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Online Magazine: Edition 50

December 2012 / January 2013

Welcome to the Fiftieth Edition of the Online Magazine of the Thornleigh Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Articles

Editorial

by John Morris

We have passed a milestone. This edition of the Online Magazine is number 50. If we were in our cricket flannels out on the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground we would be raising our bat to the team and to the fans. Another 50 (i.e. a total of 100) and it would be bat and helmet, but we are not entitled to do that just yet.

Why is 50 significant?

Aria Australia produces the Top 50 singles with the top of the chart being Gangnam Style at 21.11.2012 (http://www.ariacharts.com.au/chart/singles/292). Ridelust nominates the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fastback as the best car of all time from their list of The 50 most Famous Cars at 21.11.2012 (http://www.ridelust.com/the-50-most-famous-cars-of-all-time/). And no doubt you could make up a list of the 50 best whatever. Surf the net and you will see top 50's for almost anything.

Why 50 - I do not know. There must be a reason for it being nominated as a mark, a feature characteristic. Perhaps it is a function of our number base i.e. 10 (fingers), 10 lots of 10 total 100 again a finger function. 50 is half. Arabic numerals are the ten digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). They are descended from the Indian numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians. They were transmitted to Europe in the Middle Ages. The use of Arabic numerals spread around the world through European trade, books and colonialism. In today's world arabic numerals are the most common symbolic representation of numbers. Wikepedia also notes that the decimal system was a development of around 500 AD. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals)

Then for many years there has been the "Top Forty" list of popular songs. A party quiz is "20 questions and out", the nonsense song with umpteen variations "10 green bottles hanging on the wall" and we could go on.

Another milestone just ahead of us is Christmas. Although December 25 is not the date of the birth of Jesus it functions as an annual reminder or anniversary of his birth.

Another milestone is that this edition of ONLINE MAGAZINE is the first to be prepared without the editorial hand of Norman Tew. We thank him for his interest, his direction and support since 2004. I note part of Norman's editorial of that opening edition of the Online Magazine;

"As Christians we believe we have found a better way of life. One that follows the guidelines set out by the One who made us. We believe that God not only made this world, but also made it to be a pleasant place. The reason that it is not so, is not God's fault but ours. In the beginning Adam and Eve failed to trust God, but instead trusted in one who was opposed to him. Since then the majority of the people in the world have followed this track; in fact we do not have the natural ability to live the way God designed us to live.

"One of the reasons that Jesus came to this world was to enable us again to be "called children of God" (1 John 3:1) as was Adam (Luke 3:38). The Bible often uses the term "son of" not in a genealogical sense but in the sense of a spiritual family. Jesus said to those who were opposing him "You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires" (John 8:44). He was saying that they lived the way the devil did and thought the thoughts of the devil so he classed them as the devil's children.

"God wants us to be His children in the same way; that we act like Him and do deeds that He can approve of. We cannot do this of ourselves, only as we allow God to take control of our lives (Galatians 2:20)."

Just making 50 is no real reason for reading this edition of the Online Magazine. We trust that you enjoy the articles that have been presented over time, that if a first time reader you find the articles challenging, interesting and thought provoking. It is our aim to present a Christian perspective on life and to direct your thoughts to the God who made us and is longing to welcome us into His family to eternity.

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