Desert Song - Hillsong

Isaiah 49:9-10 (NLT)
⁹Through you I am saying to the prisoners of darkness, `Come out! I am giving you your freedom!' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. ¹⁰They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun and scorching desert winds will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in his mercy will lead them beside cool waters.

1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)
⁷These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1 John 5:4-5 (NLT)
⁴For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. ⁵And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Lorne - Lookout, Waterfall, Bridge

Teddy's Lookout

Our first look at the surroundings outside of Lorne, sort of, was to Teddy's Lookout, named after a local ranger who would often go there to round up stray cattle. As it was looking like the day would rain, we opted to take the short drive up George Street to Teddy's Lookout instead of walking the trail up to the top. As we drove up the hill, we were glad that decided to drive up. The road up to the top was pretty steep.

From the car park, to the right we walked a short distance on newly constructed walkways to the lookout platform. There we took in the breath taking view of the Great Ocean Road coastline and the Saint George River that flows into the sea. It is also the perfect spot to look out for whales, except that, we were at the wrong season for whale watching.

On the lower platform to the right, the views change to mountainous peaks and the Saint George river winding itself into fern covered valleys and gorges. A truly scenic views. There is walking trail connecting Teddy’s Lookout with two other lookouts, and takes about 30 minutes return.

There are also a few picnic tables near the top to enjoy the day or for others to rest from the walk up the hill.

Eskine Falls

Next stop is the Erskine Falls, one of the most popular falls in the Otways and is easily accessible. Erskine Falls is a short drive, 9 - 10kms from Lorne at the end of Erskine Falls Road, of course.

From the car park, the first viewing point above the falls is about 150m. The second viewing point at the base of the falls, is another 200m; total up a short walk of 350m one way. It was drizzling on the day, so the walking track, steep in some places, to the base of the falls was wet and slippery at some parts of the track. However, the air was cool and crispy. Refreshing!

The falls cascade over one of the highest drops in the Otways, into the fern-lined valley of the Erskine River. From the base of the waterfall, we were able to get a frontal view of the falls and it is an impressively tall and slender 30m waterfall.

There are two more falls downstream; Straw Falls, a further 400m and Splitter Falls as part of the Erskine River to Lorne 7.5km away, a good 3 hours plus walk for experience walkers.

Not a good day of us to explore Straw Falls and a good pair of walking shoes is recommended.

Swing Bridge

On the outskirts of Lorne, on our entry into Lorne from Melbourne we spotted an ancient looking (read as, historic) footbridge over the mouth of the Erskine River where the river meets the sea. It is the historic Lorne Swing Bridge, built in 1934 and is one of Lorne's best places to visit. It provides pedestrian access to Lorne beach from the Great Ocean Road.

That evening, after Erskine Falls, we decided to walk from our hotel to Swing Bridge. We walked along the main road we used to get into Lorne, passing Lorne's Tourist Information Centre to the pedestrian boardwalk along the river from the caravan park opposite the IGA supermarket.

It was a leisure walk for it was a beautiful evening after the rain. See photos below.

Next to the bridge at the beach side of the bridge is a cafe, the Swing Bridge Café, with paddle boats for hire. The cafe has easy access to the surf beach with a family-friendly river and estuary beach where paddle boats can be hired allowing the adventurous or young at heart the opportunity to explore the estuary between the Swing Bridge and the caravan park.

This bridge is certainly worth a visit, if not for the cafe then for the 'excitement' of the place. It's the sort of place where you never know what may happen.

Guess who dropped in as we walk towards Lorne beach from the cafe.

Our Peace Continues As We Follow The Holy Spirit

Romans 8:5-8 (NLT)
⁵Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
⁶If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
⁷For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will.
⁸That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Even if you are a Christian, you still struggle with your sinful nature. However, if you allow God's Holy Spirit to control your life, that struggle will be much less intense. For, as this passage says, you will want to live to please God.

If you follow your old evil desires, you "can never please God" (Romans 8:8). Your life - whether you realize it or not - will be empty. But if you live the Spirit-controlled life, you will experience "life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

To enter into the Spirit-controlled life, follow the advice of the apostle Paul, "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3).

Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT)
¹Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power.
²Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.
³For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie

Worthy Is The Lamb - Darlene Zschech

Genesis 22:6-8 (NLT)
⁶Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the fire. As the two of them went on together, ⁷Isaac said, "Father?"
"Yes, my son," Abraham replied.
"We have the wood and the fire," said the boy, "but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
⁸"God will provide a lamb, my son," Abraham answered. And they both went on together.


John 1:29 (NLT)
²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Peter 1:19 (NLT)
¹⁹He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God

Revelation 5:12 (NLT)
¹²And they sang in a mighty chorus:

"The Lamb is worthy--the Lamb who was killed.
He is worthy to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing."

Lorne - The Pier

The next morning, we did a little walk along the beach, to walk off the big breakfast we had at the hotel. Along the way we took a self-potrait of ourselves. Can you spot us?

Set against the lush Otway rainforest, this seaside town of Lorne was the first place to be declared an area of ‘natural beauty and significance’ by the Victorian government. How they come to determine that, I have no idea. However, I'm glad they did.

With the seaside setting and waters of Louttit Bay, the bustling cafe culture even in winter and the picturesque setting, there is little doubt why Lorne is one of the most popular holiday destinations in regional Victoria. After all, it is only 140kms south west of Melbourne.

The approach into town along the Great Ocean Road is truly spectacular, with the mountain scenery of the Otways on one side and the rugged Bass Strait coast on the other.

Lorne was established in 1871 and it quickly became popular with pastoralists from inland areas, leading to its development around the picturesque Louttit Bay. When the Great Ocean Road opened in 1932 Lorne became much more accessible; yet the area has remained relatively unspoiled with good beaches, surfing, fishing and bushwalking in the hills.

From the beach near the hotel, we could see Lorne's pier, which is at the Western end of Loutit Bay.

The first pier was built in 1879 to serve the logging industry. The pier was also used to land supplies to the small community of Louttit Bay as it was then known. However, as time passes, consultants determined that the old pier was deteriorating and some thing needed to be done. The options were to either fix it or replace it with a new one.

Construction on a new pier started on the 1st March 2006 and was completed almost exactly one year later at a cost of more than $5m. The new pier is nearly 200m long, the same as the old one. It was opened to the public on March 23rd 2007. A short section of the old pier was left as a historical reminder.

What stood out for us while at the pier was seeing a number of people swimming in the cold winter waters. What were they thinking?

I found out later that these people are volunteer life savers who belong to the Lorne Life Saving Club. The club organised and run the "GMHBA Lorne Pier to Pub" open water swim. It is said to be the largest open water swim in the world. If you are interested in such activity, click here to find out more. The actual swim race is held in January in the summer month.

The Lorne Pier to Pub started as an informal challenge among Lorne Surf Life Saving Club members. It's now an action-packed weekend attracting thousands who participate in the race and thousands more others who come just to soak up the carnival atmosphere. Sounds like a good time to come back to Lorne next year.

As with all piers, fishing is a popular activity. Garfish, salmon and barracouta are commonly caught here. Silver trevally, squid and pinkies are also found here.

If you fancy a seafood lunch or dinner, The Lorne Pier Seafood Restaurant is located on the water's edge at the start of the pier. Just next to the restaurant is a place where you can get really fresh fish. Hint, Hint, Blink, Blink.

For more pictures of the Pier, click here.

Lorne - A Winter Weekend

It winter! While most (sane) people goes to the snow hills during winter to "catch" some snow, doing downhill skiing or cross-country skiing, tobogganing or just to play with the snow, we however did something really different.

We spend a week-end at the seaside town of Lorne, at Louttit Bay. If you are wondering where this seaside town is, it's in Victoria, Australia.

Lorne is situated along a popular tourist destination called the Great Ocean Road. That stretch of the Victorian coast is also known as the Surf Coast Shire. You can alway find something to do along the Great Ocean Road.

We wanted to take some time off to relax and to unwind, to enjoy the cafe culture, cellars, eating spots, shops, boutiques gift stores and galleries in the town and not forgetting also to see some of the area's surroundings. Beside the bay itself, we heard there are several beautiful fern gullies and waterfalls in the area that are worth the walk to.

Lorne is around 140km south-west of Melbourne. Passing through Geelong, the drive to Lorne via the scenic coastal route is 65 km. The route gives you the opportunity to take in the panoramic views as the road winds along the edge of beaches, across river estuaries, cliff tops and lush rainforests. There were many a time I wanted to stop and take some photos of the view, except that the road is narrow and windy; too risky to stop except for some designated scenic lookout spots.

If you are on the way to the 12 Apostles or other coastal attractions along the Great Ocean Road, Lorne is certainly one of the towns worth stopping, to rest and get a bite, especially if there is a farmer's market on the day.

The playground and trampolines are very popular with young children. There is even an outdoor swimming pool, but the pool was emptied since it is too cold to swim in, in winter. Even so, there were a number of children in shorts or short sleeves. They must have forgotten it is winter.

There are plenty of accommodations in town to cater for the summer crowd and in winter, you can certainly get some bargains. That however is a matter of differing opinions. There are some art works and sculptures placed around the town with some colourful home/accommodations and decorated cafes making the town look more like a seaside town.

For more photos of Lorne, click here.

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How The Holy Spirit Works With The Father And The Son

1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
²God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.

The Holy Spirit has the distinct honour of being one of the three members of the Trinity - the other two members being God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. This particular verse shows how the Holy Spirit works with the Father and the Son in the life of a believer:

1. The Father chooses us and makes us His children.
2. Jesus redeems us, having died for us while we were still sinners.
3. The Holy Spirit draws us to the Lord and continues to work in our lives to make us pleasing to God.

As you can see, all three members of the Trinity work in concert to bring us into a relationship with God. For that reason, we see that the Holy Spirit is indeed an integral part of what has been called "the Godhead."

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie