Well another year has come to an end and as I contemplate saying goodbye to this year I find it hard not to sit and pause for just a moment. This great year, 2014, has brought with it many sorrows and disappointments but also successes and victories.
This year has brought with it the challenges of facing self imposed limitations that should not have been there in the first place and the joy of breaking those barriers and breaking into new ground. It has brought tests of patients and endurance and the joyous reward that comes from waiting for that which is good.
This year has had moments of darkness, frustration and probably sometimes even fear but it has been a year that has brought me the closest to finding my truest self and the deepest desires of my heart and being able to see clearly who I am and what I want out of life.
There isn't a single year to which Ecclesiastes 3 would not be applicable but I'll leave that to you to ponder. The most important element to this year has been that of finding balance in life. There are always good and bad experiences but it is how we respond to those circumstances that charts the course of our future.
Looking back I thank God for all the wonderful experiences that life has brought me and give honour, praise and glory to God that if anything good has come out of this year, it has been by His divine grace and providence.
I am so looking forward to saying, "Adios 2014!" But I wait with excitedly with baited breath to say "Hello 2015, let's make this a great year!"
What are your moments and thoughts of reflection? I encourage you to take the time to think through these.
Wishing you all a blessed and prosperous New Year and Happy 2015! And here's to looking forward to another year of blogging :-)
P.S. Please travel safely!
Learning to see God in everyday situations should draw our hearts daily to seek to know our 'Living God'.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The remodelling has begun
This weekend was an amazing quiet and
peaceful Christmas long weekend and I cherished every minute that I
could spend at home with my babies as well as the opportunity to
sleep and just be a couch potato when I wanted to be. I did however
decide that it was time to start the front garden remodelling
project and for this I enlisted the help of a little gardening buddy,
being my neighbours little 5-6 year old daughter.
Darling little Rowan chewed my ear off
through the whole process, she may well have slowed me down a bit,
but the company was great fun. I must admit, I think I have already
mastered the art of just doing the ahh ha, yeh and oh really bit!
The remodelling process will require 3
phases namely; stripping the beds of all unwanted plants, reshaping
the beds so that the bed lines are just more fluent and creative and
then planting. This time I plan on going with a low maintenance
front yard with fewer and larger plants to fill the space.
In much the same way the rest of my
life is going to have to undergo a remodelling process if I intend
to take the idea of adoption seriously and I am praying that God will
guide and direct my every step as I do so.
As we come to the end of 2014 and face
the start of a brand new year, 2015, are their any aspects of your
life both spiritually and physically that need to be remodelled? If
so, then I join hands with you in prayer that God will grant us the
wisdom to know where to put our efforts.
You are in my prayers!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Christmas: My special gift to self - Confessing my hearts desire
It is Christmas eve and a very special time. I know my friends in NZ and AUZ are already enjoying the special day. My special Christmas gift to myself this year is confessing my hearts desire that I truly and deeply want to adopt a child. At this point I feel God has placed a desire for an Asian baby/child, preferably a girl, on my heart and I'll say why shortly. The big questions are why do I want to adopt and what does this have to do with Christmas?
Well I'll tell you! It is only 3 generations back in my family that my Great Grandfather and Mother, Oupa and Ouma Louw adopted my grandmother, Joyce Louw (born Conradie). Granny Joyce gave birth to my father, Des Hughes, who along with my mother June, gave birth to me. I had the rare privilege to know my Ouma (Grandmother) Louw and she was an amazing women and thus adoption is close to my heart.
So where did the Asian bit come in? Well as a young 12 or 13 year old girl in Nelspruit, I attended a very special youth group, Calvary Assembly Youth Ambassadors for Christ (quite a mouthful). During a game of 'sweets or the box' I won the book "God's smuggler to China - by Brother David." Along with desires I have had from early childhood to become a missionary, this birthed a love in my heart for the Chinese people and their plight to live the Christian life under Chinese communist domination. This was further fueled by the book, "Chasing the Dragon - by Jackie Pullinger."
Does this mean that this adoption will take place exactly as desired or planned? Maybe, maybe not, but I know that when God places a desire in your heart it is for a reason and until God tells me otherwise, that is what I will be praying for.
But there is another reason adoption is so very special to me. That is because God opened up His master plan for salvation to the Jewish nation to all of mankind when he declared that Gentiles too should be saved. In Romans 8:15 we read, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." Our very salvation is God's great act of adopting mankind, paying the price for our redemption and making us His family.
This is the true story of Christmas, that Christ was born to reconcile man to God!
If you have not yet bought yourself a Christmas gift, I want to encourage you to by my ebook, Growing with God by Ronwyn - Everyday God, available from Amazon. It is $6.85, +- R50 and will be a blessing to you and your family throughout 2015. If you don't have a kindle, you can download the app from Amazon when you purchase the book. You can copy the link below into your browser.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H1M90P6/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_BflHub0W5EFMH
With this, I wish all my GrowingwithGod by Ronwyn readers a blessed and prosperous Christmas.
Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!
All my love!
Well I'll tell you! It is only 3 generations back in my family that my Great Grandfather and Mother, Oupa and Ouma Louw adopted my grandmother, Joyce Louw (born Conradie). Granny Joyce gave birth to my father, Des Hughes, who along with my mother June, gave birth to me. I had the rare privilege to know my Ouma (Grandmother) Louw and she was an amazing women and thus adoption is close to my heart.
So where did the Asian bit come in? Well as a young 12 or 13 year old girl in Nelspruit, I attended a very special youth group, Calvary Assembly Youth Ambassadors for Christ (quite a mouthful). During a game of 'sweets or the box' I won the book "God's smuggler to China - by Brother David." Along with desires I have had from early childhood to become a missionary, this birthed a love in my heart for the Chinese people and their plight to live the Christian life under Chinese communist domination. This was further fueled by the book, "Chasing the Dragon - by Jackie Pullinger."
Does this mean that this adoption will take place exactly as desired or planned? Maybe, maybe not, but I know that when God places a desire in your heart it is for a reason and until God tells me otherwise, that is what I will be praying for.
But there is another reason adoption is so very special to me. That is because God opened up His master plan for salvation to the Jewish nation to all of mankind when he declared that Gentiles too should be saved. In Romans 8:15 we read, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba Father." Our very salvation is God's great act of adopting mankind, paying the price for our redemption and making us His family.
This is the true story of Christmas, that Christ was born to reconcile man to God!
If you have not yet bought yourself a Christmas gift, I want to encourage you to by my ebook, Growing with God by Ronwyn - Everyday God, available from Amazon. It is $6.85, +- R50 and will be a blessing to you and your family throughout 2015. If you don't have a kindle, you can download the app from Amazon when you purchase the book. You can copy the link below into your browser.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H1M90P6/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_BflHub0W5EFMH
With this, I wish all my GrowingwithGod by Ronwyn readers a blessed and prosperous Christmas.
Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!
All my love!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Increased demands at Christmas
This time of year is extremely difficult for banking. The increased demands and risks make life difficult for the skeleton staff still working.
I can only imagine what Israel must have been like around the time of Christ's birth. The census had been called and no matter what your challenges, you had to play your part. The towns folk must have wondered how on earth they would keep up with the challenges of increased people movement.
All the while Mary's heart must have pumped nervously at times. She knew her time of delivery was near and she must have had some moments of nervous anxiety. The truth is regardless of the challenges she was the picture of grace in a troubled time.
I think a time comes when we remind ourselves of our increased strengths and remember that God has everything under control, no matter how difficult life may seem. At this Christmas time, draw from the grace and strength of Christ that resides within you and remind yourself of God's words through the angels, "Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!" [Luke 2:14 paraphrased]
I can only imagine what Israel must have been like around the time of Christ's birth. The census had been called and no matter what your challenges, you had to play your part. The towns folk must have wondered how on earth they would keep up with the challenges of increased people movement.
All the while Mary's heart must have pumped nervously at times. She knew her time of delivery was near and she must have had some moments of nervous anxiety. The truth is regardless of the challenges she was the picture of grace in a troubled time.
I think a time comes when we remind ourselves of our increased strengths and remember that God has everything under control, no matter how difficult life may seem. At this Christmas time, draw from the grace and strength of Christ that resides within you and remind yourself of God's words through the angels, "Peace on earth and goodwill towards men!" [Luke 2:14 paraphrased]
Monday, December 22, 2014
Starry starry Christmas night
Since the start of the rainy season I have been going outside, hoping to catch a clear night with nothing but stars to look at. For months, nothing! Then Saturday night it finally happened. A full clear night with nothing but beautiful stars and right above me sat Orion's belt. If I hadn't just watered the lawn I may have put a blanket out there and lay watching for quite some time.
This always makes me wonder exactly what it was that the three wise men actually saw when they saw the star that lead them to the birth of Jesus? I wish there could be some way for us to figure that out.......But follow that star they did and they became part of biblical history.
What star are you following this Christmas? Is it the star of fame, the star of fortune, the star of family, the star of relationships, what is it that you most want right now? The question we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to sacrifice for it or do you expect it to come easily? Those wise men sacrificed a tremendous amount. Remember they had no modern highways to travel on, it was all a hard journey through deserts and forests and all sorts of terrain.
Are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to follow the correct star and find peace and joy this Christmas?
This always makes me wonder exactly what it was that the three wise men actually saw when they saw the star that lead them to the birth of Jesus? I wish there could be some way for us to figure that out.......But follow that star they did and they became part of biblical history.
What star are you following this Christmas? Is it the star of fame, the star of fortune, the star of family, the star of relationships, what is it that you most want right now? The question we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to sacrifice for it or do you expect it to come easily? Those wise men sacrificed a tremendous amount. Remember they had no modern highways to travel on, it was all a hard journey through deserts and forests and all sorts of terrain.
Are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to follow the correct star and find peace and joy this Christmas?
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Sterkfontein adventure
This weekend has been a blast. On Saturday one of my pals, Vanessa, joined me as we went on a short road trip to Sterkfontein caves and Maropeng out at the cradle of human kind. Maropeng visitors centre was really fun but the best for me were the caves. I am absolutely fascinated by geology.
Although the sections open to the tour are considerably smaller and shorter than that of the Sudwala caves in Mpumalanga were I grew up, Sterkfontein did have something special to offer, that being an under ground lake, which has never been fully explored due to its depth and the darkness of the cave. Sadly one poor soul did loose his life trying. I am sure at some point those in the deep sea diving industry may be able to lend a hand to make it possible.
In much the same way as this subterranean lake runs deep and far and must undoubtedly supply sustaining water resources the areas it feeds, so too our relationship with Christ can grow to the level and strength that it becomes our total source of power.
Do you have that source of power in your life? If not, why not consider developing a real relationship with God and not just follow religion.
Although the sections open to the tour are considerably smaller and shorter than that of the Sudwala caves in Mpumalanga were I grew up, Sterkfontein did have something special to offer, that being an under ground lake, which has never been fully explored due to its depth and the darkness of the cave. Sadly one poor soul did loose his life trying. I am sure at some point those in the deep sea diving industry may be able to lend a hand to make it possible.
In much the same way as this subterranean lake runs deep and far and must undoubtedly supply sustaining water resources the areas it feeds, so too our relationship with Christ can grow to the level and strength that it becomes our total source of power.
Do you have that source of power in your life? If not, why not consider developing a real relationship with God and not just follow religion.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Christmas with the gogga's
I tried really hard to fight it, but the Christmas spirit eventually got a hold of me. I had given away my tiny Christmas tree some time ago and have not replaced it yet so I decided to be different I wanted to make my own Christmas decorations by making some bedazzled and beaded pine cones.
Pine cones hold many special memories for me of our childhood years in Nelspruit and the countless times we'd head off into the surrounding forests. So on Monday on my way home from work I gathered a bag full of pine cones and brought them home to work on. Some looked fairly clean so I figured I could get to work on them straight away. Ha! Mother nature reminded me that these cones had been on the ground a while and had been inhabited by some tiny little critters. After the fright of the bugs crawling out I took them outside to wash and pour over some citronella oil. Needless to say I only managed to get one decorated before I ran out of time. At least it will keep me out of mischief for a while.
The Christmas story is rather messy too. A stable certainly is not the type of place I would want to bring a new born baby into this world, but what could Mary do? She had to make the most of a very bad situation. Likewise our individual salvation stories may be messy, maybe because of a background of drugs, alcohol or abuse keeping us captive to our past.
As much as we celebrate Christ's birth at Christmas it is already a reminder for us of why He came, that being to save us for eternity. Whatever your story is, do not fear the mess, come to Christ as you are and His love will transform you.
Pine cones hold many special memories for me of our childhood years in Nelspruit and the countless times we'd head off into the surrounding forests. So on Monday on my way home from work I gathered a bag full of pine cones and brought them home to work on. Some looked fairly clean so I figured I could get to work on them straight away. Ha! Mother nature reminded me that these cones had been on the ground a while and had been inhabited by some tiny little critters. After the fright of the bugs crawling out I took them outside to wash and pour over some citronella oil. Needless to say I only managed to get one decorated before I ran out of time. At least it will keep me out of mischief for a while.
The Christmas story is rather messy too. A stable certainly is not the type of place I would want to bring a new born baby into this world, but what could Mary do? She had to make the most of a very bad situation. Likewise our individual salvation stories may be messy, maybe because of a background of drugs, alcohol or abuse keeping us captive to our past.
As much as we celebrate Christ's birth at Christmas it is already a reminder for us of why He came, that being to save us for eternity. Whatever your story is, do not fear the mess, come to Christ as you are and His love will transform you.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
The end of the Ronosaurus
On the 5th of January this
year I wrote a blog called, “The year of the Ronosaurus”. The
Ronosaurus was a Dinosaur that had breached extinction and was
forging a way into the future. This year has indeed been a year
about breaking barriers and changing direction. There have been
changes in the physical realm as well as the emotional and spiritual
realms that have shifted dramatically over the past year, and I am
grateful for every change.
I believe it is time for the Ronosaurus
to bow out as the lead character within my life and for the year
ahead 2015 to be declared the 'Lion heart' year. I have faith that
the year ahead will see bold new expeditions and forge me on into a
year of victory!
What are you believing for in the next
year? I challenge you to write it down and make it clear. There is
tremendous power in writing down a vision and making it plain for all
to see! As 2014 draws to a close, take some time to reflect back on
the joys and sorrows of life and what you have learned through both
the good and the bad that have come from the year.
Then set forth your goals for the
coming year and BELIEVE!
To view the original blog go to:
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Thunder
I really tried hard on Wednesday night
to get to bed early as I was really feeling the fatigue. All went
well until about 2am on Thursday morning when a really loud thunder
storm rolled in. It woke me up with a fright but more so my poor
kitties. Honey particularly hates all the loud storms. Well after
that it was tickets to getting any real sleep, every time I drifted
into dream land the kitties woke me up for one reason or another. My
biggest worry as I settle down to bed tonight was seeing the dark
clouds rolling back in. What I wouldn't give now for a clear starry
night.
The wonderful thing though is that even
though thunder storms are loud and scary, they roll in and the roll
out again fairly quickly. If you are at all lucky there's lots of
noise but not too much damage.
That's what the devil does. He arrives
in our life and makes his presence known with lots of noise and
plenty of evidence that he is going to wreck havoc but when we are
rooted and grounded in Christ the storms may blow and our branches
may bow, but we will never befall a fate that God has not ordained
for our lives. I'm not saying God causes storms, but rather that He
allows the storms of life to build our character.
If you are facing a scary storm now,
take heart and ask God to be your shelter. We can rest peacefully
through any trial knowing that God is for us.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Flavour burst
I've been enjoying having herbs to use
in my salads again, but I hadn't used any in cooking. I decided that
tonight was the night to try it. Well I can honestly say, my new
favourite easy pasta dish tasted simply spectacular with just a few
fresh herbs added, I was so chuffed!
Changing the way we experience things
can change our outlook on life. A cup of coffee on a couch is nice
but a cup of coffee in your favourite spot in the garden can bring
tranquility. The same would be true of our experience of faith.
When we change the way we experience God, new aspects of faith are
opened up to us.
What do I mean by that? Well for
instance if you only ever read your bible from a New King James
version, using and Amplified version may change your understanding of
the scripture. We must not be afraid to mix things up a little with
our christian walk, this allows us to experience God in ways we may
never have imagined.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Fountain of youth
So a cousin and a good friend nagged me
to share my tips on ageing gracefully. Lol! I think my body parts
south of my neck might not agree. I could say that it is because I
drank from a fountain of naturally filtered waters in the Sudwala
caves in Mpumalanga not once but several times that my skin has
stayed young, but oh that's just a fairy tale.
I do have some genetic factors that
play a role, good skin in the family and red heads just don't go grey
until late, but I do have some good secrets of my own that do work.
Firstly skin care does play a huge role, using the right formula for
either dry, combination or oily skin is critical. If that's not done
right then the PH levels don't normalise and you break out in
pimples. Massaging the skin correctly when cleansing is important to
remove impurities. Using a good scrub is essential but my biggest
tip is, moisturise and moisturise some more. That helps to keep the
skin cells plump and full. I usually moisturise before and after
using a hair dryer as the hot air dries your skin.
Diet wise my biggest secret there is
lots and lots of salads and then very importantly, I consume as much
vinegar as I can manage. Vinegar cleans the blood and also purifies
the skin, minimising break outs. Another key indicator that vinegar
works well is the fact that it was also used during mummification.
All in all these few things keep my skin clean and plumped up.
So what does all this have to do with
our spiritual walk? A lot actually. Just like the right skin care
products are essential for beauty, the correct application of the
word of God to our lives is essential. Just like vinegar cleans the
blood, we need to allow the word of God to work in our hearts to
cleanse us from within.
But what is the greatest spiritual
beauty tip of them all? Making sure you are connected to God, after
all, is He not the resurrection and the life? Is He not the one who
can quicken our mortal bodies and revive life within us? Oh yes, my
biggest beauty secret is is being refreshed by the one who gives life
in the first place.
What's your secret?
Monday, December 8, 2014
Think like a man
Now now ladies, hear me out! I had to
remind myself today that emotions are fickle. How many times do we
(men and women) get caught up with paranoid thoughts about what other
people think of us, say about us or maybe even what we think they
might be plotting against us. We may even overreact to a situation (I
know I've done it many times) only to discover that this was not the
case at all.
Here is where simple logic comes in and
ladies, I think men are generally better at this than we are and thus
my title. I do however know that men are also capable of great depth
of heart and spirit and at times may loose themselves as easily as we
can. Logic however must begin with simple questions. Unfortunately
I can't tell you what those questions are but if you start
questioning your thoughts, you will soon find out that you are on the
wrong track.
You also need to give yourself some
grace. Don't put yourself down so easily. Most people who know you
would probably say that you are a good person with a good heart, so
trust the norm and not the exception. I think when you cut yourself
some slack and just breath a little you will feel a sense of calm and
peace returning and that is when you can then pray and ask God to
guide your thoughts and actions and return you to a state of joy.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Some fresh ideas
I am currently facing a challenge that
I just have not been able to overcome. After much frustration I
decided to contact a good friend and successful business man for some
advice on how to move past the difficulties I was facing.
I met with him this morning for 1 hour
and in that time we managed to bounce around a stack of ideas that
could really help. I left the meeting feeling empowered and excited
about tackling the issue head on.
Sometimes all we need in life is just
to sit at the feet of a mentor who has faced the same challenges and
found ways to overcome them. I'm betting that's how Mary felt when
she sat at Jesus feet (Luke 10:38-42). She must have just wanted to
glean every little bit of information and wisdom she could from Jesus
in the time that He was in her home.
When last did you take time to just sit
at the feet of Jesus and open your heart to Him and allow Him to
impart spiritual knowledge into your life? I want to encourage you
to do so and I am sure you will be surprised at what Jesus will say
to you.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
I just have to do it
It runs through my DNA and every fibre
of my being and it is just something I have to do! What is that? Be
CREATIVE! A day without creativity of some sort is like a day with
no air. I simply cannot live without experiencing or expressing art
in one way shape or form, be it gardening; writing; beading; making
something; baking....something creative just has to come out or I dry
up like a prune.
But that is nothing.......take a look
at the heavens and though we can't see it with the naked eye, new
stars are being born every day. I'm guessing new planets are forming
in a solar system somewhere and I know some would differ with me
(you're entitled to your opinion) but I believe that somewhere in
the great cosmos there has to be another planet with life forms on it
of some kind. Why do I believe that? Because God Himself is the
origin of all creation and all creativity and He Himself cannot stop
creating new life every day!
With every conception, be it animal or
human, new life is created and these beings breath air and live. Our
God is indeed awesome!
Let's just stop and pause and be
thankful just for this one small fact, our God is creative!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Who is this artist?
There is an artist I know very well.
He does the most spectacular work I've ever seen and he does it all
on the move, no scene is ever the same. Yes the nuances are similar
but the use of his colours and the spectacular strokes of his brush
are simply indescribable. His repertoire is something to behold and
he is ranked amongst the greats.
He paints sunsets and sunrises, rain
and rainbows, bushveld and animals all with vividly different
interpretations each time. He paints the stars and the planets and
every day he captures the splendour of our universe. And by now you
must to wondering, who is this Artist?
He is simply..... God!
I write to tell you about this artist
because of one important fact. This artist also paints every scene,
every joy, every delight, every tear and every happy moment in our
lives with pure perfection. It is this very fact that has given me
complete peace, for I know that even though a storm would come, he
would paint the waves and the tossing sea, but he will also paint
every victory. It is because of this that I can rest, knowing that I
am safe in the arms of a loving God and He is good!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Silly season
It isn't called silly season without
reason and it started with a bang today. Work stress, finding out
one of my best friends was in a serious car accident and then the
doozie! It came in the form of a callously published news paper
article that will have a direct impact on my life and hundreds of
people I know, with zero regard for the feelings of the people
involved. This left me outright angry!
Recently though I have been challenged
that attitude is a choice and that if I want to overcome the
negativity of life that is constantly being thrown at us, then I have
to make a choice and choose positive attitudes. So I decided that I
would start posting a positive choice on my FB status every morning
at the start of each new day. I have decided that I would like to
share this with others so I'll be creating a new FB page for this and
will let you all know once it is done.
I want to encourage you, the same way
that I have to encourage myself that we have to choose to rise above.
Does that mean we will never fall? No, certainly not but with a
positive choice weapon in your pocket, you may well bounce back a lot
faster.
As Christians we have an even great
advantage because we know that scripture tells us that all things
work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called
according to His purposes. I know it is hard to pick yourself off
the floor when all you want to do is throw a tantrum, but know that
God has a new day and new opportunities waiting for you with each new
morning.
Let us wake with hope with each new
day!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
This place smells woof!
I don't blame our company, their
intentions were good. They wanted to provide their staff with a good
family day outing. I do however blame the venue designers. Common
guys who on earth creates a function site less than 10 meters away
from a cattle Kraal? We had been there the year before so I tried
not to arrive too early but it still didn't help. I retreated behind
a garden patch for a while which provided some relief, but had to
emerge eventually and be a bit 'social'. Needless to say I didn't
stay once lunch was done.
The fact of life is that we choose
where we make our habitation. When we choose to dwell under the
shadow of the almighty God we will carry His love and His fragrance
wherever we go. If we choose to dwell where the devil dwells we will
carry the fragrance of death and produce nothing but lies and
deceit.
Let us choose today to dwell and stay
in God's presence and to allow our lives to emanate the fragrances of
love, peace, grace, beauty and thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Getting rid of the knots
I absolutely love and live for my
monthly massages and they really are a big help! Getting the knots
in my back and shoulders removed is a big relief. A months worth of
stress and tension just melts away and it feels amazing.
In our spiritual lives do we get knots
as well? I think we can, issues in our relationship with God that
are just difficult to understand and as a result we can have
spiritual stress about them. Paul spoke about a thorn in the side,
but God never removed that thorn, He simply gave Paul to grace and
strength to endure.
When we battle with issues of
persistent health problems, difficult work circumstances, trouble in
our relationships and even financial stress, these all put stress on
our relationship with God because we wonder how a loving God could
allow these things.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to
comfort us and to relieve our stress by reminding us that we are not
alone. Firstly we are not alone in our human experiences and
secondly we are not alone because God is walking our path with us.
When we receive that type of comfort it helps us to deal with our
daily spiritual stresses and relieves our burdens.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
I just should have done it
Last night I prepared my grocery
shopping list, but by the time I had done it, I had run out of data
on my cell phone and today being pay day, I had to wait till morning
to buy the data. I had sent the mail from my junk mail box to my
regular mail account and I told myself to cc my office address and
just did not do it. Unfortunately the mail timed out and never made
it to my phone.
I figured it wasn't really a problem
because tonight I was supposed to get my monthly massage and tomorrow
(Thursday) would be shopping day. NOT. I got a call from the salon
to move the massage to tomorrow and thus I had to get shopping done
tonight, the weekend I have other plans. Well there I sat trying to
get access to my junk mail box at the office and nothing I tried
worked. If I had emailed it to the office, it would have been a
simple forward exercise.
So what did that all cost me, stress
and a rushed 20 minutes at home trying to get it all sorted out
before I could head to the shop. Luckily grace intervened and the
shop was going to be open later so I ended up being able to take my
time as planned.
It was just a simple lesson to me again
of listening to my own inner voice and then disobeying it and paying
the price. Recent events in my life have made that so clear and yet
I still didn't listen. Sure it was a small consequence now, but in
other situations it could have been a disaster.
God has given us the inner witness as
one of the ways that he speaks to us. It is our conscience at work
that helps us determine right from wrong and danger from safety. It
is so important for us to learn to listen to that voice because in
any given situation it really could save our lives.
Please don't make the same mistake I
did, listen to yourself!
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Doing the laps
I tootled off to the gym this evening
hoping to do a splash of aqua aerobics. Upon arrival however the
aqua pool was closed and only the main swimming pool was open. I
grudgingly fetched my goggles and climbed into the cool water. What I
had forgotten however is how much I really love doing laps. I'm not
a fast swimmer by any means but I do have stamina to do long
distance.
A couple of years ago I decided I
wanted to do the Midmar dam swim, I trained the distance but never
did the race, chickened out, tee hee! At that point though I was
swimming anywhere between 100 – 150 laps. The secret to doing long
distance swimming, so I'm told, is not too hold your breath as long
as you would if you were doing a dash, but rather to breath
frequently.
In life we often focus on the short
goals, the next 100 meters and we try to dash it through with little
breath. We get to the end of the 100 meters and have no strength
left for the rest of the race. I want to encourage you to rather
start focusing on the longer distance and take your breaths when you
need to, i.e. do a short 1 day get away or go somewhere new or do
something creative, just to allow you to get your energy back.
Well tonight I only managed 20 laps and
was totally breathless afterwards, but man do I feel alive! The bug
has bitten and I know I'll be back there again soon. What are you
going to do with your life today to bring back that rush of energy
you need?
Monday, November 24, 2014
The trouble with load shedding
Being a seasoned Gautenger by now, I
have learned to live with the power disruptions. I'm well stocked
with candles and a gas stove and luckily the geyser stays hot for
quite a while. The big issue is all the other house chores that need
to be rescheduled.
This evening it has been 'make hay
while the sun shines' as we were off most of yesterday, so I guess
tonight was our night off, but just in case, my laptop is fully
charged.
How often in life do we not put things
off though? We decide that tomorrow's another day and because of
that we put things off that should really be done now. Right now I'm
choosing not too, I'm living each day to the full, feeling everything
that I need to and enjoying the good and learning from the bad.
There are definitely things that we
should never put off:
Never put off saying I love you
Never put off showing kindness and
grace
Never put off giving love and support
to friends and family
Never put off the desire to know God
Never put off fellowshiping with God
with every possibility
Never put off talking to God
That's my list for now, what's yours?
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Hope's engine
I was reminded this evening by our pastor that hope is an active force. It is something that we often don't use enough in our lives to create the forward momentum we need to drive our lives in the right direction.
There are times in life when we are battered by life's storms and maybe as a result of that we end up with a damaged boat and the boat starts floating adrift. I have often spoken of hope as an anchor but after tonight I think I might have misrepresented that. It is the peace of God that guards our minds and brings calm to the troubled waters.
I'm beginning to see hope a bit more like a tug boat. Tug boats are strong and have an extreme power to tonnage ratio and they are small and maneuverable. When a ship cannot steer or gain momentum then tug boats are used to move the ship along. Some are strong enough to plough their way through icebergs.
When we have stalled it is hope's force and momentum that pull us forward to getting our lives back on the track that they need to be. Hope is powerful and strong and can break barriers in our life that no other force can break.
As we face a new week, let hope drive your life forward in the direction that God has intended it to take.
There are times in life when we are battered by life's storms and maybe as a result of that we end up with a damaged boat and the boat starts floating adrift. I have often spoken of hope as an anchor but after tonight I think I might have misrepresented that. It is the peace of God that guards our minds and brings calm to the troubled waters.
I'm beginning to see hope a bit more like a tug boat. Tug boats are strong and have an extreme power to tonnage ratio and they are small and maneuverable. When a ship cannot steer or gain momentum then tug boats are used to move the ship along. Some are strong enough to plough their way through icebergs.
When we have stalled it is hope's force and momentum that pull us forward to getting our lives back on the track that they need to be. Hope is powerful and strong and can break barriers in our life that no other force can break.
As we face a new week, let hope drive your life forward in the direction that God has intended it to take.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Some crutches for perspective
Well Jo'burg rose to the occasion once
again! I needed to be at the office early for a CEO meeting so I
made the effort to get my behind out the bed early and off I went.
Well, 1 hour later I had hardly landed on the highway and I could see
this wasn't going to get any better. I then made the treacherous
mistake of thinking Witkoppen might be better and I paid dearly. 3
hours later I rolled into the office and just caught the tail end of
the meeting.
While driving though and counting my
woes, I drove past a man, hobbling along on crutches. He was
obviously paralysed and could not use his legs properly yet he was
moving himself along one bit at a time. The sight broke my heart and
all I wanted to do was to help, but I had nothing to give. I wish I
could have been his angel and provided him with everything he needed.
Now all I can do is pray that God will help him.
This put my 3 hour drive into different
perspective. I had a car and I have legs that can carry me when they
need to, so why was I complaining? It definitely helped me keep my
attitude in check for the day.
We used to sing an old song, “when
upon life's billow's you are tempest tost, when you are discouraged
thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one,
and you'll be surprised at what the Lord has done!”
Let's remember to count our blessings
today!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Crazy weather
My goodness, how is this weather we are
experiencing. Needing winter blankets in summer and two pairs of
shoes because I don't know whether I'm going to be hot or cold during
the day is just frustrating. Don't tell me that global warming
hasn't messed up our climate....who know's whats next?
If the weather can leave us feeling
that we need to be prepared for anything, what do we need to do in
our spiritual lives to be prepared for all situations? Develop a
close relationship with God through prayer and worship. You will be
amazed at how much strength and direction you can gain from just a
few moments with God each day!
In recent weeks I have realised that I
had not put communication with God first and as a result I did not
have the wisdom I needed in certain situations. I'm certainly not
going to make that mistake again. Spending time with God each day
has given me the compassion, strength and wisdom to deal with what I
am facing right now and I am so grateful to God for His gentle
guidance.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Increasing the weights – uping the anti
I was surprised to see how quickly my
body got used to the new work outs and settled back to normal with no
pain. The problem with that is that if you are just maintaining
weight then keeping the pace the same is fine, but if you want to
continue to burn fat then you are going to have to push the pace
harder and make your body work more.
That being decided I gave it a hard
knock tonight and from the way I'm feeling now it is going to be
soooooore tomorrow! Tee hee, serves me right. The amazing thing is
that while training tonight I got a glimpse again of my younger self
and boy do I want that chickie back in my life. Its small wonder I
was a skinny weed, I used to walk almost every afternoon from home,
to my mom's office and then to the gym and still train. Lol!
The thing is if you really want
something you are going to have to work at it and that is where good
Godly ethics come in, you know, “do everything as unto the Lord!”
That does mean everything, work, home, relationships, the works,
everything.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Loaded
What a loaded scripture and at that,
not even the full verse. James 1:21 “.......and receive with
meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.” I
could probably do a full 45 minute sermon, just on that bit, but I'll
stick to the cliff notes.
To receive with meekness tells us that
our attitude to receiving the word of God into our lives needs to be
with an attitude of humility, taking into consideration the power of
the word of God. The implanted word reminds us that in order for
God's word to have an effect on our lives it needs to be rooted in
us, that means, fully entrenched in everything we know and do. In
order for us to have the word implanted in us takes effort, it means
learning scripture, what it means and what effect it can have on us.
Most of us think that the saving of our
souls refers to our spiritual salvation, but it is not that. The
saving of our souls means the reformation process that our soul goes
through as we become more like Jesus, this is called our
sanctification. Saving our soul takes on another angle though, when
God's word works in us it can literally save us from aspects in our
lives are destructive, like greed envy and lust.
This entire process is never ending.
I'd like to encourage you today to allow God's word to become deeply
rooted in you so that you can experience the life saving power of His
Word!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
A job made easy
I had planned to spend most of the
weekend doing gardening, but I woke up with a fright to a
thunderstorm and had to rescue the kitties from the rain. That being
done, fatigue got the better of me and I decided to retreat back to
bed.
By the time I woke up again the sun was
out and the garden beckoned. The usually unpleasant task of weeding
the side garden had however been made easy due to the heavy rain and
the weeds just popped out. I had barely finished that though and
another storm rolled in and I had to accept that I was done gardening
for the day.
Our hearts are much like garden beds
though, when we are spiritually dry and arid then dealing with the
difficult heart issues of life can be difficult. However when we are
walking close to God and the Holy Spirit has rained on us then
getting through those tough times is so much easier.
Are you struggling to overcome
difficulties in your life? How about making a point to spend some
time in prayer and fellowship with God and opening your heart to the
work that he wants to do in you. Know that when you do, God's
presence and peace will refresh your soul every time!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Hello Mr Sun
After several days of much needed rain,
Mr Sun finally managed to make an appearance again and oh, how
pleased we are. I arrived home and was able to take a walk to the
herb garden for the first time in days and was greeted by some
beautiful ripe blackberries, delightful!
Being able to retreat to the back
garden with a cup of coffee is one of my favourite things to do. The
site that greeted me, was a little disturbing though. With all the
great rain everything grows like wildfire, including the weeds and
some of them are almost as big as the clivia's, EISH!
The good, the bad and the ugly all grow
under good rain conditions and in life and in spirit the same will be
true. Life will present us with trials and out of them will come
both positive and negative consequences, it is how we choose to
respond to both the good and the bad that determines our level of
spiritual and emotional growth.
Hind sight is always clearer than
foresight and we must allow time to reflect on the lessons of life so
that we can become stronger and wiser through them. I hope you are
enjoying the wonderful benefits of spiritual rain in your life today.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Weight resistance training
Recently I've been doing abdominal
training but mostly with crunches, stretches and ball work but I
wasn't quite getting the results I wanted. This weekend I decided to
add back some Ab machines and full body lift resistance training.
The result? PAIN!
Now bruised muscles need a day to heal
but you cannot stop there. You have to get back to training those
muscles as quickly as possible, burning through the pain. That's when
you get the best fat burning results, but it is not easy.
In life trials come to us and there is
no doubt they cause us pain along the way, but the same is true for
our emotions and faith as it is for muscles, you have to get back to
working that area again as quickly as possible. The same way
training burns away fat, so too trials burn away the rough edges of
our character and we are left with an awesome result, a strong and
healthy faith.
If you are feeling bruised and in pain,
don't stay there. Get back up as quickly as possible and move
forward with life and your relationship with God.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Hit pause
There are times in life when
interruptions, circumstances or people throw our lives into a tizzy.
The interactions and events fly at us so fast we don't really get
time to stop and pause and our judgements are clouded and before we
know it, we've made a massive mistake.
In music it is the pauses that
give the repertoire feeling and depth. In life we need pauses as
well, times to allow things to sink in and process what is going on
in our lives, time to put things in proper perspective. When we take
those pauses, the colours of life are brighter, the songs of the
birds bring peace and we are able to find the steady rhythm that we
need to gain balance and make the right choices.
Whatever your pause time is, don't let
go of it! Hang on to that time and fight to defend its place in your
life. It is a vital space for you to connect with God, even if it is
just with silence. It is this meditation that will give you the
strength to find the right solution to every problem and God will
honour you when you do.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
It weighs on the heart
Trials are never easy, and trials of
the heart are even more burdensome to bare, but God knows everything
we think or feel and through every difficulty he will carry us and
work in us to prove his goodness and kindness.
The devils evil knows no limits and he
will stop at nothing to destroy you and it is at times like these
that we may feel fear and grow weary in our relationship with God.
The thing is this is when we have the greatest opportunity to prove
the power of God that is within us.
Don't let the devil get the better of
your thought life. Stand strong in your faith and trust God for
wisdom and strength.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
A lioness's strength
As
women we complain when we don’t have the physical strength to open a
glass jar, or we might be able to change the light bulb, if only we
could get the cover off. We may get frustrated when
we are unable to pick up or carry a heavy object or when we just can’t
get something heavy to move from a spot. BUT dear ladies there is
another kind of strength we do have.
You
see the Lion does not say to the Lioness, “You are smaller than me and
not quite as strong, so you stay home and I’ll do the hunting.” No, the
Lion knows that it is the Lioness’s speed
and agility, her pace and her stamina that make her the perfect
huntress for the tribe. Then there is her ability to communicate with
the other lionesses in her tribe and to work together as a team.
As
women of God it is our role in the family to use our strengths to bring
about God’s order in the home, to know that we have the strength and
stamina to pray for our families until the spiritual
and physical battles of life are done. This is what God honours as our
strength and this is the role God desires us to play in the home.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Know the signs
I have long been a believer that events
I call, “signs in the heavelies” are signs that God is about to
bring great change in my life. They may not necessarily be in the
stars but things like, the sighting of a triple rainbow, a lunar
eclipse, a solar eclipse, sighting of a shooting star or comet are
all natural events that happen within nature that have been signs to
me that change was nigh.
It has happened again this year. I
think back to August 5th, two days before my birthday when
our country shook from a tremor, yes it was a sign that God is busy
moving my earth and rocking my world for change and I couldn't be
happier.
Do you know what signs God uses to get
your attention? It may be a rare flower, a feather on the ground or
an owl in the tree, but God has unique ways of communicating that
change is on the way to each of us. Do you know yours and what to do
when they happen?
Monday, November 3, 2014
When a mother prays
Folks you had better believe it. When
a mother prays God listens! I have been contemplating a big decision
I needed to make in my life and I asked God to give me one last
assurance that this was His plan and purpose for my life.
Without asking, tonight that assurance
came from my mother and the word was specific and clear with no
ambiguity! I couldn't have asked for anything more direct. She had
prayed a specific prayer that required a specific answer and it came.
Mother's, God has ordained your place
in the family to be the voice of the Holy Spirit to your husband and
children. When you submit your heart to His will and listen to Him,
he will give you the guidance you need to speak the prophetic word of
God into their lives! Please open your heart to hear from Him today.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Change of pace
This weekend the pace of things was a little bit different. I did not have the usual energy for gardening
and there are certain things that just didn’t get done. I did get lots of sleep though and that was
good for me.
In Psalm 23 versus 2 & 3, David talks about rest in a unique
way. He says that the Lord ‘makes’ him
lie down in green pastures. That is
interesting and means that there are times when God forces us to take it easy,
but why does He do so? Verse 3 gives us
two clear answers. In order for our
souls to be recharged. And why is that
necessary? So that we can be lead into
righteousness.
I find that so interesting, that it requires a fully restored soul in
order for us to be lead to righteousness.
My take on that is this, the reason it requires a rested and restored
soul is that it takes effort for us to work out our salvation and this can only
be done with a strong soul. When we
allow ourselves to be restored, walking the road necessary to come to right
standing with God becomes easier to complete.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Landscape
Life changing events happen at the
strangest of times. They throw us off balance and leave us wondering
what happened. Whether they are good or bad, the one thing they do
is to change the landscape of our lives.
I remember being in awe of this very
fact when I went to Parys. Before making the decision to go there I
had no idea about the geological significance of the area and what
had taken place at that very site. If you haven't heard about it,
I'll give you the short version.
The Vrederfort dome area was the site
of one of 5 earth changing extinction level events that scientists
believe have changed the landscape of our planet. A massive asteroid
hit our planet at that exact point and changed everything.
The strange thing is that this is all
just part of nature. We don't want to believe that something like
this is normal, but in the scale of our universe it most certainly
is. If you are in the middle of a life changing event, hang on tight
to God and he will guide you through the change.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Insolence
Insolence is an ugly thing. It rears
its ugly head at the worst time and when it is leveled at you then
it can really leave you feeling angry. The question is what is its
origin. I believe insolence comes from a base belief that you are
somehow better than someone else or that your opinion is more
important than the whole picture.
The Apostle Paul gives us some insight
into how we should behave in this regard: Romans
12:3Amplified, “For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to
me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and
think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an
exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability
with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith
apportioned by God to him.”
The
Apostle James weighs in on this subject as well: James 4:10 NKJV,
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He
will lift you up.”
These principles apply to every area of
our lives from personal relationships, to work, to friendships and
ministry all alike. In practicality though when a disagreement
arises if you take the path of first lowering yourself to try and
see the other persons version then when they have finished, your case
may well receive higher value because you have been considerate to
another's expression.
Let us not place ourselves on a
pedestal and even if others place you there, get off quickly.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Colour filled
I love colour, so a 'grey' office space
just doesn't work for me. So when one of my best friends gave me a
beautiful calendar, once used, I used all the pictures to cover my
workspace walls. One of my colleagues started asking me about some
of the pictures and that got me all excited, especially the
geological ones which are quite spectacular. She mentioned that it
is a pity that I did not study that full time as I have such a
passion for it.
Truth is that I have a passion for both
geology and history, so it doesn't take much to prick my curiosity
and I'm off like a rabbit wanting to know and learn more. The
amazing thing is that history and geology teach us so much about God
and that is why I had to do 3 years of bible school, I just had to
know more.
Creation is God's masterpiece declaring
His character and His love to all who will pay attention. Volcano's
and earth quakes remind us of His power, river streams and quiet
ponds of His great gentleness and sunrise and sunset of His warmth
and love.
How about we get excited and share
about God's great love for us to others today!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Too heavy a load
It is seriously taking me a lot longer
to get all the bits and pieces of the house and garden back to normal
after the renovation. Inside is done, just the top of the kitchen
cupboards left to clean, but the patio was another story, so before I
could tackle my first serious gardening for the season, that had to
be sorted.
Well all was going fine, until I came
across the one and a half boxes of floor tiles left over from the
job. Now they say you are supposed to keep these for any future
repairs, so I thought I could just shunt them over to the corner and
leave them there. NOT. I had no clue how heavy the darn things
were. No wonder the delivery guys were looking at my cross eyed when
they brought them in.
I tugged and I pushed and I did
everything I possibly could to get them to move, but it just wasn't
happening. I eventually had to give in to the fact that I was going
to have to move one or two at a time. This wasn't the best idea but
the only solution I could manage. Eventually it got done.
This made me think about the divide and
conquer strategy that the devil uses against our marriages today. He
puts husband and wife at war with each other and then the kids and
then we wonder why we are not able to achieve Godly submission within
the marriage and why marriages fail.
You may disagree with me on my next
point but take some time to think it through and ask God to open your
heart to this spiritual reality. Yes, God made man to be the head of
the husband and wife relationship and head of the family, but in
order to succeed at this the husband has to expose his heart to allow
him to love and care for his family. It is the wife's role therefore
to act as spiritual guardian over her husbands heart and to protect
him from attack from the enemy.
Ladies, God made us strong, strong
enough to endure childbirth, so yes we can do this!
Gentlemen, encourage your lady to stand
up to her role so that she protect you where necessary.
When we work together, the devil will
not have his way and our marriages will be strong!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Choices
Today I was faced with a situation that
presented me with some interesting choices. I could get angry and
take my anger out on the wrong person who was just as much a victim
of the circumstances as I was, or I could bridle my tongue and use
that frustration to find a solution to the problem.
Now finding that solution won't be
easy. It will take time, research, effort and more stress than I
think I can handle right now, but it is the right thing to do. These
choices are never easy.
So when did Jesus face the same dilemma?
At the back end of the desert after 40
days of fasting! I know that all he wanted to do was get home and
rest and one Lucifer comes knocking at his door with an interesting
proposal, worship me and I'll give you everything! We think it was
easy for Jesus to refuse this offer, but in His weakened state this
was no small feat.
But Jesus did the right thing and
turned Lucifer down and walked the path from His first miracle at the
wedding in Cana all the way through to Golgotha! It wasn't easy, it
required every ounce of his strength, an unbelievable mental stress
and rejection from His disciples...... But it was the right thing to
do!
The result? Salvation for all mankind,
for all time!
I think it was worth it!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Where we left off
Do you have friends whom you may see
now only once in a while, but in years gone by you were almost
inseparable choosing to spend time together as often as possible? Do
you find now that when you see those friends that there is no need
for small talk and pleasantries but you really can pick up where you
left off and just carry on? Well those relationships are rare and
precious.
We can have the same relationship with
the word of God today. When we have made friends with the word of
God and we know each other well, we can have the freedom to just pick
up our scriptures where we left and enjoy wonderful fellowship with
God through His Word.
Where is your relationship with God's
word at right now? Have you been ignoring your time? Don't feel
guilty but know that God is waiting with open arms to receive you and
bless you through His presence and love, so why not pick up where you
left off with the Word of God today?
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Getting there
It took a whole week for the cement
smell to dissipate but it is finally gone and I was able to move back
into my bedroom this weekend. It was time to get stuck into the
spare room and get it back to being a 'spare' room. Lol! I had
wanted to tackle the patio this weekend too but that just didn't
happen. I get so impatient with myself sometimes but my mom always
reminds me that Rome wasn't built in a day.
We do that in our spiritual lives too.
We get excited about an area in our lives we want to grow in and we
throw everything at it, but it just doesn't happen fast enough and
then we get frustrated with the process.
Paul gives us some encouragement in
this are in Philippians 2:12 where he says, “Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling.”
What
does this mean? It means that we should work through the scriptures
and allow them to impact our lives and that we should do so with
reverence and respect for the word of God. When we follow and heed
this principle we can be guaranteed that God will work through us to
make his glory manifest within our lives.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Thank goodness for gas
This morning I woke up to another power failure. Thankfully the geyser stays warm for a while, so guess what? I took my first shower in my new shower....super cool! Luckily for me I have gas, so boiling a quick kettle for breakfast was no stress.
What would I do without gas in my home, struggle! I have come to depend on it so much as my backup in these difficult times we are going through as a country with our power supply.
Do we have a spiritual backup power supply? Yes, but unlike Eishkom, He never runs out of power. The Holy Spirit is our helper in times of need and he is our comforter when we need strength. More importantly too, He is the active working of the power of God within us.
Are you linked up to your Holy Spirit power supply?
What would I do without gas in my home, struggle! I have come to depend on it so much as my backup in these difficult times we are going through as a country with our power supply.
Do we have a spiritual backup power supply? Yes, but unlike Eishkom, He never runs out of power. The Holy Spirit is our helper in times of need and he is our comforter when we need strength. More importantly too, He is the active working of the power of God within us.
Are you linked up to your Holy Spirit power supply?
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Needs recycling
I had a grand plan but now I'm not so
sure. I hate the thought of waste so I thought that I would try and
recycle the broken tiles that came out of my bathroom into a feature
in the herb garden. Trouble is, I didn't count on how much it would
really be and now I have a stack of rubble along side the house. I
know I can use some of it, but there will still be whole lot that
will need to be discarded.
When I have time over the weekend, I'm
still going to give it a shot and see what I can do. I know there
are bits and bobs that I can donate to charity and maybe even give
some stuff to someone who has been of help to me in the past.
Sometime our best laid plans don't work
out and we need to find a new solution. That doesn't mean that our
intentions weren't good, it just means that we didn't necessarily put
enough thought into planning.
The great thing about God's love and
forgiveness is that God judges the thoughts and intents of the heart.
That means that if we have sinned unintentionally and we come to God
to repent that he will always forgive us. The most important thing
that God requires from us is a heart that is repentant when we sin.
So if you have slipped and fallen and
sinned before God, don't waste another minute to come before Him and
repent, for our Father is waiting with open arms to receive us.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Moving back
Trying to get everything moved back to
where it is supposed to be is quite a mission, but I have great joy
in knowing that I have a finished product that I am proud of. Like
everything else though restoration is a process.
That's exactly how God works in our
spiritual lives too. He allows times for us to experience His grace
and forgiveness through things in our world returning to a place of
wholeness. But restoration is not just a returning something to what
was before we experienced pain and brokenness, it is about bringing
that area of our lives to a place of newness but with the strength of
wisdom that this experience has now brought into our lives.
If you are in a place of pain and
brokenness right now, know that God will honour His word and that His
true joy will come in the morning! So hold fast to God's promises
and believe that Christ is your redeemer and restorer now and forever
more!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Home Reno – It's doooooooone!
Saturday, day 3 of the home reno was by
far the most stressful. I think I heard the guy accepting another
job starting Sunday, so I'm guessing he decided it was time to hurry
up and get done. The problem was he called in the cavalry with two
extra men and didn't let me know before hand, left me feeling very
uncomfortable.
Anyway, I was about to rush out to go
and get the paint when they called me upstairs with a problem. Seems
the original builders did a nasty and installed the drain trap
diagonally across the base of the shower instead of straight. The
new drain fitted but the metal plate at the top did not want to fit
in the normal position. Their solution was that I needed to go and
get new piping and an elbow fitting. I wasn't having any of that.
After looking at the problem myself I figured the plate would fit and
that all that was needed to fix the problem was to add two small
metal washers so that it would hook in properly.
With solution in hand I rushed off to
get the goodies and paint and then once that was done things smoothed
out for the day. What frustrated me though was that here are guys
who do this every day for a living, why could they not figure it out?
Why did I have to find the solution, a women with no plumbing
experience....... :-(
In our spiritual lives we can get
ourselves into a similar situation. Something small just doesn't fit
and then we want to throw in the towel. Lets use a practical
example. You feel you should have a quiet time in the mornings but
you are just not a morning person. Well then, grab a verse for the
day in the morning and do your quiet time at night.... problem
solved!
I'd like to encourage you not to let
small things trap you up in your relationship with God. Focus on the
bigger picture and figure it out.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Home reno – Demolition day
Yesterday was demolition day and oh my
it was noisy. To my surprise though I thought that once all the
goodies were knocked out that would be the end of the
banging......apparently not! They did however manage to get the
floor tiles laid, which is good progress.
Renovations are much like the work the
Holy Spirit does with us after we are saved. Salvation ensures the
immediate rebirth of our spirit from death to eternal life but the
renewing of our minds takes work and that is the Holy Spirit's job.
The Holy Spirit will take us through
some difficult times where our soul gets rough edges knocked off it
and maybe like carpets there are things that need to be ripped out as
well and like home renovations the process can be painful. The goal
though is the transformation of our hearts to reflect the image of
Christ.
Like home renovations too, the pain
eventually ends and we are left with a masterpiece of beauty that
brings glory to God.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Home reno – phase 2
I won't lie, I am totally stressed out
about tomorrow. Thoughts of banging walls and tiles and dust
everywhere do freak me out. I was going to do the painting myself
but the tiler offered to do it and I know it will save me a lot of
time and stress and with any luck by Saturday we'll be done with
Sunday left for finishing touches if necessary. I know I'm going to
have to wait a bit for the cement smell and paint fumes to dissipate
before I move back in but at least I'll also be able to get the
furniture back to its spot and that will open up my living space
again.
Rather than reaching for Calmettes or
Biral though I decided to head off to the gym for a quick spot of
aqua aerobics. That got me thinking that it is really sad how
quickly we reach for wine, cigarettes, chocolate or whatever our drug
of choice is to alleviate stress rather than using exercise. Worse
than that our minds run wild and we completely forget about the word
and how powerful it can be in guiding our thoughts. Don't get me
wrong, I'm just as guilty as anyone.
So if like me you are stressed out,
remember that God made our bodies to move and He made our hearts to
respond to His word, so declare that word today.....
I can do and live through all things in
Jesus name! Amen!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
If only for a traffic circle
How many times don't you get stuck at a
bad intersection that just blocks up traffic for miles and you know
it would all be sorted if there was only a traffic circle in place to
regulate traffic. Not a robot, no I think we have way too many of
those, just a simple circle. After all, who could steal a sim card
from a traffic circle..... Neh, ja I'm telling you it's true!!!
Traffic circles simply allow us to take
turns. Don't we need that in our relationships too as well? We get
so worked up and bent out of shape because we want our own way that
we sometimes just don't allow others to communicate their needs to
us. That tends to happen at work just as much as in romantic
relationships.
Does it happen with our relationship
with God? Yeh I suppose so. The Holy Spirit may be trying to guide
us and give us direction but because we are on our own mission we
don't listen and don't hear him and we miss our turn off or a change
of direction that He desires for us to take.
Next time you find your life paused for
a moment, stop and ask God to give you direction. Ask Him to show
you whether you should go straight or turn and take a different
direction. I know if you do you will find that the traffic in your
life starts to flow just a little bit easier.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Hiding behind the leaves
My scented geranium's have really taken
off and growing like crazy and I'm going to have to cut them back
somewhat to keep them under control. I got curious though and
decided to lift up the bush to see what was happening underneath and
what do I find? Snails. Now I'm sure snails have a role in the Eco
system somewhere but in my garden all they do is destroy stuff so I'm
afraid I have to be tough and get rid of them.
To my surprise though under the lilies
I have once again found a whole bunch of raspberry seedlings. The
last bunch I transplanted are having a rough time, so I figure I have
to let them get a little bigger with more roots before I move them.
I've even found a few blackberry seedlings as well, so who knows how
this will turn out but I'm quite excited about the discoveries.
Two sets of leaves with two different
discoveries, some positive, some negative. I suppose life presents
us with opportunities to pick our attitudes. If we choose to focus
on the negative we can easily allow the snails of life to chew up the
garden of our hearts. If we choose to focus on the positive, who
knows how much fruit you can produce in the future and where the
seedlings if growth will land.
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