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Lets Go Flying

I took up the invitation to go flying in an ultra lite plane a few days ago. Now that’s what I call ‘really’ flying!! The little Italian made Zefiro weighed about 300kg (660lbs) and can legally fly to about 5,000ft. You can take off on any patch of dirt and it gets along just a little slower than a Cessna. The pilot, Jim Ben from King Island in the Bass Strait was visiting his son Alex who is farming near St George. Anyways…. over a cup ‘o’ tea we decided a quick aerial view of the St George region was needed. So within 10 minutes I was looking at the earth from 1,500ft.

The gift of flight. The miracle of aviation. Just over 100 years ago men were attempting any means possible to understand the laws of aerodynamics. In the late 1890’s the legendary Australian, Lawrence Hargraves had discovered the power of lift with a curved wing via his experiments with box kites off the wind blown hills of Stanwell Park, south of Sydney. He generously shared his theories with French and American inventors and aviators. By 1904 the Wright Brothers defied gravity and the world was never to be the same.

Within a decade, men were causing death and destruction with the use of aviation. Machine guns fixed to fire bullets between the revolving propellors of timber framed Bi-planes, exploding bombs dropped over enemy lines onto innocent people. The world was at war. The miracle of flight became a blessing and a curse upon humanity.

Just like your life and mine. We can live it for good or for evil. We all have the potential in our sinful nature to cause pain or bring joy, to destroy life or to bring healing. We can cultivate faith and hope or instil fear and defeat. Let us be found serving the Lord and living for great exploits like those early aviation pioneers. Let us be found speaking out words that bring eternity to the hearts of people.

“Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Godspeed,

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Pictured: Steve in St. George last weekend.

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