Twas the year.......

I remember so clearly sitting last year this time wondering what 2013 would hold in store for me personally but also for the world at large. What I can say for sure is that it truly was a momentous year of celebrating milestones and rejoicing in new beginnings.

This year I celebrated my 40^th birthday and 20 years in Gauteng. What were the new beginnings? A new department and new line of work. New opportunities to expand income streams. New book and the opportunities that brings. New coffee machine (tee hee). New friendships for which I am grateful!

For all of these new beginnings I can rejoice in God's goodness and grace and thank Him for the wonderful work that He has done. Truth be told, regardless of these wonderful changes, none of these have yet born fruit of which to boast. At best they helped me turn the corner and ensure that my life is now heading in a new direction. That is pretty much how life and aspects of change work. We first have to turn the corner before we can engage the path that lies ahead of us.

As a nation we said a sad farewell to our former State President at age 95. What other notable events took place this year? A super typhoon ravaged the Philippines. The US government shut its doors for several days. Terrorists attacked a Kenyan mall. Microsoft bought Nokia (how come I missed that one?). Scientists successfully cloned human stem cells. A Bangladesh factory collapsed. Boston Marathon bombings. Margaret Thatcher died at 87. Meteorites injured hundreds in Russia. Pope Benedict XVI resigned.

Not so peachy, but most of these events had us glued to our TV screens during the year. Moments of triumph and moments of failure come to us all and when we are ready, God births a great work within each of us. The great works do not last for a moment but rather last through a lifetime.

Have you discovered God's plan for your 2014 yet? Maybe you need to change direction. If so realize that this kind of change can take an entire year to effect. Maybe you need to build on what God has done in a prior year. Commit to that work and stay focused in God. Maybe you just need to recover from a moment of devastation. Know that God will work with you to heal and restore that which was damaged.

As we give thanks and celebrate the year that was, give thanks to God for His goodness and know that 2014 will bring with it unique and wonderful blessings and joys.

God bless and Happy New Year!

Christmas 2013

In a world filled with tragedy and despair we hold the hope of mankind in our hands this Christmas! Let us be that hope to all we encounter this Christmas and share God's love in every way we possibly can.

When Christmas trees and Christmas songs
Raise the hope that Christ has come
Let God's blessings arise
And bring surprise
That God is great
And never late

Our dreams He sees
And supplies our needs
But more than that
He blesses that within our hearts
Now let Christ's birth song
Move us along
To be God's blessing in the world

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Drama drama drama

With the holiday now well under way I was looking forward to a relaxed bus trip to Durban. Alas, the smooth morning I had planned went horribly wrong.  Sandton station parking garage was full so I had no choice but to do an emergency parking at Nelson Mandela Square.  I ran to the station and as I arrived at the platform to get onto the Gautrain I could not get onto the train that was there as it was completely over crowded.

An agonizing 20 odd minutes later I caught the next train and made it to Park Station with only 15 minutes to spare and I still had to get my ticket.  Thankfully the Greyhound is always a few minutes late and I boarded safely and we were on our way to Durban.

Sadly leaving Joburg we passed by a horrific car crash and I honestly think that no on could have survived that crash.  Year after year our festive season is marred by the news of hundreds and often over a thousand people who loose their lives due to motor car accidents.  It baffles me that the transport services in South Africa as simply not able to keep pace with demand.

That being said what are the two biggest killers on our roads?  Speed and alcohol!  Why is it that we always have to rush our trips?  I think it is due to a lack of planning.  I did it myself today, I failed to plan for the unexpected.

That happens in our spiritual lives too.  We are ambling along nicely when out of the blue we crash into problems.  The amazing thing about these trials is that they happen in multiples.  The book of James is such a great guide in times like these as it trains us to look at our problems with different eyes. James teaches us to know that trials test our faith and build character.

So as I've settled in for the long ride to Durban, join me in settling to the fact that trials are a part of life and as we do that we are able to learn and grow from them more quickly.

Lessons from Tomatoes

The one thing I love about gardening is that you can try things over and over again until you get it right. Last year my Tomato patch collapsed the fence it was growing against because I had too many plants in one patch. This year I have thinned things out and added some poles for them to grow against, but admittedly the poles were an after-thought and although they are holding for now, I think chances are that they could collapse if faced with a really rough storm.

The thought crossed my mind today that if I fail with this batch again, I think I will have found the perfect plan. Plant the poles first and make sure they are stable, then align the plants accordingly and train them to grow up the poles.

Growing in our relationship with God is much the same. In the beginning we throw everything into our efforts to connect with God and get to know Him, but we find we are left with a bit of a mangled mess. Some aspects of our faith walk become strong and grow but our support structure isn't strong enough so our efforts fail.

As we grow we learn, then as we learn we implement our successes and would you know it, after some tries we eventually find that our faith walk is far more comfortable and we are able to remain steadfast in our belief in God.

If you have suffered recent failure in your relationship with God and wondering if is worth trying again, please do! God's grace is rich towards us and when we allow Him too He will send His Holy Spirit to hold us and comfort us and give us strength to try again!

A place to lie

The time of year arrived once again for me to make up the guest bed downstairs for when those hot summer nights kick in. The last two nights haven't been too bad so I was able to crash back in my bed and boy what a difference. You only appreciate a good mattress when you have to endure something a little less than perfect.

This realization and reminder fills my heart with gratitude as I know there are probably billions of people in the world who live in abject poverty. I have such a strong longing to see that changed and I pray that one day I will be able to help others to change their lives for the better and meet those basic needs.

I know that Mary's mind must have longed for home the very moment she felt those labour pains begin. Though her circumstances were dire scripture makes no record of her ever complaining. I believe it is because of her heart attitude. From the moment the Angel Gabriel first announced her fate and that she would conceive a child, we hear only one statement, “Let it be unto me according to thy will.”

Mary's acceptance of her destiny gave her the strength to bare whatever circumstances were thrown at her, for she knew that she was walking in the perfect will of God and that nothing would happen to her from that moment on that was outside of God's will for her life.

Whatever test, trial, hardship or pain you may be facing right now, give thanks to God for His goodness and believe in your heart that you are in the perfect will of God and that your current situation is temporary. In the same way the Angels came down from Heaven to sing and praise God for the birth of His Son, God's glory will surely shine on you too!

Day breaks call

As evening fell on Saturday a violent storm erupted. It was short but devastating and the effects can still be seen. It was almost as if our highveld sky was angry at the departure of our much loved former president as he made the final leg of his journey back to Qunu for his burial service on Sunday. As the media has said it was the end of a very long walk to freedom.

Although I did not watch the full ceremony I admit that I was choked up as the motorcade made their way and his coffin was carried to his final resting place. BUT as sure as the day breaks each morning this world of ours will keep turning and we have to ask ourselves what our own legacies will be on this world? Are we going to do what we can to make it a better place?

Jesus disciples knew that once the great commission had been sounded that their every day would be consumed by their passion for His message and what it meant for all mankind. As the time approaches for us to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus can we awake to the call to make an impact on our world today?

My name is Bond

My name is Bond, Kitty Bond! And I'm licensed to squirt you with my water gun! Lol! Both my neighbours have cute little kitty munch-kins and while I adore them both, I don't want them coming into my yard or house and disrupting my little cat family. I thus decided that a water gun might be a good deterrent and I'm giving it a try.

A strange thing happens to us once we've lost an immediate family member. Any time you hear of someone who has passed that has had some sort of impact on your life, the sting of your own personal loss definitely hurts once again, even if just for a short while.

With all the sadness our country has experienced this past week I felt I needed a light hearted moment of reflection. One thing I do remember from the months after my father died was that amidst all the moments of crying there was a passion ignited in me to live life to the full, with every moment and every breath that I could.

My prayer for our country is that the sting of our loss will awaken in us a passion to fight for our country! For justice, for peace, for security and safety and an end to corruption.

Techno basics

Show me a new computer system and my eyes twinkle. That's what our team did today, we saw a presentation about how to take some of our procurement processes and automate them. Joy and happiness! Anything that is going to make my life easier is a welcome addition.

Strangely in our computer driven age, the good old art of typing is no longer taught. I find this odd especially seeing as the computer key board is a typewriter adaptation. So why do we not teach the typing skills necessary to make operating these devices so much simpler?

I think it is because we put the cart before the horse. We forget that building good knowledge foundations allows us to build platforms upon which to create the technology we need to function more efficiently. I wonder if the same could be said about our faith?

I think it is as much a spiritual problem today as our technical development is. We want to be spiritual giants and achieve great things for God, but most selfishly of all we want spiritual greatness for our own benefit. We forget that Revelation can only come from deep commitment to reading God's word and growing in our knowledge of the basic things like prayer, fellowship and communion with God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God!

Simply put, the just shall live by faith!

A speech worth remembering

I'm pretty sure that as the thousands of people who braved the cold, wet and miserable conditions in the FNB stadium rose to applaud, celebrate and remember the life of a remarkable man, Nelson Mandela, so too the grandstands in heaven must have risen to join them.

I know that throughout the world today, many tuned in to their television stations to watch the speech delivered by The United States of America President, Mr Barak Obama. With great eloquence he spoke of the characteristics that made Mandela a much loved hero the world over.

If there is one skill that has marked some of the greatest leaders in history it would be their great oratory skill. Lincoln's Gettysburg address, Churchill's “we'll fight them on the beaches”, Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speeches have all been recorded and remembered.

Jesus was one of the greatest orator's of His time. Today we scoff at a crowd of 5000 but caste your mind back 2000 years ago and remember the era as it was. Drawing a crowd of 5000 at that time was a remarkable feat. How did they all even hear a word He said? Well as creator of our world He knew that wood and water both carry and amplify sound. Does the small boat on the water make more sense now?

BUT of all the words ever spoken, no sentence has radically changed more lives than the simple words Jesus spoke on the cross before He died, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As Christians we stand in right relationship with God only because of those words.

Words do have power! Choose to use them wisely!

Transformed!

Hearing about all the international presidents, past and present, as well as all the celebrities who are flying into our country to come and attend either the memorial service of burial service of our former State President, Mr Nelson Mandela, is truly touching and remarkable. They stand as a testament to the impact this one man has made on our planet earth.

When we ask ourselves what it took to achieve this, one word stand out: Transformation!

How different the result would have been if Mandela had held onto the bitterness, hatred and anger that he surely must have felt at some time during his many years of incarceration at Robin Island. I know for sure that he would have had to dig deep, very deep, to find it in his heart to forgive those who had treated him unjustly.

He did however succeed and because of that, we as South Africans enjoy the full freedom to live out our lives as we choose, not bound by any laws that could limit any good action.

Jesus lived a life that was honourable to God in every way and yet he died as a criminal. Jesus could easily have chosen the path of hatred and anger, but He chose to submit His will to the will of His Father and submitted Himself to death. He rose on the third day as a triumphant, victorious King and the transformation He underwent paved the path for our eternal victory over death. Though our bodies wilt, our spirits are strong and we will live in the fullness of God's victory over death.

Oh death, where is your sting, for our spirits are renewed in Christ and we will reign with Him, forevermore!

A Great South African

The announcement on the 5th of December of the death of our country's first African President, his honourable Mr. Nelson Mandela, has left a gap in the hearts of many South Africans.

The sacrifice and dedication of this man who gave his life for the fight for the equality of all South Africans both black, white, coloured and indian has made a mark on not only our country but the world over.

Though we will miss his physical presence amongst us we have a legacy of wisdom, forgiveness and compassion that he has left with us.

We can give thanks to God for the wonderful gift which He bestowed on us when He gave us a leader willing to serve his nation, even if that service would have led to death.

In loving memory of Nelson Mandela!

Family First

My cousin Nicholas' wedding to Jonette on Friday was an awesome family event.  With the weather being a bit colder than expected the warmth of family love truly did shine through.

Jonette's family are a really bubbly bunch and they brought to the wedding their own unique boer flavour with fun activities that brought laughter to us all.

One thing that was evident to all, this young couple have got many fun loving and exciting years ahead of them.

God's love brings with it the hope of joy, grace, peace and kindness and when we learn to walk in His love our joy is made full!

Congratulations Nick and Jonette!

Rushing for a reason

After an all day power outage I sadly had to throw away a lot of good food. The time wasted on this was frustraiting knowing that tomorrow night will be busy and I needed to get as much done as possible.

Tomorrow night I will need to pack to prepare to go to Pretoria on Thursday evening with my mom and sister, who will both be arriving by bus on Thursday afternoon. What's the occasion? My cousin will be getting married on Friday evening, so we are all looking forward to a wonderful wedding celebration and time spent with family.

So to Nicholas and Jonette, it is only two more sleeps......enjoy these last few moments of singleness because you are about to embark on a lifetime of togetherness! We rejoice that God has brought you together and cannot wait to see what wonderful things lie ahead!

Flying to the light

This weekend I heard much wild chirping and saw Honey peering up at the patio ceiling making his little ma-a-a-a-ah noises, which usually accompanies the sighting of prey. I grabbed him and turned around to see a young bird clinging to the bricks and fluttering around in terror.

Stressed out myself, I called on my neighbour to assist me with the drama while putting Honey back in the house. She very wisely told me that the young bird would fly towards the light and that we should just back off and allow it some time to find its bearings.

Sure enough, a few moments later the little thing flew down and out it went. I learned a good and valuable lesson about bird behaviour that day! More so it got me thinking about the parable Jesus told about the city on the hill. Jesus said that a city on a hill cannot be hidden and that as we shine our light we will draw others to Him.

Having seen this, to me, new bird behaviour it started to make so much more sense. There are so many hurting people out there just looking for a way of escape, a way to flee depression, heartache and anger. When we are the light of the world we show others that way of escape through our relationship with Jesus!

Will you shine your light and let others see Jesus today?