Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Red belly black snake
Last year we were minding Pickles our daughter’s and grandsons beagle in our small backyard. I had built a small dam one brick high at the back door of our garage to stop overflow rainwater flowing through where my library is stacked. To protect the little dam I had a piece of vinyl to keep rainwater out and to protect the surface whenever to brought the lawn mower over it. And there was pickles barking at the vinyl. I lifted the vinyl and found a red bellied black snake under the vinyl between the garage back door and the little brickwork dam. It became aggressive. Super aggressive. Quickly I got Pickles and Lorelle inside the kitchen glass sliding door. The black snake was about two metres long. It had flattened its neck out and it had begun blindly attacking and biting anything close to it as it travelled up the ramp to us safely behind the glass sliding door. It bit at the brickwork of the house time after time after time in its blind aggression before it took itself off under a fence and away. I have had a similar experience with churches and their power structures. Whenever sinful behaviour is exposed the organisation goes on the attack, blindly biting at anything that might cause the person harm. I have opposed child sexual abuse (pedophiles and pedophile rings) since becoming aware of it in the early 2000’s. I opposed permitting a charged and gaoled and recently released pedophile to conduct a funeral in a church he formerly pastored. I opposed letting off someone where ASIC had in a judgement suggested that he had been involved in a conspiracy to steal $ 4.3 million from a superannuation fund. Always, blindly, the organisations attack aggressively. “He is a troublemaker, don’t employ him!” Words spoken to a church or churches, resulting in my working interdenominationally over the last 17 years. “Exclude him! He might be….” And no one ever asks for proof of the accusers. It is bullying in its most evil and horrendous form. And like a glass sliding door, like a brick wall between me and the blindly attacking redbelly black snake stands the Lord. 2 Timothy 4:14-18 ESV Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. [15] Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. [16] At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! [17] But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. [18] The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Psalm 46:1-7 ESV God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah [4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. [5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. [6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. [7] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Isaiah 40:29 ESV He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Philippians 4:13 ESV I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Sometimes at the personal level we need to discover how weak we are, how ineffectual we are to address wickedness in this fight. Just ao we can discover that Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. The slander people believe is their problem. They need to ask the hard questions of the slanderers. It is their responsibility not mine to correct the record. It is also in the Lord’s hands. He will deal with it in His time or in eternity. I am best to leave it all there. I surrendered my reputation to Him long ago. It is His to protect, it is not my responsibility to spend my life defending my integrity. It is God’s responsibility and I am best to leave it with Him.
