Have a Better 2009

The information at HealthInsite appears to be drawn from a number of national and regional Australian government sources. I’m not a physician, nor do I portray one on television, so I can’t vouchsafe all the medical details. However, it seems nice that the government is providing a starting point for your research and information.

One important note: when it comes to issues involving sexuality, some articles I’ve found linked to HealthInsite would support a morality many Signs readers would find questionable. Read with care, then let your moral values be your guide.

On the subject of health, of course, few things are as important as diet. The folks at Sanitarium <http://www.sanitarium.com.au>, a company affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, have plenty to offer in this area! Now let’s check education and face a fact: we need as much as we can get.

Indeed, given the state of the world today, so much knowledge is exploding that people in almost all professions must work to stay on top of new developments.

“You don’t have to go to uni, to go to uni,” is the slogan of Open University Australia <www.open.edu.au>, a consortium of eight tertiary institutions offering online study courses in a variety of disciplines. The programs seem very flexible in terms of start times and subject ranges, and the schools include institutions such as Monash, Macquarie and Griffith Universities, all of which are well-regarded teritary institutions.

Of course, this is where I’d insert a promo for Avondale College <www.avondale.edu.au>, a Seventh-day Adventist institution that has produced a number of notable figures, and for which Russell Crowe once acted in a commercial. (You can find it on YouTube!) Trivia aside, Avondale is a great place to learn about the world and the God who created it.

Maybe you’d like a new job next year.

There are two web portals with the name JobSearch. One, <jobsearch.gov.au>, is run by the Australian government; it seems rather straightforward.

The other, <jobsearch.com.au>, appears to offer far more job listings. Also seemingly packed with listings of positions is <www.jobsites.com.au>.

On the spiritual side of things, longtime readers will know I have a bias toward Christianity in general, and Seventh- day Adventist Christianity in particular.

The faith of Jesus makes great sense to me and I commend Him to you. A place to begin is the famous Jesus film <www.jesusfilm.org>, where you can order a copy as well as watch it online in any one of dozens of languages.

Watching this dramatisation of Jesus’ life, drawn largely from the Book of Luke, will fascinate you and give you a good orientation to Christianity.

From there, trek on over to <spd.hopetalk.org>, the HopeTalk site for the South Pacific region. For great Australian Bible studies (either online or mailed to you) go to the Discovery Centre <www.discoverycourses.com>. Published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, these sites offers a wide range of free Bible-study courses, as well as courses on improving family life and health.

I hope your web surfing in 2009 lets you find everything good you might want!