A Love Story

It’s Easter and here in Australia there’s a four day break to mark the occasion. For many its a time to catch up with family and friends, while others it a chance to over indulged in chocolate. For very young its about the joy of the secretly of the Easter bunny and hunter for Easter Eggs.

But is this what Easter is really about?  Despite misconceptions for Christians Easter is the most holiest  event on the Christian Calender. It is a time of reflection as we remember the central core of our faith.  At the core of Christianity is the cross.  Without the cross our faith becomes meaningless.

So you may the wondering what is so important about a cross?  Hang-on I didn’t say a cross, I said THE CROSS! THE CROSS – that JESUS CHRIST was nailed to.  The cross was designed to put to death, men who broke the law, but also in the case of Christ THE CROSS was designed to up to death the growth of a new movement that threaten the major  religion of that period of history, Judaism.

THE CROSS Jesus was nailed to failed in its mission on both counts.  This is what as Christian we celebrated at Easter.  THE CROSS failed to end the life of Jesus.  He rose from the death, in doing so of we believe the Jesus defeated death itself.  By rising form the death Jesus destroyed the one thing that could separate us from his Father, the thing which God can not accept into the kingdom of heaven where He rein’s is sin. And THE CROSS failed in its mission to stop people following the teaching of Christ. Christianity continues to spread through the world.

The act of sin was introduce by mankind through the temptation of God’s arch emery Satin also known as the ‘devil’.  Where living in the garden entitled mankind to eternal life, the lies of the devil broke our trust with God.  “We became wise” – this was sin.  We thought for the first time we could question and reason with God. Mankind was and God vanish us from the garden, we then had to earn of food, buy growing our own crops.  Mankind was forced now to labour and the relationship between God and man was broken. Man and women would now die and experience total separation from God, whom he was created for the sole purpose to love God and be loved by God, sin through one act of rebellion destroyed this.

It would take a pure act of love to rebuild what man had destroyed. It would take THE CROSS!  For me Easter is a change to remember the greatest love story in history.  It dates our calendar and it dates history. The sole reason God who created the universe  became one of us was to die and break the chain of death that locked us out of the garden. But unlike us he resisted the temptation of the emery and temptation to sin.  At the time of his death no wronging doing could be found.  He was an unblemished sacrifice, mankind had finally killed God.

That was until Jesus defeated death by rising from death. By this defeat Satin had lost his hold on death and the sin that separated us from God. Jesus had restored the broken relationship between us and himself.  Because of the sufferings of Christ I will never experience the suffering of hell. However the cross did not destroy the free will of man nor the presence of sin. We are still banish from the garden and still have to toil to sustain our lives. The presence sin as death remain a reality of our lives and the results are visible all around us.  We remain wise like God and all too often we feel we know better than God.

The only way to break our personal chain of death is through the cross.  We have to acknowledged it was us the nailed Jesus to the cross. Each of us deserved to be nailed to the cross. However such was God’s love for us, he allowed his son, part of him to be nailed to the cross instead. The blood that was spilt during his death covers sin. 

We are still sinful but through the power of the cross our sins are block from God’s sight. You to can experience this joy of Easter has to offer through the forgiveness of the cross. I invite you to reflect too this Easter on God, his plans for us and the cross, the greatest love story in history. 

To know more visit Heaven 4 sure; The Message of The Gospel ; and Scripture Union

March 26 th is Purple Day

Purple Day is International Epilepsy Awareness Day!

Most of us are aware of the symptoms pf a 'grand mal' or 'tonic/chronic' seizures, but did 

you know that there have been over 40 different types of seizures identify? Someone might even experience and short absent seizure without you even noticing it. For other people living with seizure disorders their seizures can be much more distributive and inhibit some daily activities. For me its I experience small in convinces such as not being able to drive or maintain employment. However I am still able to follow my creative passions of writing, poetry and art. I am very active in my local community and currently involved in a leadership program that will better enable me to serve my local community into the future.  Epilepsy like any other disability should not prevent anyone from taking part in any aspect of community life.  The message of Purple Day is "People who experience seizures are ordinary people living everyday lives." On purple day we aim to blend in with  our community, by asking our family, friends and colleagues to ware purple. 

AlthoughI am seeking to make a statement about my ability as an artist on March 26th 2013 by the first public sale of my artwork to raise funds for Epilepsy Action Australia and there on going work to support people like me to participate in society without fear of judgement. Epilepsy Action Australia website has great resources  to educate people about different types of epilepsy, general first aid and helping those with seizure to track there seizure and identify they triggers. Heres a diagram to assist you to understand focal seizures.        

You can visit my are auction at Debbie's Purple Day Art Auction

or why not make a online donation on go fundraising page

PLEASE NOTE: ALL ART PIECES MUST BE PAID FOR BY ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS AND EACH BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR POSTAGE COSTS! I WILL CONTACT EACH SUCCESSFUL BIDDER WITH PAYMENT AND POSTAGE ARRANGEMENTS. 

Please consider this when making your bid.

THANK YOU!

Sample Art Below

  

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Terms of Engagement

Terms of Engagements

The first game of the season kick off tonight, But I already feel like I played a full season and it round one of the finals.  Everything hinges on tonight’s game, its do or die. However as I cask an eye around the locker room, I see the faces of my team mates are glum.  On some there’s a look of despair and other are clouded in a seed of doubt. As team captain it my job to lead the team on to the field tonight with the belief they can win the grand finial at the end of season.  I take a deep breath, as I begin my first team speech of the season. Welcome to the 2013 season team NDIS . . .

New Game Home

In was only late last year we head rounds of applause as Julia Gildard introduce the National Disability Insurance Scheme into Federal Federal Parliament . We experienced a touch down and our followers in a seed of red march on Parliament House itself, you be forgiven for thinking we’d won the grand final.  Members of team NDIS momentarily forgot we had only won the preseason comp. The real competition kick off was still three months away and team Federal Election is about to march on the field as a major contender in the 2013 season.

Umpire introduces new rules

Yes a date for a trail of the NDIS had be set on five major playing fields across Australia, but the new season sees  a new major partner enter the political stadium for the first time and suddenly the rules of engagement  are under a cloud. In addition to this several key players are suspected as drug treats to the respect of the game and at the eleventh hours a major teams look set to be booted out of the competition before tonight’s kick off.

Meet the players

Its there any wonder why I see a look of despair on the faces of my team mates. The tone of emotions  changed, considerable during the preseason. The celebration of our preseason victory have sowed. Doubt and sarcasm are growing strong among the team, the smelt the sniff of victory too many times before to believe a revolution can take place. 

They suspect the promises of changes to the game in 2018 will only mean minor venue changes rather than a rewriting the rules of the game as being promise by the Australian Labor Goverment.  No one is sure, including me they have another season under the current game rules left in them and the light at the end of the turn grows dim.

What the current disability sector needs is tearing down to it grassroots, a total administration restructure along with new rules of engagement to see  real improvement in the lives of people with disabilities and the families across this nation.  However the present state play seems to cast a shadow of doubt over who will even be eligible to remain part of team NDIS come mid-season. With this seed of uncertainly clouding the team’s season, I shouldn’t be surprise at the atmosphere preceding tonight’s game.

Half my team have lost sight of the revolution occurring behind the goal posts, to them its the same old game under a different competition banner.  Bitter chocolate dressed up as sugar coated candy dancing on the sidelines just out of sight of the goals posts and the media’s refusal to highlight major changes in the game that I personal blame.

The highlights on the induction of the new rules for the current seasons have not been aired on commercial TV and nor advertising of new opportunities to public debate over the proposed legislation introduction.  The ink will be dry before the genera public realises it had been invited to make submission to the newest revolution to the disability sector since its introduction in the 1970’s.

Last week marked the 20th anniversary  of the Disability Discrimination Act in Australia, however  little has changed for many young Australians with a disability whose only accommodation choice are in aged care faculties and insurance of their right of entitlements as previous players have been swept away.  For me too many current players only have their eye on the ball their playing with, not their fellow competitors the talk of an even playing field does not extend past the 2013 season. Those proceeding them and future players and even those playing in other codes of the game are given no thought.  The ideals of being part of a team on extend to the photograph placed before their eyes.

 

Ending isolation 

Players still being placed in institutional care and respite day care centres, adult with a disability partaking in childcare like activities are not on their game agenda.  Their agenda may be getting out of their own homes, it’s a fair and justifiable fight, but a truly national games needs to give equal playing time and resources to each member on the field not just those who have some restricted access to the community arena already.  If this is people’s vision for the NDIS, then pack you bags on leave the team players to help all members be rewarded with a medal at the end of the season.  For its only if we enter tonight’s games playing for every other team member do with have hope of a grand finial victory in 2013.

Team Ipswich

So before you follow me onto the ground tonight, I am asking for 100% commitment to each member of our team, regardless on the personal circumstances.  If you’re not prepared for the rules changes before us then as they say on your bike.

Debbie Chilton

Post Note You can help shape our game

Darkness in Disability Care

Yesterday we celebrated the 20th anniversity of the Disability Act?  But for me at times yesterday I was thrown back in the ages where people with disabilities had few rights.  Yesterday I experienced what it is like to be disabled at the hands of a disability service as I was tired to my shower chair for my own safety.  And now nothing makes sense.

I can walk and my doctor is angry that my workers will not allow me to walk.  OMG! Heavens forbid its not safe to sit in a chair, because I have epilepsy. I sit here trying to convey the message that epilepsy is nothing more than a medical condition requiring medication. The last thing I want is to be wrapped up in cotton wool and my choices taken away because I might have a seizure and break another bone.

This kind of attitude is what Purple Day seeks to address. It is message is people with epilepsy are everyday people living everyday lives.  Someone having epilepsy is no excuse for them to be resistance. This can cause more harm.  The disabilities act gives us the same freedom as everyone in the community. I don't stop you driving in case a drives into.  Which by the way is more likely to happen than me breaking a bone during a  seizure.  

Life is full of risks, please don't deny me the right to take the risks! So purple on March 26th.