Imagine!

In the movie "Sahara" the character Dirk while trying to convince his boss to lend him his speed boat to go hunting for an Iron Clad warship in the middle of the desert, says to him "Imagine" i.e. Imagine if we find it! And........... they found it!

Okay, I know it's just a movie.... but.... Think of this... Nothing on earth that has been created by man, has been created without it first being imagined!

I marvel at modern technology. I am tying an email that will be sent via a cell phone to a web page in cyber space. Phew, what a mouthful. None of this would be possible if a man named Alexander Graham Bell, had not first invented an object named a telephone.

And he first had to imagine this device before he could create it. I could go on for hours with listing fascinating inventions, but my point is that somebody somewhere dreamt up an object and made it happen.

What ideas are you sitting on that could transform our world and make a difference to peoples lives?

Common ....... Imagine!

Fresh leaves anyone?

Adam to Eve , "I didn't know that silk worms ate Fig leaves." So Adam needs a new Fig leaf? But don't we all at some stage need a fresh start?

God in his infinate wisdom knew this and set in motion the laws of the Universe that give us the opportunity to see this miracle of "New things."

Every day we wake up to a new day. Our calendars guide us through new weeks, new months and then new years. Each of these bring with them the opportunity to experience the grace of God with "starting over". Some lament the passing years as they grow older, but I am learning that with age comes wisdom, courage and inner strength.

Lamentations 3: 22-23 tell us that the mercies of God are new every morning. When we have sinned / failed / or even been hurt, the opportunities to experience God's forgiveness, grace and compassion are given to us fresh every day. Wow, God is amazing!

Cold Turkey!

The Christmas Turkey is barely cold when out come the "Back to school" promotions and every child in the country goes Aaaarrrrgh!

The event we've been so looking forward to gets eaten up in a bevy of heavy meals. We try desperately to hang onto "holiday fever" by partying up a storm at New Year and then what?

Back to reality, life goes on and another year has started. Then before you bat your eyes out January flies by and we lament that life is just flying by all to quickly.

This was the theme of a great movie called "Click". We end up spending our lives wishing away time till the next big event.

Well then, I suppose my New Years resolution is going to be to be present every day. To learn from the bad times and enjoy life's beautiful moments as they come.

Will you join me?

He's amazing..... daily

Yesterday I woke up with an excitement, expecting something good to happen. The whole day I waited with eager anticipation, for what I thought would be some amazing event.

Strangely, nothing out of the ordinary occured and I felt quite dissapointed as I made the drive home.

Then I realised that I had woken up to a beautiful day. Due to the school holidays the roads were clear and I could get to work comfortably. I have a job, and although it's not the dream job of a lifetime, it is providing for my needs and I have money to buy food. I can go home to two beautiful cats that adore me and sleep in a safe, warm bed.

Not sure about you, but I reckon that is something to not only be grateful for but to be celebrated as God's true goodness. I truly do hope that one day God would do a miracle through me and enable me to be a blessing to others as I know we live in a world with desperate needs.

Let's not take God's daily grace for granted. Let's celebrate each day!

Is your PC bugged?

Computer software is vital to the smooth operations of an organisation. Large companies can spend millions on software licencing, implimentation and more importantly protection.

Virus protection is vital, yet even with it, hackers can still get through these measures and cause millions in damage. There are many types of viruses but essentially they corrupt and destroy data.

That's what the Devil does. He hacks into our minds and corrupts and destoys neuro data and corrupts the way we think which ultimately leads to negative or bad behaviour.

Let's take annorexia as an example. A perfectly healthy person, can be driven to starvation through an incorrect belief that they are fat. These thoughts have been fed to them as thought bombs which corrupt the way the person sees themselves and causes them to believe the lie and act out by starving themselves.

Dealing with our corrupted data files takes hard work. The same way computer files need to be rebuilt our minds need to be renewed. Romans 12 tells us that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How do we achieve this?

We need to constantly feed our minds with the word of God, so that his word can rebuild our damaged neuro path ways and thereby rebuild our thought processes to be aligned to his word. Along with this comes the work of the Holy Spirit as he heals our emotions. The word and the Spirit working together lead to a restored and whole life.

Winding through the storm

I've been told by my mother that my Great Grandmother, "Ouma Louw", loved to fly. I think I've inherited that joy. I've flown the flight too and from Kimberly many times now and it's usually quite routine. Ascend to cruising altitude, switch to auto pilot and cruise all the way there. Very often we'll encounter clouds along the way and the ride will get a little bumpy.

This time it was altogether different. The flight to Kimberly was unique. It seemed to be all routine, until the captain announced that there were some storm clouds ahead and he was going to have to try and fly around them. And boy, did he do that. With great care he lowered altitude and swayed left and right as he dived past the storm clouds.

I wish I could have been in that cockpit. I would have loved to see the whole process in action, and I had a thousand questions. Like, "Why dive below the clouds when you could soar above them?"

My stepfather was of great use when he explained that the Doplar radar systems on board the flight contols helped the pilots to plot out the route with the least turbulance and air resistance.

I think the work of the Holy Spirit is much like that. He sees things that to us with naked vision are impossible to see. When he guides us at times it seems as if he is going the wrong way, as he navigates us below the storm where we are sure to encounter rain and wind. You see Jesus never promised us that we will not go through storms, but that he would be with us and get us to the other side.

We truly need to obey the directions of the Holy Spirit and trust that he is guiding us through the storm safely!

A swallow miracle!

I've just witnessed a modern miracle of nature. An old De Beers diamond mine that is currently being re-mined, has some time in the last 20 years become a natural bird sactuary.

Official mechanical mining of the diamond pipe ended in 1990. Some how since then a marsh has formed and thus the bird sanctuary developed. More importantly it has become the Southern Hemisphere home to millions of European swallows. Millions you say? I mean ...... MILLIONS!

Never before have I experienced something like the sight of thousands of swallows swarming in over your head at the same time. The entire spectacle lasted about an hour and then just as fast as it started, swooosh they dove into the reeds and were gone!

So what can I add to this? NOTHING! There just is no way I can top being witness to the amazing power of nature to heal itself! Our God created an amazing planet that is capable of healing itself if given the chance. Our God is Great!

The miracle of birth

Most mothers say that the pain of giving birth is absolutely terrible, but the moment you get to hold your baby in your arms, you just forget the pain. This is the miracle of child birth.

Perhaps it's because for 9 months you've carried this little one inside you, developing a bond and growing to love them. So the moment you get to meet your little one, it's a moment of joy fulfilled.

Our visions can be like that some times. It seems for months or even years we toil at building them, then one day the fulfilment comes and all the pain, toil and labour finally pay off!

Don't stop plugging away at your dreams because God is walking with you, helping build them. You will see the fulfilment and experience the joy they bring. :-)

Meat gates, our internal boundaries

When we are born we are born with our basic "Operating System" that guides our basic body functions at that time. As we grow our brain is trained in movement, speech and thought as we develop. Through repetition our brain builds neuro pathways that form the foundation of our memories.

Various factors develop our emotions through experience in the home and our environment. When we go through a bad experience the first time, it will hurt tremendously, because deep down inside we know this goes against the grain of who we are. Then over time if the negative situation persists out of our control, we will develop coping mechanisms to enable us to survive.

Example, a women get's beaten. The first time she swears it will never happen again, but because the purpotrator "pleads" for forgiveness, she allows him back into her life and thus the cycle of abuse begins. Eventually she may even tell herself that he does it because he loves her.

So how do we break the cycle of sin? I've never been to Botswana, but my mother has. There they have what they call "meat gates". These are internal borders accross which you may not transport fresh meat.

What I'm suggesting is that we need to have "sin gates". Our own boundaries which we use to control negative behaviour or sin. Trick is..... You will need more than one, because we can and will always find a way to justify sin. So that doesn't mean the thought or desire won't come, but that we will have a process to control the outcome.

So for example if you had a shop lifting prolem and it started in one store, then the rule could be not to go to that store any more. If the problem persisted then tougher measures may be needed.

No one can tell you what your gates must be. In order for them to be effective, you need to choose them. So maybe it's time to build some gates.

It doesn't work the way it should

If a welding machine breaks, electricians will open the box and test the various parts of the equipment to find the fault and replace the faulty parts. They don't look at the machine and say, "you're not functioning the way you should, so we'll turn you into a hammer".

That would be rediculous because the welding machine is not designed to work as a hammer. So why do we do that in so many areas of our lives? It could happen financially, relationally, sexually, or even in our career choices. When we try to put ourselves into a box it leads to mistakes and sin, like trying to live up to the Jones'.

Why do we try to change ourselves into something we are not? I believe it's because Satan is a master artist at deception. He fills our head with lies, then when circumstances seem to suggest something similar he quickly nugges us and says, "I told you so", and we believe him.

The devil will consistently re-inforce his lies, until we are caught up in sin. Unfortunately the human brain can be programmed and re-programmed to respond a certain way and that is why brain washing is so successful.

There is hope.... I believe by understanding the brain washing process we can take contol of the situation and stop ourselves from sinning. In my next blogg I will share on this.

For the time being..... Why don't you ask God to help you see in what area of your life you may be struggling in and in need of re-progamming.

What's he prowling for....?

We can all see the picture. Kitty leaves the house ready to start his night time prowl. Cat's being the creatures of habit that they are, there's a pre-set route. Along the way he has made it a habit to endear himself to few neighbors who have no idea that they are just a means to an end.....

The end?...... Well cat's have two things in mind.... Survival and comfort! So from a survival standpoint you see it makes perfect sense to have several supplimentary feeding stations.

I think we need to learn similar tricks with the word of God. I think we starve ourselves of the joy of regularly 'consuming' the word of God. Going back to some discussions from earlier bloggs, we need to make it as easy possible to get our daily dose of the word.

Then for comfort, cat's just find that it helps to have a number of places they can go for shelter and a tickle if they feel the need for love. Most owners are away during the day so it helps to have a place to go for attention.

It can be so hard for us to experience God's love on a daily basis, because God can't wrap his arms around us. That's where the ministry of the Holy Spirit comes in. He not only brings the word to life in us, he becomes our comforter in times of need.

Re-united!

The joy! I found it! I found my precious ring. Somehow in the change of routine with the roads being quieter and leaving later, I somehow forgot to put it on.

Oh but it just can't compare to the overwhelming joy that Father God must feel when his lost children return to him. We all know the story of the prodigal child returning to his father.

He expected to come back and beg for forgiveness, but before he even got home the father saw him coming and ran out to meet him, throwing aside all dignity in the process.

He bestowed on his son a robe, shoes and a ring. All symbols of belonging, family and authority. God too will waste no time in restoring you to your God given place of family and authority, if you open up your heart allow him to work in your life.

Did you ask God to take you back into his family? If not, he's still waiting for you... Longing to restore you too!

His most precious posession!

I lost my most precious posession today and I have no idea if I will ever find it again. A ring valuable not because of it's gem or metallic value, but valuable because of the precious family connection. Part from my late father, my mother and my sister.

As my heart has broken today over this loss which is mostly sentimental, my thoughts turn to how the heart of God must break when we choose to walk away from our relationship with him.

The problem is, I imagine that we just cannot comprehend the value that God places on each and every one of us. His heart yearns to be in close relationship to each of us. When we walk away from him, the pain is unimaginable as he sees the timeless price his precious Son paid as he hung on the cross.

I know I will never stop searching for my ring. I know God will never stop searching or yearning for the hearts that he has lost. If you've walked away from God, PLEASE won't you consider praying this prayer and allow God back into your life....

Dear Father God, forgive me of my sin. Precious Lord Jesus, I receive you as my Lord and Saviour once again. Sweet Holy Spirit, guide my heart to learn to walk in relationship with God again. Amen!

Highveld thunderstorms

The beauty of the Highveld thunderstorms. For the most part they thunder down rain and as in today's case even hail and then moments later the sun is out and you can go for a strole and breath in the freshly washed air.

But then there are the other storms that set in and just hang around. Both can cause havoc in their own way, but at least with the thunderstorms you can get it over and done with.

Life's like that some times. Some trials are quick and although they can cause damage, they are over with quickly. Other times trials hang around for ages and you just wish they would go away.

I suppose it helps to remember that storms bring much needed rain, which we cry out for in the parched winter months. There are lessons to be learnt from the storms of life, which can become the food/fertiliser for future growth.

My porcelain mug

I was reminded again today about the fragility of human life. In a frightening instant it is taken away. Hearing of someone loosing a young child this time of the year is especially difficult and my heart goes out to the family. Yet how is it that day to day we wake up and go about our business not remembering the fragility of life until it hits us in the face.

I love coffee and collecting coffee mugs is my special fettish. I have MANY.  My one favourite set is a set of hand crafted wild life mugs, they really are my kind of beautiful. Then there are my special travel mugs that I collect on my travels as well as from friends travels, they are indeed special.  Recently though my eye was drawn to a mug I hadn't used but had received for one of my birthdays, I had a look at the bottom and the label at the bottom said bone china..... wow, not only rare but very fine in design.  Indeed if you tap a teaspoon against it you can hear the difference between the bone china and the normal pottery mugs you get for everyday use.

Our lives are like that.... precious bone china. Unique, fine, beautiful yet useful and functional and especially crafted by God for a unique purpose. If you haven't done so in a while, thank God today for the life you have right now.

Take the time to remember those who may be grieving this time of year and if you can give them some special love!

Life guide

Recently I had an amusing situation with my cell phone. Somehow I had managed to turn my phone onto flight mode without noticing it. The anguish........ In a week when not much had gone right already, I thought life was conspiring against me. That in mind my thoughts turned to say, "Lord, what are you trying to teach me today?"

Many ideas crossed my mind as to what God was possibly trying to teach me. Until in a moment of frustration I eventually started checking the settings on my phone, only to discover that they had all been mixed up some how. A few minutes of fiddling and BINGO! I was back on line.

All the while, the flight mode symbol had been on and I realized that I just had just not payed attention when reading the manual. Sometimes life teaches us that what we had expected to learn isn't what God intended and that the purpose is far simpler.

We need to learn to pay attention to the instruction manual. I hear you say that there is no manual for life..... I beg to differ. God's word is our guide and we need to hear what the word has to say about our specific situation.

So take some time to look at your life guide!

Guess who's come to visit?

Some days it feels like Satan himself has rocked up and knocked on your door to say Hello. It feels like nothing is going to go right. So how do you boot the devil out the door and get back to some form of normality when that happens?

I definitely feel that seeking solice by getting away from the agitation and just taking a few minutes to go for a walk and get some fresh air can really help to calm things down. Sometimes you just need to be by yourself to get back to yourself..... If you know what I mean.

I wish I could say that everything will be a walk in the park, or that the situation will automatically change, but I do know that things will definitely calm down and that you will be able to function more productively. Certain things do become clearer and the day should become easier to work through.

So hang in there through the rough moments, because things will perk up!

Surrender to the eyes of love

There is something about the look in a persons eyes before a passionate embrace, that softens the heart and causes us to surrender to the love they offer us.

It is no different in worship, for we must first behold the glory of God before our hearts are willing to surrender in worship to him.

Hebrews 4 tells us that we have the right, by the blood of Jesus, to enter the throne of Grace. I want to encourage you to draw near to God at this time of year when our lives can so easily be over run by food and festivities.

Remember as you draw close to God he is infinantly more in love with you than you can ever understand.

The meaning of L.I.F.E.

When asked recently about about the meaning of life, the words "Living Influentially Fruitfully Enthusiastically" came to mind.

Living influentially means nothing if the motive for your influence are harmful. Adolf Hitler influenced millions to kill innocent Jews and nothing good came from that. Yet Abraham Lincoln led a nation to greatness through his influence to equality of all citizens.

Living fruitfully speaks to making an impact in this world that is positive and lasting. Mother Theresa owned nothing, yet has influenced millions to live a life of compassion.

Living enthusiastically speaks of living with no holds barred, grabbing every opportunity and making the most of it.

Are you going to live life..... Or let life live you?

What's the box for?

Boxes come in all shapes and sizes but they are used to package things so that they can be moved, or stored. For the most part you can never see what's inside, so it begs the question...... Why do we put ourselves in boxes?

I think it's because society is so threatend by anything different that people put us into boxes so that they can try and control us. If you are boxed then they can feel safe that you won't go anywhere, you won't achieve anything or you can't impact anyone because you won't be able to reach out.

I think we need to break out of the box before they get the tape on...... Break free, make your mark, stand out be different and make the impact that God has designed for only you to make.

Please quit..... NOT!

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of an obstinant individual. Any time someone tells me to quit, that just puts fuel in my fire! Truth is, there's a time to fight or stand your ground and a time to back down. So how do you tell the difference?

Well I think the easiest to identify is when you know for sure that you have a word from God. It goes back to trusting those co-ordinants that God has given you. Just because the wind blows, doesn't mean the plane should change direction. Nope, if necessary the pilot would have to disengage the auto-pilot and fly manually until the flight is back on course.

I would say that a good time to back down though would be if you have caused such damage to a situation that staying on that course of action would mean certain destruction. At that point retreat would be the best option to allow the situation to calm down. Most likely once things have cooled down and you've had time to think, you'll be able to figure out a wiser course of action.

don't be to quick to quit..... Think it through before you decide on an action.

Visions die and rise again

Flowers are beautiful and their magnificent colours can brighten a room and bring life to a garden. Many flowers though have to die completely in winter to re-seed before they can spring up again in spring to once again bear flowers.

Very often our visions can be like that. They grow and bring forth evidence of life, then sometimes to us, without understanding why, they die.

This is when most of us give up on our dreams, which is very much like raking out all the seeds from the ground. What we need to learn to do, is to allow the winter season to do it's work and just keep the ground in good condition. Then when our spiritual spring comes, the seed will grow again and bear flowers.

Never give up on your dreams. They are precious to God and worth looking after.

It's Terminal

Some where along life's journey we are bound to be confronted with the reality of dealing with terminal disease.  At these times most people check out of life immediately and just go through the motions until they slip away.

It is my belief that God desires us to live out every moment we can with enthusiasm. It doesn't mean denying the pain, but it does mean making the most of the good moments and enjoying them to the fullest.

Some people may not be faced with a terminal illness but a condition caused by accident or genetics that leaves them bed ridden for either hours, days or even a lifetime. Yes we must believe God for healing and continue to pray for a miracle at every opportunity, but acceptance and making the most of every situation is vital to fulfilling God's plan for your life. 

A life time to know him

One of my bible school lecturers once said that he believed that our time on earth is mearly a training school for heaven and that we are placed here to spend our lives learning to worship God.

I agree. As the years for me race towards heading for 40 I've learned that every day is a new walk with God. There is seldom a time when God doesn't surprise me.  Walking with him is a daily growth path and it never ends.  It is little wonder to me that Paul at the end of his life writes, that he still desires to know him, in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. Paul had reached the understanding that the learning never ends.

In Corinthians we read that when we are in heaven we will know him fully, even as we are fully known. I long to know Christ more each day and know that only in God's presence in heaven will the true splendour of his Glory be revealed.

Echoes of her voice

Eva Cassidy was a young American women who died at the tender age of 33 from cancer. She was a singer who's voice silenced rooms and left people awe struck, yet she died in total obscurity.

Several years later her music was released posthumosly and various songs went to number 1 on pop music charts around the world. The echos of her voice can now only be heard in these few amateur recordings left behind.

What speaks to me is that the eternality of the human spirit and soul can be captured in works of art we leave behind. We often hold back from sharing ourselves with the world and we miss the opportunity to leave behind precious gifts.

God has given each of us unique gifts. We must never hold back from using them and sharing them with others. So what if we don't become wealthy from our labours in our life time, what matters is that we give these gifts to God to use as he wills.

In memory of Eva Cassidy.

So where did you put that shovel?

Archiologists study for many years to learn about history. They will spend much time researching an area before they will commence an excavation.

The interesting part for me is that they will also train to learn how to correctly process dirt..... process dirt? Yes, you can't just bull doze through a dig site and expect to preserve priceless treasures in tact.

Isn't it strange though..... that's how we approach the word of God. We pick at the bible like a worthless mound of dirt and expect to find God's treasures. We need to learn to patiently and carefully work our way through God's word so that when we find something that seems to be taking shape into something valuable, we can extract it correctly.

Well very few of us will actually attend a Bible College or similar institution, so what do you do? Thankfully the Bible is not only the most published book in the world, it is the most written about book as well. There are many study guides that you can read to help you interpret the word as well as millions of books that take topical themes and elaborate on them.

Take some time to do a little digging for yourself...... !

20/20 Vision

Why is it that it is always hind sight that is 20/20? We all have regrets about the decisions we have made somewhere along this journey of life. Decisions that have left us dealing with the very painful consequences of our mistakes.

I suspect it has something to do with our stubbornness to allow God full control of our decisions. We tend to forget and ignore the lessons of the past. We may be confronted by an issue in our lives. The lesson was taught and learnt, but because the consequences were not severe enough, we are able to evade dissaster..... and we go and do it again.

Then finally the moment arrives when there is no further escape from the problem and no matter how hard you try, you are just not going to wiggle your way out of this one.

The moment of truth arrives and we start to deal with the issue at hand. It is when we finally face the truth and repent that God is able to start the rehabilitation process.

He starts first by guiding us through repentance. Then he begins to provide for us, just enough to help us but not enough loose our dependancy on him. Then more and more he loosens the reigns. Through this time he showers us with his grace and reminds us of who our source is.

Till eventually, we are able to stand strong again, bit this time the wiser and more willing to obey.

Tranquility zone

In our desperately hectic lives, we all need to find a way to quiet our hearts so that we can put ourselves in a position to hear from God. This is difficult to do when we are racing about our daily business.

In order to achieve quiet we all need to find a place that brings us to a state of tranquility. There are so many ways to achieve this; a visit to a park, the Zoo, getting out into nature, maybe even floating in a quiet swimming pool. Some find solice in a beautiful Chapel or Church.

Where ever your "happy place" may be, try to go there often, even if it is only for a few minutes. As you rest there and find inner tranquility you will learn the comfort of the Holy Spirit and as he speaks to you, your soul will find peace and joy. You will receive the strength you need to carry on......

If it is possible, try to photograph this place so that you will have a constant reminder of the place. This will help at times when you are stressed and unable to go there immediately. Stop and remember the feelings you had there. Memories of happiness can be very powerful in helping us deal with daily stress.

We have lift off!

I love flying and my favourite part is that moment of lift off. And the bigger the plane, the bigger that drop in the pit of your stomach.

Fasinating though is that although considerable force is being used to barrel the plane down the runway to build up speed, it is the air that literally sucks the plane up as that crucial speed is reached.... And off you go.

Interesting too is that the bigger the plane, the higher the speed required to attain the lift off velocity.

Most of us have dreams, but we are kind of waiting around for God to make it happen. If we want our dreams to take flight we are going to have to get moving..... And fast at that too. God can only make our dreams come true once we hit that crucial speed.

So... Up you get.... Get moving.... Your dreams are waiting to take flight!

Foxterrier grip

When I was growing up we had a little Foxterrier. She was a cute hyperactive pup named Pammie. One of her favourite games was to gab hold of a towel and pull. (Ok, this part is going to sound nasty but hear me out). She had such a strong grip on that towel that we could literally lift her off the floor and swing her around and she wouldn't let go.

I've spoken before about trusting God's co-ordinates in life to stick it out on the long haul....but we also need tenacity. Making our dreams come true is going to require some real guts and determination. Life doesn't just hand our dreams to us on a silver platter.

When you have a dream, it is worth fighting for. You will need to constantly remind yourself of that dream and keep focused on that. If you do your part, God will honour your faithfullness and grant you the desires of your heart.

Cooking on the back burner

Have you ever made a decision you've regretted afterwards?  I know I have.  One thing I've definitely noticed is that making decisions when you are stressed is a really bad idea.I'm not talking about having the ability to make quick decisions in a crisis situation, but more making decisions when you are so stressed you are actually not thinking clearly.

Some times we are trying to resolve a major problem but we just can't see straight. It's at these times that we sometimes make rash decisions that can cost us dearly in life. You need to be able to assess the urgency of the matter, and even though it may be inconvenient, if you can.... delay the decision.  A little trick I've learnt is learning to put things on the "Back burner".  The reason I do that is because the human brain is a very powerful organ, but we don't always allow it to solve problems for us the way it can.

When it comes to some decisions, our brain needs time to look at all the options available to us before it can correctly calculate the right option. Sometimes this takes time, but if we are patient we will come to the right decision and we will have a peace about it. 

We need to let God's peace rule our hearts and help guide us to the right choices in life. When we allow God's spirit to work with our brain we will come to the best decisions in life. Next time you have a major decision, give yourself some time to mull it through and you'll see you will make much better choices.

That slippery little sucker

SO - The weapons of our warfare aren't carnal! Ha - tell that to my food! You know all those movies where the Oyster goes flying accross the room? I always laugh nervously..... Coz that's me (blush).

My most recent battle was with a pickle (common people where was the tooth pic when I needed one?) So what does this have to do with our faith. Well there are times when we are just clumsy and we think we have our eye on the ball but we don't and ....whoooosh, before we know it something happens in our lives and we realize... We just took our eyes off our faith. And in that moment the simplicity of what we should have done smacks us in the face.

Well then there's the rest of the utensils... Sorry but I just don't see the point... Never did.... I can do most things with my fork. We all have perceptions of what Etiquette is.... In India it's perfectly normal to eat your entire meal with your hands and the Chinese use chop sticks.

The utensils are all just a means to get the job of eating done. They do however have different uses. There are definitely tools that we can use to build our faith. You need to find which tools help you to grow spiritually the best and then get comfortable with that.

So while I go and make peace with my fork, why don't you take a moment to ask God to help you find which tools to use to grow your faith :-)

Commit - make the connection

I'm definitely no electrician, but I do remember the basics of electronics we learnt in primary school. To build an electic circuit, you need: a power source, conductive wire, the appliance and a switch.

Many of us recognize God as our power source. So why the negative terminal? Romans 8 tells us that he works all things for the good of those who love the Lord and walk according to his purposes. So he takes all our bad experiences and tranforms them by his spirit to bring something positive out of the situation.

We are the conductive wire. The vessels God uses in the earth to fulfill his plans. We have to be connected to the power source for his power to flow through us.

The appliance is the object or desire for which we are standing in faith. We put all our energy into making this appliance work. We have the power source, the conductive wire, but why won't this appliance work..... The switch is missing.

When the switch is in the off position, the conductive wire has been seperated thus stopping the flow of electricity. When the swith is in the on position, all the conductive wires are connected and power can flow through the circuit making the appliance work.

So what's the switch? Commitment! Many of us wonder why things don't work in our lives. We simply haven't made the commitment to the process to allow God's power to flow. We can only have a break through once we are committed!

Letting Go

We've all heard the expression, let go and let God. But why is it so hard to do? It I hard because letting go means letting go of control and surrendering to the will of another.

There are two types of surrender. The first is through violence where our physical lives may be in danger and we are forced to do things against our will. This violates our sense of value and can cause deep pain that can take many years to heal. Less violent but equally painful could just be being forced to do something that don't feel like doing but are obliged to do.

The second type of surrender is the kind we experience when we surrender to love and passion. This type requires trust.

We may feel at times as though God is violating our will by forcing us to do something we think we don't want, or we may not yet have come to a place where we completely trust him.

We must remember that God created us and that he loved us enough to give us his Son. He will never bring us to harm. He loves us more than we could ever understand.

Trust God with your hopes and dreams and let go of control and let his Holy Spirit guide you. You'll find treasures you never imagined possible.