CROSSTRAX!
One man’s view about the
things that really matter….

This month….

You don’t realise how much you need it, until you need it!

Then, oh boy, it is great to have! Part 1. (Starts this month, concludes next)

So, what am I talking about? Let me give you the scenario.

“Perth base, this is the mobile outpost Victor Kilo November 3,4, calling in. Do you have a copy?”

………….

“Thank you, I wonder if you could patch me in on the land line to the Katharine or Darwin RAC depot. I’m situated ‘bout 70kms North of Katharine on the Stuart Hwy with an engine that’s just died and I have a wife who will need to get to some place like Katharine by tonight for ongoing medical problems.”

……………..

That’s how the conversation began. Me with a vehicle that had just had an oil pump come loose in the engine and which had not been pumping oil to the motor’s vitals for some time. Finally, the poor old brute had decided to give and ‘go on strike’, er well ‘stop’.

I was on the way back to Sydney from attending the launch and release of the Kriol Bible, the very first Indigenous Language group to have the full Bible in their own language. It was 2007, spring, and a lovely day in the Territory. We had been to Katharine for the Bible’s release then had taken a trip up to Darwin for a few days and were on our way back to Sydney with our caravan behind the old Disco when it happened. Driving along at about 90 kph the red oil warning light suddenly came on. But too late, the pump must have been failing for some time and the engine bearings starved for oil. Finally, they gave up. The engine was switched off and we coasted onto the side of the road.

********

Three weeks ago, I was talking with TRAX member Phillip Favaloro about HF Radios and their uses compared with the growing use of Satellite or ‘Sat’ Phones. Now, both are good and deserve a very high place on the 4WD’ers ‘good to have’ list, so this is not a ‘comparo’ article about which is best  Both have their strengths and both have their weaknesses and I know some people (filthy rich capitalistic swines!!!) who have both and who can testify about how they have been used.

Phillip had just installed his new Codan set in his Patrol and we were doing a series of test calls between his Codan and my Barrett, and we had been talking about how useful a HF (High Frequency) Transceiver can be in a vehicle that is going into, well, anywhere where there is no mobile phone coverage – which is about 90% of the Australian land mass.

Now for those who are not familiar with Transceivers (and I’m no expert, either), there are 3 types that we generally find in 4WD vehicles. Firstly, there is the ‘old’ commonly called VHF (Very High Frequency) ‘CB or citizens Band set. Rarely used now but were good in their day. Short range (up to 10kms average).

Then we have the very common UHF or Ultra High Frequency set which would be found in almost all 4WD vehicles. Short range, (up to 5kms average) but superior reception to the older VHF sets. Then there is the HF or High Frequency Transceiver which is what this article is, well partly, about. These sets are capable of transmitting worldwide (I have spoken to people in Europe) since it bounces it’s signal off the Ionosphere and keeps on bouncing from earth to Ionosphere. Much more expensive than the other types described but vastly superior to the point of not worth comparing with the others.

These radios have been extensively used in Australia by those who need to contact the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), from both outback and isolated properties, but also the many 4WD drivers touring outback Australia. So much of the outback has been safely opened up because of HF Radio, the best-known illustrations of this has been the ‘Traeger’ Pedal Wireless used by property owners to give themselves as the ‘Mantle of Safety’, the phrase coined by the Rev. John Flynn, the founder of the RFDS. These radios have for decades been the great lifeline for just about everything for so many of the outback cattle and sheep properties. Shopping, schooling (School of the Air’) for the children, ordering of parts and farming needs. You name it! The HF Radio has been the answer.

But back to the original story. We were about 280km south of Darwin and about 2,800 km north-east of Perth. No trouble. Speaking to the Perth Telstra base (Telstra have since closed their capital city bases) was just like speaking to someone in the next vehicle. So clear, so easy. My call was patched into the national phone grid and within two minutes I was talking to the RAC depot in Katherine, and a tilt tray truck was on its way.

Great! Another call made to Telstra base to put me onto Qantas. (I needed to get Jane back to Sydney, and in a couple of minutes a seat was booked and everything was in order.)

Now, why tell you this story? Simply because it has a great lesson in it that we all need to learn.

I often hear people talking (more like grouching actually) about Prayer. You can probably guess – “I prayed and got no answer: I asked God for something and never received it: I’ve been praying for a particular thing for 10, 20, 30 etc. years and nothing has happened: I’ve prayed that my mother would be healed from cancer or whatever and she still died. So, what’s wrong? Does prayer not work? Is God even there?

Instead of trying to answer any of those questions specifically, let’s think about a few principles. And how they might apply to HF radio messages.

1. Use the right call sign. No base would answer if you use a bogus call sign. Remember how I began this article? “Perth base, this is the mobile outpost Victor Kilo November 3,4, calling in. Do you have a copy?” I used a registered and unique call sign that has been issued to me – alone. Jesus said “No one can come to the father (God) except through me. Who is ‘me’? Well ‘me’ happens to be the Son of God, the Saviour and the elder brother of all real Christians. That’s right, the elder brother, or ‘firstborn’ in the family. We have cut ourselves off from God because of our sin and need to come back to Him. When we do this, it is God who ‘adopts’ us into His family. Look at Romans 8:15-17 or Ephesians 1:5. When we pray it is not just ‘speaking to the sky’ like some people think. But like a child speaking to his/her father. So, “It’s ——– (your name) heavenly Father and I have been given permission to come to you through your Son, my elder brother, Jesus. It’s being in God’s family that is the key or ‘call sign’. “Wait a minute!” I can hear some saying, “how can I know that I’m ‘in the family’?” That’s what coming back to Him entails. We join the family when we follow Jesus’ directions for doing so. First, it entails a knowledge that we need to be in a right relationship with God. becoming this means doing two things: Firstly, turning from wanting to run your life your own way and according to your rules. The Bible calls this repentance.; and Secondly, believing or having faith in what Jesus did for your to enable you to come into God’s family.

2. Remember that Jesus knows what is best for us. Ask for those things that He would ask for. Now here’s the rub (as ‘they’ say). So often we want to rush into God’s presence with a kind of ‘Grocery Shopping List’. You know what I mean “I want this… and this… and this…” without thinking that ‘God knows, what we need before we even ask Him.’ (Matthew 6:7-8)

In the above story, as soon as I got on to the Katherine RAC base the person answering said “Sounds like you will need both a tow for your caravan and a tilt tray for your 4WD?”  “Err, yyes, how did you know?” “One of our drivers has just passed you and has already radioed in to tell us – give me your details and NRMA number and we’ll despatch a ‘towie’ ASAP.” Boy that certainly was an accurate picture of what Jesus does for us. I didn’t have to use all the ‘gimme’s ‘, it was a case of we know what you need… are you willing to take what is best for you and in our way?” So often though we try to dictate to God what we think we need instead of letting Him make the decision. That decision which is always the best for us even if we don’t see it that way at the time.

Enough for this month, I’ll conclude this story next month – which by the way is no ordinary or predictable conclusion!

Neil Flower
TRAX Chaplain 0408 216 401  neilflower@bigpond.com

CROSSTRAX!
One man’s view about the
things that really matter….

This month….

For your collection…. Some people collect business cards, so this issue I thought that I’d give you another one for your collection….

Well, he may not be a TRAX member, but such people are a general pain in the neck to whatever club that they might join.

“I’ve been driving in all sorts of weather and in all conditions for the past 30 odd years, and there is very little that I don’t know about the subject – so no thanks, I won’t be attending a driver training course for 4WDing….”

So spoke a very self -opinionated (non-TRAX – thankfully!), 4WD owner to me a couple of years ago when I invited him to come along and learn how to handle his new vehicle with safety and confidence. Well, it was not so much spoken as spat out with venom as if the whole idea was demeaning and an insult. He knew; he was experienced; he’d known all the pitfalls; etc, etc. hadn’t he driven all sorts of vehicles (2WD’s), in all kinds of configurations and conditions? Etc, etc….

It had been a nicely maintained Toyota Land Cruiser Station Wagon when he had bought it home from the sales office – no rust, no off-road work, no towing of horse floats, no dents or dings in the bodywork – just a really nicely maintained 3 year old, petrol Cruiser that anyone would have loved to have owned.

At least it was then. I saw it about 6 months later. Almost unrecognisable. A fine piece of machinery battered, dented and only fit for the wrecking yard. When I inquired as to ‘why’ and ‘how’, a mutual acquaintance ‘told me the old, old story’…. A holiday trip, a real challenge of a steep and slippery downhill slope, no knowledge about engaging the freewheeling hubs, brakes used on the steep descent, wheel lock-up and no traction, so no steering, ………no hope!

Our friend Ima and his family at least survived (only just), which is more than could be said for his $70,000 investment.

Now for the point of this story. It’s not written so as to drum up applications for our driver training program, (although I hope that every member will be willing to do both the basic and sand driving courses), no, this is a ‘CROSSTRAX’ article with a different emphasis. The point is really a parable about life taken from my 4WD Bush Driving log.

You see it illustrates the very simple and humbling thing that Jesus taught when he said that unless a person becomes like a little child (that is, willing to learn, humble and admitting a need), then they cannot enter God’s kingdom of Heaven. No matter how much experience we’ve had in our present life, none of this is really very useful in being a Christian. And that’s where so people come unstuck. They think they know more than their Maker and Designer and try to run their lives according to their experiences, accumulated practices and ideas. And it doesn’t work.

The difference between being just an ordinary ‘happy pagan’ Australian who thinks that being a Christian is just following a set of fixed rules and a real Christian is like the difference between a 1922 ‘Stanley Steamer’ and a 2020 Range Rover. Yeah, both have 4 wheels, 4 seats, a steering wheel and a dashboard, but that’s about where the similarity ends. Range Rovers run on Petrol or (now Diesel and next year a hybrid electric model will be released), Stanleys need water in the boiler (try that in the Rangie’s tank!), and kerosene or even coal in the fire grate. Forget it!

But it’s no more stupid than the person who says that they can live like a Christian by using their own ideas. Jesus said ” Unless a man is born again, he will never get into the kingdom of God” – now that can be hard to understand unless you let Jesus explain or teach the meaning of that to you. Jesus also said “Learn from Me”. Yep, there’s no better teacher than Jesus.

Well about our friend ‘Ima’. Don’t be a smart aleck like him. When it comes to understanding about real living, you have to start all over again. But this time use the lesson book. Actually, it’s free, and I have a number of them to give away to anyone who requests one. Just contact me using the contact numbers on the back cover. Well. That’s it for another issue. Hey, don’t forget our next driver training days – they will be both the Basic Driving Course and an Advanced Driving and Recovery Course. Dates and details in the next issue of TRAXION.

See you on the TRAX,
Neil Flower
TRAX Chaplain

CROSSTRAX!
One man’s view about the
things that really matter….

This month….

It was September 1982, that’s exactly 38 years ago now, and I had taken the family out in the old Landy Wagon to the Coongie Lakes, in South Australia, just a little to the north and west of Innamincka. As usual, we had pulled about a kilometre off the track in order to find a nice quiet campsite away from the other vehicles that had decided to also come to this really great part of Australia.

Anyway, the swags were laid out and the camp fire blazing well, evening meal was finished, and the kids were gathered round waiting for their nightly story from Dad. No moon, and a fairly thick cover of clouds hid the stars. It was dark, the sort of darkness that you rarely encounter in the bush since there is generally a fair bit of light in the sky even if there is no moon.

Story underway – it was one of my stories about a couple of aboriginal children who were great adventurers, and always getting into some exciting ‘scrapes’, but at the same time managing to come out of it successfully. (These stories were always ‘serials’, they began the first or second night out and only came to an end on the last night of the holiday.) On this night a crisis was just occurring to the children in the story, when a thin pencil beam of light pierced the darkness away to the east of where we were camped.

Odd. We were camped, so we thought, at a place where neither we nor our campfire could be seen from the track that led back into Innamincka. So, what could this light be and who was making it?

Slowly the answer unfolded. The light grew brighter and soon revealed that it was not one but two lights moving jerkily as they came nearer. Two headlights of an old Toyota SWB ‘Cruiser that was weaving around bushes and scrub and obviously headed towards us. The children were somewhat frightened by this but soon the vehicle had picked up our tyre tracks and was now heading straight at our camp and going faster as it got ever nearer until with a lurch it pulled up in the glow of our fire and a very shaky voice called out in words that seemed to tumble from out of him “Thank God we’ve found you, we’re lost! Hope you don’t mind, but we’ve been driving round for some time and we not only can’t find our camp, but now we don’t even know where we are, so when we saw the light from your camp fire we knew that there was someone alive nearby, and we headed for the light.” And with that, two very shaken and frightened young people in their early twenties almost burst from the Cruiser and wanted to shake my hand and stand by the fire.

It was a cold night and we were all rugged up even though we had been sitting around a good hot fire. The old cruiser had no heater and the young couple felt the cold more keenly because of their panic at being lost in the bush. They were cold, frightened and thoroughly dispirited. They had had enough.

The invitation to come and sit by the fire and have a hot meal followed by a mug of tea and fire-toast did wonders by calming them down and putting them at ease. Soon they were able to begin telling their story.

Travelling without any real bush knowledge, inadequately equipped and totally inexperienced for that type of trip, they had set out to see ‘the Outback’. No maps except a general road map of S.A. that had been published by an oil company, and which did not show any tracks in that area, and, well, that was it! They had come to the ‘Coongie’s’ to camp and see the lakes but had decided to go back into Innamincka late in the afternoon to get some supplies. You can guess the rest – night falls, indistinct track, poor headlights, and a failure to recognise any landmarks so as to be able to find their campsite again in the dark. So, they had driven around and around following various tracks and all the time becoming more and more disoriented until with panic in their hearts they saw the light of the Flower’s campfire in the distance and decided to make a ‘beeline’ for it! Good thing they did because as it turned out, I had noticed a camp set up not far back from where we had originally turned in to cut across country to our particular spot, and was able to tell them how they would be able to navigate their way back. A look of calm and peace passed over the young couple’s face like I have seldom seen! No longer lost! A safe way back onto the right track and someone to guide them!

Stunned silence for a minute then a smile of sheer peace passed over the young bloke’s face. At that moment I couldn’t but help think of the obvious parallel in the teaching of Jesus when He declared that He was the ‘Light of the world’, and that ‘whoever followed Him would never walk in darkness.’

The problem with this fellow was that he didn’t have anyone to follow. What he needed was the ‘light on the hill’ (or on this case the light on the low sand ridge!) that could be seen from a distance away and that would draw him in his need to a place of safety and acceptance. He wanted to be found, to be assured, to be secured. At that moment it was not a nice new Landcruiser or Campervan that he wanted (although his ‘Cruiser did look a bit the worse for wear) – no, it was a sense of being found, being safe, being secure that was the thing that he wanted most of all at that time.

And there are many people like him and his girl who are literally ‘lost’ in this world. They have grown up with no directions for living; no knowledge of a God who loves them; no teaching about a Saviour who died for them and no hope for eternity. No wonder so many people are in a panic about life and where everything is heading.

But there is another dimension to this as well, because Jesus also said to His followers that “you are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden”. People are lost and they don’t know where to turn to find hope. But Jesus had already thought that one through since He commanded His people to be so like Him that they would ‘stand out from the mob’ because of the light that they had found, and could therefore be used to help bring others to Him.

Well our young friends set off again with two new senses of direction! They found their way back to their camp using the directions that I gave them, and they also heard the directions to God’s eternal camp. I know they followed the first set of directions because I checked up next to see if they found their camp safely. But the second set of directions? I suppose only eternity will tell – but I hope that they did.

But hey, what about you? Are you ’in the dark’ about what I’ve been saying in this article? You don’t have to be! There is a light that is certain and available. And, it’s free! It has provided by Jesus because He cared enough to go out into the darkness of this world so that people can have a real sense of purpose and know that life is ‘going somewhere’. And, He wants to share it with you. Here’s how you can find it. (I recommend the ‘TRAX’ method because it is easy to follow and understand)

Think about your indifference and/or rebellion towards God and Think about how much God has loved you by sending Jesus to save you from the penalty of that rebellion.
Recognise that you need to turn away from ignoring or rebelling against God. The bible calls this ‘Repentance’.
Recognise also that you are lost and need a new start and new directions. Also, Realise that when He died on the cross that it was to take the rap for your wrongdoing and evil.
Accept that He wants to forgive you and make you a child of God and His friend which means that you can have eternal life.
Xercise your belief and thanksgiving for what he has done for you by turning your life over to Him and letting Him give you the directions for finding your way through life. You can simply do this in any form of words that you choose.

Still not sure of what to do or want to know more? Why not contact me using the phone number or email address at the end of this article and I will be glad to talk with you and help you to find the way. Incidentally, I would be happy to give you a free copy of the book of directions that God has given for just such an occasion as this as well. And yes, if like, I’ll even give you a cuppa of my own ‘bush-blend’ tea and some camp oven bread if you want to come around to my place and have a yarn about it. Come to think of it, I think I’ll go and have bit myself right now! So long.

See you on the TRAX
Neil Flower, Chaplain
neilflower@bigpond.com
0408 216 401