?There’s a story about an old man who was often sought out for advice and was greatly admired for his wisdom.
One day a young man thought he would be smart and outwit the sage. He found a small bird that had fallen out of the nest and, grasping it in his hand, he decided he would say to the man, “Is this bird dead or alive?”
His trick was that if he said, “It’s alive,” he would give it a quick squeeze and show him the dead bird. But if he said it was dead, he would open his hand and let the bird fly away. Either way he would be right.
He approached the man with the bird and asked:
“Mr. Wise Man, is this bird dead or alive?”
Without looking at his hand the old man replied: “It is whatever you want it to be.”
On so many issues of life and death, growth and decline, it is a matter of whatever we want them to be.
The answer is in our hands.


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About The Author

Dr. Geoff Pound joined the Ashburton Baptist Church staff in September 2012. He pastored churches in New Zealand before coming to Australia with his family in 1992. Geoff served the Victoria Baptists in a number of roles including Home Mission Superintendent, Director of Leadership Training, President of the Baptist Union of Victoria and Principal of Whitley College. In the seven years prior to coming to Ashburton, Geoff worked as a freelance writer and teacher based in the United Arab Emirates. Geoff is married to Lyn who is an English Language teacher. They have a son who lives in Sydney and a daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren in Melbourne. 

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