CROSS PURPOSES PROMISES,

WITH MARK KEMP

Life is full of promises: promises that are kept and promises that aren’t. Promises are everywhere in life, from promising to do the chores to wedding vows. It’s awesome when we keep our promises but life gets messy when promises get broken. Kept promises fill us with joy but broken promises hurt us.

God also makes promises: the whole of the first half of the bible acts as a promise for God to come and save us from the messy world we live in but, unlike us, God always keeps his promises. God never breaks his promises.

God promises us that he will fix all that’s wrong in the world, the pain and suffering. No longer will we be stuck with our imperfect reality where we hurt each other and relationships don’t always work, but instead we will live in perfect harmony.

How can we know that God will keep his promises? Because he has kept his promises before. God promised that he would send a ‘wonderful advisor’ and he kept his promise by sending Jesus.

So are you going to trust in God’s promises for your life?

Haidee Edwards, the teacher of years four, five and six at Spring Hill Public School said it’s all part of an exciting way of getting students thinking about ways of being more sustainable.

“They’ve been learning about ‘paddock to plate,’ so where food comes from, and so this is going beyond that to see the waste that happens in the food industry,” Haidee said.

Jo used activities and games to engage the students and to encourage them to think about the choices they can make to minimise their impact on the environment.

“It’s been really good to partner with NetWaste to get an expert to come out to the school and explain everything,” Haidee said.

explore the world’s most celebrated film music, June 25

The Orange Symphony Orchestra are back on Sunday, June 25 at Kinross Wolaroi School with their much-awaited concert, At the Movies.

Led by the fabulous guest conductor Monica Buckland, the Orange Symphony Orchestra will take you on a journey through cinema as you’re immersed in some of the world’s most celebrated film music.

At The Movies will include a diverse range of movie soundtracks, from classics such as The Man from Snowy River to the epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Be enchanted by the magical music of Harry Potter. Feel the helicopters from Apocalypse Now descend to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. Hear the train set o before the mysterious Murder on the Orient Express. Relive the heroic moments, great and small, from The Lord of the Rings, and much, much more!

Monica Buckland is a conductor, teacher and coach with more than 30 years of professional experience. Since May 2019 she has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New South Wales and is now Musical Director of the Balmain Sinfonia and the choir Bel a cappella in Sydney.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Monica lead the talented Orange Symphony Orchestra through the world of magnificent film music right here in the Colour City.

Experience At the Movies on Sunday, June 25, at Derek Pigot Auditorium, Kinross Wolaroi School. Arrive 2pm for a 2.30pm start.

Book your ticket at Humanitix, by scanning the QR code on the poster below or phone the Orange Regional Conservatorium on 6361 7974. Under 18s’ tickets are free of charge with a paying adult.

Face in the crowd: Carole Thompson

I love iga: Maureen Uren

Find Pinny: Barbara Wicks

Loony lotto: Jody Wilson

We have a $50 gift voucher to give away each week from Ashcroft’s Supa IGA.

To enter, simply tell us your name and contact phone and what product is featured in the small Ashcroft’s Supa IGA ad featured in this issue of OCLife.

Win a $50 gift voucher at Cheeky Barista Cafe

We have two vouchers to give away per month, be on the lookout in our June 29 issue for the face in the crowd. Meanwhile checkout their specials on page 12 of this week’s magazine.

We have a voucher for Orange Tenpin Bowl valued at $60 to give away each week, so the family can go bowling!

Each week we’ll hide a small version of “Pinny” (pictured) somewhere in OCLife. It could be anywhere. To enter, simply find him, write your name and phone number on the back of an envelope, along with the page number you found him on, and send in...

Win a voucher to the value of $20, to use at Coco’s Cafe or Paul’s @ Coco’s

TO WIN: If you have a personal or business phone number with these 4 numbers appearing in any order within it, put in an entry and we’ll draw a winner from among all correct entries each week.

Deliver or post entries to: Orange City Life Suite 3/241 Lords Place, Orange or Email: reception@oclife.com.au and mark each entry with the competition name, your name and phone number. Entries close 12 noon Tuesday.

The Ashes are here again. This year’s contest is shaping up to be one for the ages. Whilst at the time of writing the first Test at Edgbaston is still delicately poised, whatever the result, it has been a great start to the series.

Much of the hype around this series has been about how Australia would be able to deal with the new phenomena known as ‘Bazball’ and, in the first couple of days, we have seen just how this new way that England plays has invigorated their game.

Australia is chasing that elusive first series victory on English soil since 2001. There is something special about winning a series overseas. It shows that you really are a great team and not just a flat-track bully. Winning a series in England is one of the pinnacles in Test cricket. I have always enjoyed watching cricket in England. There is something almost mystic about it. It is the home of the game. Everything is di erent: the stadiums; the atmosphere of the English crowd; the deep red of the Duke’s ball. The thick cloudcover with ever-threatening rain. It reminds me of playing cricket as a teenager in the cold grey summers of Tasmania.

Although I am not staying up late to watch each game as I used to, one of the first things I do in the morning is check the score with anticipation and read the review of the day’s play. There is always a sense of anticipation and excitement – mixed with trepidation

– as I have no idea how we have fared over the course of the day’s play. That is why I love Test cricket. It is so unpredictable. One moment a team is struggling to make inroads, the next moment Scott Boland has the ball in his hand and is weaving magic.

The greatest games are the ones where for four-and-a-half days, it has been a tug-of-war and it all comes down to the final few overs late in day five, on a wearing pitch, with fielders crowded around the bat.

But what is it all for? It is certainly for our entertainment and collective bragging rights if we win. Glory is something we all chase. Whether it is personal or collective. A chance to be recognised for our achievements. But is the glory lasting or fleeting? Even if Australia pulls o a remarkable series win for the first time in over 20 years, the glory of winning will not last. The Bible speaks about glory in a di erent way. It is the glory of eternal life. A glory that will never be lost or spoilt for the person who trusts in Jesus. In Colossians 1:27, Paul says: ‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles [those people who aren’t Jews] the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ True glory is found in Jesus. It is lasting. I am certainly enjoying the first Test and this series is promising to be great but, as I think about the glory it promises, for me, it is nothing compared to the hope of glory that is found in Jesus.