The video is styled in the fashion of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues yet every line of the song is a palindrome, which essentially means that it’s the same forwards or backwards. it really shows that Weird Al Yankovic is a very clever writer.

Check it out and let me know what you think.



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