¤ ¤ 00:00:01.36\00:00:32.73 The great heart of the Australian desert harbors two 00:00:32.76\00:00:35.23 opposing realities, breathtaking beauty and devastating brutality 00:00:35.26\00:00:40.70 In the 1920s the inhabitants of a little settlement in the heart 00:00:40.74\00:00:46.01 of the desert were facing a wave of brutality. There the wilting 00:00:46.04\00:00:51.55 structures of the Hermannsburg Lutheran mission languished 00:00:51.58\00:00:55.92 under the blue shadow of Mt. Hermannsburg. Drought was 00:00:55.95\00:01:00.46 ravaging the area. This was not new or strange. Drought was a 00:01:00.49\00:01:05.49 familiar specter that constantly haunted the Great Red Sandy but 00:01:05.53\00:01:10.50 this time the drought was especially harsh. Water holes 00:01:10.53\00:01:15.50 that had not dried up in living memory vanished. The underground 00:01:15.54\00:01:19.64 spring water turned brackish and unfit for use before drying up 00:01:19.67\00:01:25.15 completely. Bush packer disappeared as large numbers of 00:01:25.18\00:01:29.78 kangaroos and other wildlife began to die. Further migration 00:01:29.82\00:01:35.39 of aborigines accustomed to living completely off the land 00:01:35.42\00:01:39.26 began to move slowly toward the mission. They were emaciated and 00:01:39.29\00:01:45.67 starving. By 1928 the winter camel train which usually 00:01:45.70\00:01:50.47 brought supplies to the mission was 15 days late because the 00:01:50.51\00:01:55.41 camels were too weak to move. The camel train eventually made 00:01:55.44\00:01:59.41 it to the mission but even with supplies coming intermittently 00:01:59.45\00:02:03.69 food was scarce. Soon disease began to spread like wildfire. 00:02:03.72\00:02:09.22 The mission was swept up in one epidemic after another. First 00:02:09.26\00:02:16.06 influenza, then whooping cough, followed by dysentery, 00:02:16.10\00:02:22.17 tuberculosis. Thrown into the mix was another unidentified 00:02:22.20\00:02:27.01 disease that afflicted much of the population in and around the 00:02:27.04\00:02:31.41 mission. The Hermannsburg mission is located within the 00:02:31.45\00:02:36.79 territory of the western Aranda tribe of the aboriginal people. 00:02:36.82\00:02:40.12 Some estimates suggest that as many as 85 percent of the 00:02:40.16\00:02:44.83 Aranda children died during this terrible drought. Among the dead 00:02:44.86\00:02:52.00 was a little girl named Nelda. She was born severely 00:02:52.03\00:02:57.07 malnourished and survived only 17 months. Finally in 1929 the 00:02:57.11\00:03:04.21 unknown disease was diagnosed as scurvy due to extreme vitamin C 00:03:04.25\00:03:10.42 deficiency. Two hundred cases of oranges and lemons were shipped 00:03:10.45\00:03:14.76 into the mission and people began to recover quickly. Then 00:03:14.79\00:03:20.66 three days after Christmas 1929 the rain came. The nearby Finke 00:03:20.70\00:03:26.27 River swelled against its banks There was jubilation at the 00:03:26.30\00:03:30.27 mission and the surrounding country. The land recovered 00:03:30.31\00:03:35.78 rapidly. The Namatjira family came back to the mission with 00:03:35.81\00:03:38.78 their children and continued to eke out a living. It was 1930 00:03:38.81\00:03:44.15 and Albert Namatjira was part of the small Lutheran community 00:03:44.19\00:03:48.86 at the Hermannsburg mission. Standing in the shadow of the 00:03:48.89\00:03:53.33 terrible drought, recovering from his grief, Albert had no 00:03:53.36\00:03:58.40 inkling of the tremendous adventures the next decade of 00:03:58.43\00:04:02.60 his life would bring. By the end of the 1930s Albert Namatjira 00:04:02.64\00:04:09.61 would mount his first solo exhibition of water color 00:04:09.64\00:04:12.81 paintings, selling every single piece of art on display. He 00:04:12.85\00:04:17.39 would then go on to become one of Australia's most famous and 00:04:17.42\00:04:21.62 accomplished artists. Join us as we take a look at the life, 00:04:21.66\00:04:27.00 country and times of this remarkable man whose story still 00:04:27.03\00:04:31.93 carries a special message for us today. 00:04:31.97\00:04:34.74 ¤ ¤ 00:04:34.77\00:05:00.83 Albert Namatjira was born on the 28th of July 1902 at the 00:05:00.86\00:05:05.77 Hermannsburg Mission Station on the banks of the Finke River. 00:05:05.80\00:05:09.20 His parents named him Aleah at birth and in keeping with the 00:05:09.24\00:05:13.81 traditions of his people he had no surname. In 1905, his parents 00:05:13.84\00:05:20.78 were baptized in the small church on the mission. Aleah was 00:05:20.82\00:05:24.49 baptized with them and all three of them were given English names 00:05:24.52\00:05:28.96 His parents' names became Jonathan and Emily. Aleah was 00:05:28.99\00:05:34.16 named Albert, but it wasn't until his first exhibition in 00:05:34.20\00:05:38.23 1938 that Albert adopted his father's first name, Namatjira, 00:05:38.27\00:05:43.94 as his surname. As a child Albert attended the Hermannsburg 00:05:43.97\00:05:50.05 school for aborigines at the mission. The school was run 00:05:50.08\00:05:53.45 under the supervision of the Lutheran minister and missionary 00:05:53.48\00:05:57.19 in charge of the mission station At the school children were 00:05:57.22\00:06:01.46 taught their native Aranda language as well as English 00:06:01.49\00:06:04.99 and the Bible. The Hermannsburg Mission was established in 1877 00:06:05.03\00:06:10.93 by Lutheran missionaries at a sacred site named Ntaria. It 00:06:10.97\00:06:16.20 was the first and largest aboriginal mission in the 00:06:16.24\00:06:19.34 Northern Territory. The focus of the mission was to share the 00:06:19.37\00:06:23.55 teachings of Jesus and the Bible with the aboriginal people and 00:06:23.58\00:06:27.88 to provide them with an education as well. In the first 00:06:27.92\00:06:31.69 few months after their arrival the missionaries made no contact 00:06:31.72\00:06:35.92 with the local aboriginal people However, their activities were 00:06:35.96\00:06:39.93 closely watched. And after they had finished constructing the 00:06:39.96\00:06:43.57 main buildings of the mission a group of western Aranda men 00:06:43.60\00:06:47.50 visited them and camped near their settlement. Communication 00:06:47.54\00:06:51.74 was difficult at first and there were quite a number of 00:06:51.77\00:06:54.84 misunderstandings. But the missionaries soon learned the 00:06:54.88\00:06:58.41 local Aranda language. Work at the mission steadily grew and 00:06:58.45\00:07:03.95 the church and schoolhouse were added to the existing buildings 00:07:03.99\00:07:07.26 on the site. But the climate was temperamental. Short periods of 00:07:07.29\00:07:12.19 intense rainfall followed by long periods of drought made 00:07:12.23\00:07:17.03 living conditions harsh. The droughts ravaged the crops and 00:07:17.07\00:07:21.74 the floods destroyed infrastructure. It was a never 00:07:21.77\00:07:25.11 ending cycle of survival and recovery. Albert's 00:07:25.14\00:07:30.48 early life was 00:07:30.51\00:07:31.85 closely interwoven with the fabric of Hermannsburg Mission. 00:07:31.88\00:07:35.18 He learned to read and write and study the Bible alongside the 00:07:35.22\00:07:40.29 other aboriginal children at the mission. One of his teachers 00:07:40.32\00:07:43.86 Harry Hilliar, had an avid interest in watercolor painting 00:07:43.89\00:07:47.90 and this was most likely Albert's first introduction to 00:07:47.93\00:07:52.60 western art. Albert then ran away from the mission when he 00:07:52.63\00:07:56.81 was 18 and eloped with a young woman from a neighboring tribe. 00:07:56.84\00:08:01.04 He stayed away from the mission for a number of years traveling 00:08:01.08\00:08:05.11 from place to place with his growing family looking for work. 00:08:05.15\00:08:09.02 In 1922 he quietly returned to the mission and settled his 00:08:09.05\00:08:14.82 family there. His wife known as Rabina and their four children 00:08:14.86\00:08:20.26 were baptized into the Lutheran church in 1923. Then three years 00:08:20.30\00:08:26.33 later in 1926 S.W. Albrecht arrived at the Hermannsburg 00:08:26.37\00:08:31.34 mission as mission supervisor. Albrecht was to play an 00:08:31.37\00:08:35.34 important role in Albert's life and career as an artist. Once he 00:08:35.38\00:08:40.65 had settled into life at the mission Pastor Albrecht realized 00:08:40.68\00:08:44.79 that the financial situation at the mission was tenuous. He 00:08:44.82\00:08:48.76 believed that the only sustainable solution was for 00:08:48.79\00:08:52.29 Hermannsburg to become a self supporting operation. As a start 00:08:52.33\00:08:57.40 he encouraged the women to engage in needle work making 00:08:57.43\00:09:01.50 doilies and table cloths that could be sold to tourists. 00:09:01.54\00:09:05.04 Around this time a small group from Hermannsburg set out on an 00:09:05.07\00:09:11.01 evangelistic endeavor to the neighboring settlement of Glen 00:09:11.05\00:09:14.78 Helen. Albrecht led the mission and Albert was among those who 00:09:14.82\00:09:19.25 went with him to preach. In the middle of the program Albrecht 00:09:19.29\00:09:23.59 became ill and was transported to Adelaide for treatment. While 00:09:23.63\00:09:28.80 he was recuperating and receiving treatment in Adelaide 00:09:28.83\00:09:31.30 Albrecht sold boomerangs and woomera s and other carved 00:09:31.33\00:09:36.00 wooden artifacts for sale. These had been made specifically as 00:09:36.04\00:09:39.97 souvenirs for visiting tourists and Albrecht realized that this 00:09:40.01\00:09:44.78 would be an excellent industry to start up at Hermannsburg. 00:09:44.81\00:09:49.12 When he returned to the mission he enlisted Albert to work in 00:09:49.15\00:09:54.62 this area. Albert began to decorate wooden artifacts with 00:09:54.66\00:09:58.49 the help of a heated wire or metal tool. These were then sold 00:09:58.53\00:10:02.80 to visiting tourists. This gave Albert the ability to stay at 00:10:02.83\00:10:07.50 home and make enough money to support his growing family. 00:10:07.54\00:10:10.84 His work on these artifacts marked the beginning of his 00:10:10.87\00:10:15.48 career as an artist. Between 1932 and 1936 Albert's interest 00:10:15.51\00:10:22.15 in painting was further developed by artists who visited 00:10:22.18\00:10:26.19 the mission. The most important of these was Rex Battarbee who 00:10:26.22\00:10:31.26 instrumental in Albert's development as a painter. Other 00:10:31.29\00:10:35.06 painters who visited the mission on painting trips were John 00:10:35.10\00:10:38.27 Gardner, Jessie Traill, Arthur Murch and Violet Teague. Violet 00:10:38.30\00:10:45.24 Teague visited Hermannsburg in 1932 with her sister Eunice. 00:10:45.27\00:10:50.18 While they were at Hermannsburg the Teague sisters noticed the 00:10:50.21\00:10:53.98 perilous lack of water. The mission was yet again in the 00:10:54.02\00:10:58.05 throws of a drought and was struggling to manage. Violet was 00:10:58.09\00:11:02.26 incredulous and explained to Albrecht, Why Pastor this is 00:11:02.29\00:11:07.00 ludicrous. You must have water. Her incredulity was mainly due 00:11:07.03\00:11:13.17 to the fact that just seven kilometers away there was an 00:11:13.20\00:11:17.01 abundant source of water that the mission had no way of 00:11:17.04\00:11:20.04 tapping into. In the hills just across the Finke River the 00:11:20.08\00:11:24.48 Coperelia Spring produced 38,000 liters of clear freshwater 00:11:24.51\00:11:29.25 daily and Pastor Albrecht was well aware of this water source. 00:11:29.28\00:11:33.82 Since 1924 efforts had been made to raise money to build a 00:11:33.86\00:11:40.40 pipeline from the springs to the mission. But Albrecht and others 00:11:40.43\00:11:45.07 before him had struggled to find backing. This was because there 00:11:45.10\00:11:49.34 was a dispute over whether the springs were above or below the 00:11:49.37\00:11:54.38 mission. And at last it seemed that the mission was on higher 00:11:54.41\00:11:58.71 ground and no one believe that it was possible to get water to 00:11:58.75\00:12:02.48 flow from the spring to Hermannsburg. So the mission 00:12:02.52\00:12:06.35 suffered through years of crushing drought when water was 00:12:06.39\00:12:09.92 so close at hand. The matter was finally resolved when a 00:12:09.96\00:12:14.80 surveying expedition came through the area. The surveyors 00:12:14.83\00:12:18.57 were prospecting for gold and the measurements revealed that 00:12:18.60\00:12:22.20 the Coperelia Springs were in fact above the Hermannsburg 00:12:22.24\00:12:26.17 Mission. Encouraged by the new development Albrecht began to 00:12:26.21\00:12:30.78 look into the matter in more detail. By the time the Teague 00:12:30.81\00:12:34.95 sisters visited Hermannsburg Albrecht had calculated the 00:12:34.98\00:12:39.15 funds that the mission would need to divert water from 00:12:39.19\00:12:42.06 Coperelia Springs to Hermannsburg. Violet and Eunice 00:12:42.09\00:12:46.83 Teague offered their assistance to raise some of the money that 00:12:46.86\00:12:50.33 would be needed. The sisters organized a charity exhibition 00:12:50.37\00:12:54.64 in Melbourne to raise funds for the mission. They persuaded a 00:12:54.67\00:12:58.91 number of their artist friends to donate their works free of 00:12:58.94\00:13:02.74 charge and mounted the exhibition in 1934 at the Atheni 00:13:02.78\00:13:07.55 Over 100 paintings by 50 artists were sold and all the proceeds 00:13:07.58\00:13:14.06 went to the Hermannsburg water fund. The money from the 00:13:14.09\00:13:17.66 exhibition coupled with the funds raised by an appeal made 00:13:17.69\00:13:21.76 in a Melbourne newspaper raised enough money for the project. 00:13:21.80\00:13:25.70 By August 1934 the project was well underway. But many of the 00:13:25.73\00:13:32.21 local farmers were still skeptical, even William Matney, 00:13:32.24\00:13:36.78 a local farmer in charge of the planning and construction of the 00:13:36.81\00:13:40.28 pipeline didn't really believe that the water could get through 00:13:40.32\00:13:44.12 to the mission. Finally construction on the pipeline was 00:13:44.15\00:13:49.86 completed and Matney diverted the water from Coperelia Springs 00:13:49.89\00:13:53.50 to the Hermannsburg Mission at 6 p.m. on the 30th of September 00:13:53.53\00:13:58.57 1934. Pastor Albrecht calculated that it would take four hours 00:13:58.60\00:14:04.64 for the water to reach the mission but by 2 a.m. the water 00:14:04.67\00:14:09.44 still had not arrived. Albrecht prayed to God and then went to 00:14:09.48\00:14:14.65 bed. Before sunrise he was woken by the shouts of the women 00:14:14.68\00:14:19.35 going down to milk the cows. Kwaji, kwaji they cried in 00:14:19.39\00:14:24.23 excitement. Water, Water. Albrecht rushed outside and was 00:14:24.26\00:14:29.76 greeted by a fountain of water gushing seven meters into the 00:14:29.80\00:14:34.04 air. The valves at the end of the pipeline had not been 00:14:34.07\00:14:37.51 properly sealed resulting in the tremendous burst of rushing 00:14:37.54\00:14:42.54 water. The impossible had happened. The Hermannsburg 00:14:42.58\00:14:48.08 Mission had been almost miraculously provided with a 00:14:48.12\00:14:51.39 steady supply of water. The next year in 1935 when F.C.G. Wallins 00:14:51.42\00:14:58.33 who was a member of the Lutheran mission board visited 00:14:58.36\00:15:02.10 Hermannsburg he was extremely impressed with the progress 00:15:02.13\00:15:06.03 Albert had made with his painting. One of the paintings 00:15:06.07\00:15:09.27 that Albert showed Wallins was a double-sided piece with a 00:15:09.30\00:15:13.54 roughly drawn landscape on one side and a drawing of a kangaroo 00:15:13.58\00:15:17.55 in flight on the other. Then in the winter of 1936 Rex Battarbee 00:15:17.58\00:15:24.35 returned to Hermannsburg. The day he arrived he made 00:15:24.39\00:15:28.49 arrangements for Albert to accompany him on a painting trip 00:15:28.52\00:15:32.09 to the Palm Valley area. Albert was thrilled and thanked 00:15:32.13\00:15:36.26 Battarbee profusely. The trip marked the beginning of a 00:15:36.30\00:15:40.00 lifelong friendship between the two men. According to 00:15:40.04\00:15:45.17 Battarbee's journal during this trip he taught Albert to draw 00:15:45.21\00:15:49.14 in exchange for Albert's services as a camel man and 00:15:49.18\00:15:53.25 guide. Albert was keen to use the time to learn as much as he 00:15:53.28\00:15:57.95 could from Battarbee. In turn, he provided Battarbee with 00:15:57.99\00:16:02.59 useful information about the area including the best 00:16:02.62\00:16:06.16 locations for landscape painting After just 11 days in the 00:16:06.19\00:16:12.97 outback Battarbee wrote in his journal that Albert's sketch of 00:16:13.00\00:16:16.81 the amphitheater, a spectacular gorge in Palm Valley was 00:16:16.84\00:16:20.98 extremely good. He even expressed an interest in buying 00:16:21.01\00:16:24.91 it noting that Albert was exceptionally good at painting 00:16:24.95\00:16:28.85 light. In the same journal entry Battarbee wrote:... 00:16:28.88\00:16:36.52 Albert Namatjira' s first solo exhibition was opened by Lady 00:16:36.56\00:16:42.00 Huntingfield, the wife of the governor of Victoria on the 00:16:42.03\00:16:46.00 fifth of December 1938. The exhibition was titled, Albert 00:16:46.03\00:16:51.07 Namatjira, Central Australian Water Colors, 1938. Albert sold 00:16:51.11\00:16:57.15 41 paintings in just three days. Albert continued to work 00:16:57.18\00:17:03.59 steadily over the next few years His routine was rigorous. He 00:17:03.62\00:17:08.22 spent months at a time on trips into the outback of Central 00:17:08.26\00:17:11.69 Australia. Sometimes with Battarbee, sometimes with his 00:17:11.73\00:17:16.40 family. During these trips he produced scores of water color 00:17:16.43\00:17:20.74 paintings which would then be presented at exhibitions around 00:17:20.77\00:17:24.61 the country. His landscape paintings were iconic images 00:17:24.64\00:17:30.75 synonymous with the Australian outback. His vivid water colors 00:17:30.78\00:17:35.02 expressed his deep familiarity with the desert country around 00:17:35.05\00:17:39.25 Hermannsburg particularly the Aranda land around the western 00:17:39.29\00:17:43.86 McDonald ranges for which he was a traditional custodian. He 00:17:43.89\00:17:50.27 often framed his landscapes with the strong vertical forms of gum 00:17:50.30\00:17:54.94 trees. These represented both the presence and absence of 00:17:54.97\00:17:59.17 water through the desert region. By the 1940s Albert became a 00:17:59.21\00:18:04.25 recognizable figure around the country. In 1944 he became the 00:18:04.28\00:18:09.95 first aborigine to be entered into Who's Who in Australia. 00:18:09.98\00:18:14.32 And C.P. Mountford published a book about his work titled The 00:18:14.36\00:18:19.39 Art of Albert Namatjira. It was also around this time that one 00:18:19.43\00:18:25.93 of Albert's paintings was sent to London as a gift for Princess 00:18:25.97\00:18:29.70 Elizabeth on her 21st birthday. But Albert's professional 00:18:29.74\00:18:36.08 success was overshadowed by significant personal 00:18:36.11\00:18:38.68 difficulties. His application for a grazing rights permit was 00:18:38.71\00:18:42.92 rejected on extremely dubious grounds. Then his application to 00:18:42.95\00:18:48.32 build a home in Alice Springs was rejected as well. This 00:18:48.36\00:18:52.36 second rejection stemmed from Albert's status within the 00:18:52.39\00:18:56.80 commonwealth. In 1949 his daughter Hazel died 00:18:56.83\00:19:02.10 and his son Edward accidentally shot himself 00:19:03.61\00:19:05.14 losing sight in one eye. 00:19:05.17\00:19:07.01 Then in 1950 his daughter Martha died at Haasts Bluff. However, 00:19:07.04\00:19:13.78 despite all his personal struggles and tragedies Albert's 00:19:13.82\00:19:17.99 career continued to thrive. In 1953 he was awarded the 00:19:18.02\00:19:24.43 Queen's Coronation Medal. He flew to Canberra for the 00:19:24.46\00:19:27.86 ceremony and was presented with the medal by Queen Elizabeth II 00:19:27.90\00:19:32.60 and the Duke of Edinburgh. His paintings continued to sell for 00:19:32.63\00:19:36.91 significant sums of money and his work was exhibited along 00:19:36.94\00:19:41.14 side other artists like the legendary Sidney Nolan. In 1957 00:19:41.18\00:19:47.02 he was granted a small reprieve from his personal struggles when 00:19:47.05\00:19:51.95 he and his wife Rabina were finally awarded full Australian 00:19:51.99\00:19:55.79 citizenship. Albert and Rabina Namatjira were the first 00:19:55.82\00:20:00.70 aborigines to be awarded full citizenship of the Commonwealth 00:20:00.73\00:20:05.43 of Australia. The last years of Albert's life were clouded by 00:20:05.47\00:20:10.47 legal struggles. Albert Namatjira passed away in 00:20:10.51\00:20:14.78 August 1959 and was buried at the Alice Springs cemetery. 00:20:14.81\00:20:19.08 His old friend and spiritual mentor Pastor Albrecht presided 00:20:19.11\00:20:24.65 over the service. Both Albert's story and the story of the 00:20:24.69\00:20:29.99 Hermannsburg Mission are narratives of perseverance and 00:20:30.03\00:20:33.80 resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 00:20:33.83\00:20:37.63 The missionaries that came to Hermannsburg made tremendous 00:20:37.67\00:20:41.90 sacrifices in order to share the story of Jesus with the 00:20:41.94\00:20:46.07 aboriginal people in the area. Albert Namatjira demonstrated 00:20:46.11\00:20:52.65 extraordinary courage and determination to 00:20:52.68\00:20:54.85 overcome the odds 00:20:54.88\00:20:56.55 that were stacked against him and become one of Australia's 00:20:56.58\00:21:00.19 greatest and most celebrated artists. He was a trail blazer 00:21:00.22\00:21:04.49 in the truest sense. Yet his trail blazing was the result of 00:21:04.53\00:21:09.03 hard work and tenacity. Albert and the Hermannsburg 00:21:09.06\00:21:14.57 missionaries possessed this quality. Today scientists call 00:21:14.60\00:21:18.37 it grit. It's the determination to shape our circumstances 00:21:18.41\00:21:22.94 instead of allowing our circumstances to shape us. 00:21:22.98\00:21:26.92 The apostle Paul possessed the same quality. His life as a 00:21:26.95\00:21:32.55 missionary was colorful and filled with adventure and yet he 00:21:32.59\00:21:36.93 consistently surmounted the obstacles before him. He was not 00:21:36.96\00:21:40.93 only dauntless but he also possessed grit. That rare 00:21:40.96\00:21:45.13 tenacity to take hold of circumstances with a 00:21:45.17\00:21:49.17 determination to shape them. One of the more memorable 00:21:49.20\00:21:53.51 stories about Paul is his trip to Lystra. When he got to the 00:21:53.54\00:21:57.65 city with Barnabas, his traveling companion and fellow 00:21:57.68\00:22:01.48 missionary, they saw a crippled man begging by the roadside. 00:22:01.52\00:22:04.62 Paul healed him and the man leapt to his feet and began to 00:22:04.65\00:22:09.62 walk. The crowd went wild. They began to talk excitedly in their 00:22:09.66\00:22:15.36 native language and declared that Paul and Barnabas were 00:22:15.40\00:22:19.27 Roman gods who had taken on human form. They immediately 00:22:19.30\00:22:23.20 mobbed them and prepared to offer a sacrifice to them. When 00:22:23.24\00:22:27.78 Paul and Barnabas figured out what was happening they were 00:22:27.81\00:22:31.91 appalled. Jumping into the crowd they tried their best to explain 00:22:31.95\00:22:36.42 to them that they were mere men. Refusing the adulation that was 00:22:36.45\00:22:40.79 being showered on them seeking instead to turn the minds of the 00:22:40.82\00:22:44.46 minds of the crowd to the God of heaven, the Creator of all 00:22:44.49\00:22:49.03 things. They managed to prevent the people from worshipping them 00:22:49.06\00:22:52.33 but scarcely had they averted one disaster when another one 00:22:52.37\00:22:56.94 tumbled around them. A disgruntled mob from Antioch and 00:22:56.97\00:23:01.11 Iconium who had a score to settle with Paul found their way 00:23:01.14\00:23:05.08 to Lystra and they persuaded the people that Paul was a villain. 00:23:05.11\00:23:10.45 Once more the mob was whipped into a frenzy only this time 00:23:10.49\00:23:15.56 instead of worshipping Paul they decided to stone him. He was 00:23:15.59\00:23:19.93 knocked unconscious and dragged outside the city walls presumed 00:23:19.96\00:23:24.83 dead. But he stood up, brushed himself off, went back into the 00:23:24.87\00:23:29.34 city for the night and left the next morning. He kept on 00:23:29.37\00:23:34.11 preaching. He went to Derbe and then wound his way back to 00:23:34.14\00:23:37.75 Lystra and Iconium and Antioch visiting all the cities where 00:23:37.78\00:23:42.72 disgruntled elements wanted to see him dead. Later on he made 00:23:42.75\00:23:47.56 one final journey to Jerusalem. Under a cloud of almost certain 00:23:47.59\00:23:52.53 death he summed up his attitude towards it all in these words: 00:23:52.56\00:23:56.87 ¤ ¤ 00:23:56.90\00:24:11.65 Did you notice what he said? None of these things move me. 00:24:11.68\00:24:18.39 Paul was able to see beyond the darkness of his circumstances 00:24:18.42\00:24:23.16 to something much brighter that lay just ahead. The anchor of 00:24:23.19\00:24:28.20 his soul was Jesus and in Jesus he found the grit that he needed 00:24:28.23\00:24:33.80 to keep going. From the adulation of the fickle mob to 00:24:33.84\00:24:38.37 to their frenzied attempts to kill him Paul was able to keep a 00:24:38.41\00:24:43.48 clear head and tackle each situation he faced with courage. 00:24:43.51\00:24:47.52 None of those things moved him because his eyes were fixed on 00:24:47.55\00:24:51.82 someone whose hand was over it all, who stood above it all. 00:24:51.85\00:24:56.46 Often in life we find ourselves casting about for an anchor. 00:24:56.49\00:25:02.26 When the moorings seem to come undone and our lives are rocked 00:25:02.30\00:25:06.47 with devastating circumstances we need something to keep us 00:25:06.50\00:25:10.67 steady. And I can assure you there is nothing steadier and 00:25:10.71\00:25:15.48 more secure than Jesus. For the apostle Paul, for Albert 00:25:15.51\00:25:21.58 Namatjira and the missionaries at Hermannsburg Jesus was a 00:25:21.62\00:25:25.85 never-failing anchor. His presence in their lives enabled 00:25:25.89\00:25:29.96 them to move forward even in their darkest moments. If you 00:25:29.99\00:25:34.33 find yourself looking for something to steady you then I'd 00:25:34.36\00:25:37.77 like to recommend the free gift we have for all our Incredible 00:25:37.80\00:25:41.57 Journey viewers today. It's the small but powerful booklet 00:25:41.60\00:25:46.34 Faith Really Makes a Difference. This easy-to-read booklet is 00:25:46.37\00:25:51.61 our gift to you and is absolutely free. I guarantee 00:25:51.65\00:25:55.92 there are no hidden costs or obligations whatsoever. This 00:25:55.95\00:25:59.72 small booklet has enriched the lives of many people and it's 00:25:59.75\00:26:03.49 sure been a blessing to me. I know it will be a blessing to 00:26:03.53\00:26:06.90 you too and I want to make sure you get a copy. So make sure to 00:26:06.93\00:26:12.17 take this opportunity to receive the gift we have for you today. 00:26:12.20\00:26:16.30 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 00:26:16.34\00:26:28.35 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 00:26:28.38\00:26:34.66 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 00:26:34.69\00:26:38.29 no obligation. Write to us at: 00:26:38.33\00:26:53.07 Don't delay. Call or text us now 00:26:53.11\00:26:56.24 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Hermannsburg and the 00:26:56.28\00:27:02.28 red center of Australia in the footsteps of the great 00:27:02.32\00:27:05.25 indigenous artist Albert Namatjira along with our 00:27:05.29\00:27:09.06 reflections on the security and inner peace that Jesus provides 00:27:09.09\00:27:13.16 then be sure to join us again next week when we will share 00:27:13.19\00:27:17.03 another of life's journey's together. Until then let's ask 00:27:17.07\00:27:22.17 God to be our anchor just as he was for the apostle Paul, Albert 00:27:22.20\00:27:26.81 Namatjira and the missionaries at Hermannsburg. Let's pray. 00:27:26.84\00:27:30.98 Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful for the life and 00:27:31.01\00:27:36.72 talents of Albert Namatjira. As we have followed his life's 00:27:36.75\00:27:41.26 journey we've been reminded that we too need an anchor when our 00:27:41.29\00:27:45.63 moorings seem to come undone and our lives are rocked with 00:27:45.66\00:27:49.00 devastating circumstances. We need something to keep us steady 00:27:49.03\00:27:53.84 There is nothing steadier or more secure than Jesus. And so 00:27:53.87\00:27:58.47 we ask that you will be the anchor of our soul today and we 00:27:58.51\00:28:02.88 ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:28:02.91\00:28:06.18 ¤ ¤ 00:28:06.21\00:28:23.90