Signs of the Times
June 2007
Tim Winton Telling Tales 
With seven novels, two non-fiction books, three books of short stories and seven children’s books, Tim Winton is well established as one of Australia’s foremost living writers. But Winton has made his name not just as a writer who is Australian but as a genuinely Australian writer.
10 Ways to Walk Smart
Walking is a fantastic and diverse form of physical activity. It’s an easy, accessible and enjoyable way to lose weight, get fit, reduce stress and boost your energy levels. It can be done almost anywhere, anytime, by anyone and—best of all—it’s free. But it can have some shortcomings if you want to achieve serious weight loss or cardiovascular fitness.
Family Revolution
Children are like bowls of warm, molten chocolate. One of the greatest and most rewarding parental purposes is to imprint our children spiritually. Melted chocolate hardens into whatever shape it is dispensed into. If I tipped a bowl of melted chocolate onto the floor without a mould, I would have a wasteful, purposeless mess.
DEFCON 2
Officially, the highest force readiness alert for the US was during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. On October 22, 1962, DEFCON 3 status was reached, and this was upgraded to DEFCON 2 the next day as the stand-off continued, with the Strategic Air Command prepping their nuclear warheads scattered across Europe and the US to strike targets within Russia.
A Certain Kind of Hope
God sometimes confounds the mind to reveal the heart.” Nowhere is this saying more apparent than in matters relating to end-times. It is abundantly clear that human nature is very prone to think in terms of the end of the world whenever significant dates are approaching or terrible catastrophes have happened.
God’s Guiding Hand
Many things in our everyday lives are taken for granted, but occasionally we’re stopped in our tracks. Suddenly, we again realise there is a loving God who watches over us. This day was just a typical Monday and my husband had set out to do a few routine maintenance jobs at some of his investment properties.
Generosity in Spirit
A 12-year-old girl tells of an exceptionally tough time in her life when she experienced, in rapid succession, three significant losses. First her beloved grandfather died. Then her rabbit passed away. Finally, her cat was diagnosed with cancer. That animal, which was a long-time companion to the 12-year-old, suffered enormously with cancer.
Cyrus the Great
In October, 539 BC, in one of the most intriguing overthrows ever recorded, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. It is a story of siege, military genius, attack by night and even treason. We are fortunate that two separate historians, Herodotus and Xenophon, recorded remnants of the story.
Of Parents and Children
Not everyone marries and many people never become parents but everyone is a son or a daughter. Our relationship with our parents—or even the lack of it—affects every one of us for good or for evil to the last day of our lives. And this is precisely what the fifth commandment—“ Honour your father and your mother”—is all about. It is about an attitude and a relationship.
Bridging Chasms
While these discussions were proceeding, the armed might of the king was being assembled with canon on the opposite bank of the river until more than 15,000 troops faced the motley band committed to the Covenant and to God.
A Second Chance
One day, a local community leader visited Sue’s family and presented them with a “solution” to their income issues. He proposed that Sue be sold off to a wealthy man overseas. For Sue’s family, agreeing to this proposal would be like finding gold in the backyard. They would have enough money for medical care, food and to fix up their run-down house. Of course, the thought of losing Sue was terrible— but they were desperate.
The Sugar-Driven Life
Our ancestors had plenty of purpose. Their goal was to get through the day without being eaten by wolves. But modern life is different. You can go all week without realising a higher purpose than finding a cheap petrol station.
Signs Regular Columns
Our Times:
Hot ice screams, beef bites back, and more. . .
Food Matters:
Hot Winter Breakfasts
Bible Discovery
Belonging to a family
Trends:
History Is What We Make It
Internet Insider:
Online Gossip: More Than Sticks and Stones
Food Matters Recipe:
Cinnamon Homemade Muesli
Medical Hotline
Claudication, homopathy, take as directed, IT and me, hair raising and Heads up! lice at play.
Lifeguide
Memory loss
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