Bye Bye 2011

When I think back on 2011, it really was a year of diversly contrasting seasons. So much so that it is hard to pick out one aspect of the year that really stands out because for every bit of joy there was also sorrow. As a family we rejoiced at the birth of a new baby in the family, yet also said a sad farewell to a grandmother. I cannot say it any better, so I will leave it to the writer of Ecclesiastes 3 to explain:

3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

As we ponder the thoughts of another year and say goodbye to 2011, we rejoice in the hope of wonderful blessings and stand firm in our faith that God will guide, preserve and protect our lives for another season. We believe in the promises of God and pray that the year ahead, 2012, will see some of those promises come true.

Happy New Year! May you know the presence of God in a new and wonderful way in the year ahead.

God Bless!

Signing off my last blog for 2011 :-)

Ronwyn Hughes

Why they call it the blues

Elton John sang it well, "I guess that's why they call it the blues, time on my hands could be time spent with you." Most of us attribute this trait of longing for companionship as merely a human need.

This is not true. In John 14 Jesus tells his disciples that He is going to prepare a place for us and that He will take us there too. The tone of the scripture shows Christs longing for us to be in His presence.

Thankfully we do not have to wait until Heaven to experience the presence of God. Through worship we can draw close God and feel the warmth of his love touching our hearts.

God's presence is also most felt through the loving arms of a good friend. We can show others the love Christ daily through the care we show them. Will you allow God to show His love to others through you today?

Boo

During our recent train trip home from Durban, a little boy came and stuck his head round our compartment door and then ran away. I thought it would be fun to start the "boo" game. So when I next heard the pitter patter of little feet, I waited, then pounced with a "boo" as his head rounded the corner.

After several repeats, with him running away every time, he rounded the corner again. This time instead of running away he looked at me with big eyes, then said boo back to me. His courage was so cute!

Often we come to God with fear and trepidation when Father God is just wishing we would just leap into his arms. God is waiting to see if you will have the courage to stare into his gaze and worship him.

When we respond to God in this way, we learn intimacy with God. This is his hearts desire for us.

It's off to Egypt we go

Joseph was warned in a dream to take Jesus to Egypt because Herod wanted to destroy baby Jesus. God provided a way out. I'm pretty sure Joseph wasn't keen on going to Egypt, but that is where God chose to send them.

The bible tells us that God will make a way in the wilderness. This means that when our lives are dry and barren and there seems to be no end to our spiritual drought that God will make a way for us to get out of that situation.

I suppose you could call this a 'second chance' if you like. There is nothing that God cannot redeem, but it does require us to have a heart that is willing to listen and obey. Joseph could have said, “it was just a dream” and ignored the warning, but he had the good sense to obey God.

If you are facing difficult circumstances, incline your ear to God and listen to his heart beat for you. When we are still before him, he will guide us through the wilderness to the other side.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Amidst the glitter, candles, bells, trees, turkeys, feasting and family fun, let us not forget the reason for our celebrations this blessed Christmas day. We gather to remember and celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord!

Many would deny the existence of our Lord, but this remarkable man has still split time, no other man has ever done that!

It wasn't only the star that guided the wise men to the crib that declares his majesty, but every sunrise, sunset and every star in the galaxies.

He is not worthy of our praise simply because the shepherds and wise men bowed before him, but because to those who declare him as saviour, he transforms lives every day for eternity.

So let us join the Angels as we declare, "Glory to God in the highest, peace and goodwill towards men!"

Happy Birthday Jesus!
And Merry Christmas everyone!

Its about the plan

The story of the Virgin birth was a triumph of the Trinity. A declaration that God's plan of salvation declared by the incarnation of God as man, confirmed to mankind that the promise of redemtion, had begun and would be fulfilled.

This plan, referred to by some as the 'Scarlet Thread', had woven itself through thousands of years of human history, beginning with Adam and reaching its pinnacle with the birth, life and death of Christ.

How often do we think of our lives as merely a dot on the canvas of time. Christ was not the only person who's life was planned through ages, our lives too are planned by God. We should not underestimate our significance.

We should take heart that if God's plan saw its fulfillment in Christ, then our lives too will be a fulfillment of God's plan for the people we will influence. Indeed we can stand tall and say, "He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it to the day of Christ!"

Oh little Donkey

It wasn't glamerous, the donkey that is. But I suppose it could be classified as the Toyota of it's time. Strong, dependable, consistent in it's performance. It got Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.

The Shepherds too were a humble audience, as witnesses to the Virgin birth. The only pomp and ceremony came from the choir of Angels, who proclaimed God's Glory.

The Holy night was peaceful and calm, foreshadowing a theme the Christ would often proclaim when dealing with his disciples and followers, "My peace I give unto you!"

Ka cluck, Ka cluck!

Ka cluck, ka cluck. Ka cluck, ka cluck. Such a relaxing sound as your train chuggs along the rails to it's destination. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower and with stops along the way.

The Christian walk is filled with stops, starts, sometimes slow and sometimes fast moments. God designed it that way. Each moment a lesson of his forgiveness, grace, kindness and mercy.

Our time on earth gives us the opportunity to learn more about God's character. Through every day, we learn to praise him more and more. As we do, we Grow in God and our relationship with him!

Got everything packed?

Mary must have been nervous. Planning a trip when you are 9 months pregnant must have been a nightmare. She must have wanted to pack the whole house.

We spend so much time and effort getting everything ready. We pack things, just in case we'll need them and usually never do. The point is we try to be prepared for every eventuality.

So why do we prepare for everything except our spiritual state? We usually put our spirituality on the "I'll deal with that when I get back" list. Let's challenge ourselves to not ignore God this festive season. Let's spend a bit more time pondering our relationship with God, than just saying thanks for sending Jesus into our world, on Christmas morning.

Wonder if they had fresh sheets?

I love the smell of fresh sheets and sleeping in fresh sheets even more. That makes me wonder if Mary and Joseph were able to get fresh sheets from the Inn Keeper? I know if I was the Inn Keeper I would have tried my best to accommodate the in distress couple that came to my door that night.

Doesn't it strike you as odd that God didn't choose to bring his son into the world, in a clinical, clean medical facility but in the mess of a smelly barn? I think the message is clear. We don't need to 'clean up our act' in order to meet the saviour of the world. God is ready to meet us, no matter where we are in life.

That doesn't mean we don't have to work to change, but that we can know meaning of Romans 8 v 1, which tells us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Jesus understands the sin state well, all he desires is that we come to him with a heart that is willing to change and grow in our relationship with him. As we allow his Spirit to work in us, we will be conformed to his image.

A joyous event

For most women, the time of pregnancy is the most joyous, exciting event. The joy of a new life, brings hope, anticipation and somehow a belief that they will be able to provide their child with a better childhood than their parents were able to afford.

Yet for other women, this "blessed" event brings with it an acknowledgment of failure and fear of being judged. I can well imagine the many thoughts that ran through Mary's mind when she learned of her Holy conception.

According to Jewish tradition, Mary was a young mother in her early teens. It would require of her a great deal of courage to deal with the arguments of her parents and the suspicions of neighbours, to stand firm in her faith in the message delivered by Angel.

There will come many opportunities for us to waver in our walk with Christ, but we should take heart in the example showed by a gentle Jewish girl, who delivered the hope for our eternity, into our mortal world.

Nearly chocked

I nearly chocked laughing. Picture the sight of a kitty pawing his way through my washing as he tries to climb inside my washing machine. I only JUST managed to get the camera out before his tail slipped inside the machine (granted it was a half load).

Cat's will push their way through anything despite the risk to satisfy their curiosity and desire to be curled up inside a snug little space. Cat's take risks, that's their nature. God wants us to have faith and trust him. Not acting in foolishness, but taking calculated risks with faith believing that God will provide.

God desires to bless us, but so often we miss out on what he has in store for us because we are afraid to take that leap of faith. Don't be! Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Have a plan, take action and have faith that God will meet you when you step out in faith for him!

Opportunity knocks

One thing you can learn from observing cat behaviour is to grab every opportunity as it comes. This behaviour is best observed once prey has been caught.

Whether consumed or not their senses after a catch are highly tuned. Given the opprtunity they will pounce on anything that moves A.S.A.P.

God will bring great opportunities our way. If we are not tuned into his Spirit though we may well miss them. We need to stay tuned into him at all times.

There are other opportunities we shouldn't miss either:

An opportunity to pray, praise and worship.
An opportunity to give kindness and love.
An opportunity to give thanksgiving.
An opportunity to give encouragement and exhort.
And an opportunity to share faith, hope and joy.

Not just for cup cakes

I neeeeeed it! That's what you'll hear from any kid who has decided they really, really want something. Are adults any different though? For the most part I don't think so. I'm not just talking about resisting your favourite cup cakes, chocolate or any other delicacy we enjoy.

I mean really being able to stop, think and make the right choices based on having taken into account the consequences of our choices. This also encompasses the area of our speech and how we deal with situations. That is where self-control comes in. We have to learn to hold back on rushing into decisions. Sadly though, if we haven't started as children to learn this valuable fruit of the spirit, we are in for a very painful time. Learn it though we must.

So how do we achieve that? First we have to recognise the need for development in that area. Then ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you to exercise restraint. Guess what? The only way you are going to learn self-control is by being placed in situations where that can be tested. The good news....... When you do, there are great benefits. Once God sees that he can trust us with a particular area, he will heap up responsibility, blessings and rewards. I think it is worth the rewards, don't you?

Cute little pup

For some strange reason when I think of the word faithfulness, the picture that first comes to mind is a cute labrodor puppy. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I know a cat will sell it's owners down the river and move in with the neighbors if it got better treatment there. Dogs on the other hand are loyal, faithful creatures that will stand by their owners side, no matter what.

Faithfullness is more than just loyalty though. God's word says that he if faithful to us, even when we are faithless. He waits for us to return to him when we have run away. He never moves from his position but stays steadfast in his commitment to us!

If you have turned away from God and are afraid to come home because you are scared he will scold you, don't be!!! Come home to God, he is faithful and will forgive you.... All he wants is for you to take the first step back his loving arms!

Feathers everywhere

I've learned to live with it! I've learned to live with the parktown prawns, the spiders, the feathers, the dead birds..... but imagine my shock when I arrived home to a house full of feathers. I pulled the curtain back, just to hear wings flutter behind the couch.

Naturally, being a GIRL, I ran out the house screaming and had to rely on the kindness of a neighbour, too once again to rescue me from the bird. Luckily we rescued this one alive and were able to set it free. Now in mommy of kitties language that equals big hidings. However on second thought, realizing that my little fur ball had left his precious birdie catch to come out and say hello to mommy as she arrived home, I had to reconsider. It did take all my strength though not to spank the little rascal!

The bible says the goodness and kindness of God leads us to repentance. In God's book we deserve punishment for our sin, but he gave us his most precious gift to ensure that we no longer have to pay the price for our sin nature, but gave us what we don't deserve, life everlasting!

It's up to the birds and bees

I've been really challenged these past few days as I have meditated on gentleness. I've always associated gentleness just with the way you touch people and animals, but I must admit this viewpoint is wrong.

Gentleness should go down to the core of who we are and eminate in us through everything we do. For me the toughest place to show this is in the workplace. The pace of city and corporate life makes it hard to stop and think before we speak. There is usually an urgency in getting work done which often leads us to be abrupt when we shouldn't be.

An important part of fruit development is pollination, best done by birds and bees. Maybe we have to look outside ourselves at the example of others who have gentler ways to learn the skills requird to be able to show gentleness.

If we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and surround ourselves with people that can positively impact our lives we will soon learn how to adjust our behaviour to display the remarkable fruit of gentleness.

Wait up!

Different translations of Galations 5:22 use the words patience and longsuffering interchangeably. Quite correct! There are times in life when you are going to be in for a looooooong, long wait and it is most likely going to be painful to do so. The trick is, is there purpose in your waiting?

The things in life that are truly worth while are definitely worth the effort. I said yesterday that we shouldn't rush to prophets for a word from God and that is because, in my experience, any time God does give you a prophecy, it means you are in for wait and you are going to need that word to hold on to.

Good things do come to those who wait upon the Lord! When we find our strength in him, our joy will be restored. Dig deep and find the faith to hold onto the promises God has given you for your life.

True North

Is peace merely the absence of war? Is peace the tranquil feeling in a still calm zone or a quiet breeze? Is peace the absence of conflict or a state of order? No, I think not! Peace is the anchor of our soul and a rock on which to build our faith.

Peace should be our guiding force and our compass true North. Many people ask God for signs to give them guidance or they seek a prophet to hear God's voice. Our strongest guidance should be the peace that surpasses all understanding. When circumstances tell you there is no hope, peace gives us strength to wait for God's timing.

We often rush and make hasty decisions based on need rather than trusting God to provide for every situation. Growing our fruit of peace requires learning to trust God when we would otherwise run. As we develop an understanding of the work of peace in our lives we can take the time necessary to make the right choices and decisions based on sound advice and trusted facts.

Rest in God's peace today and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you not by voices but a quiet centre of gravity that peace instills in our soul.

That cost how much?

We often think of joy as the emotions of elation and happiness with a great big sunny smile. We seldom associate joy with any form of pain, yet scripture challenges this perception. Hebrews 12 v 1&2, speaks of our life race. Being an athlete requires many hours of training and pain to become the best.

Verse 2 tells us that for the joy set before him, Christ endured the cross. What joy was that? Our salvation and reconciliation with God. This joy came with a hefty price tag.... His death. How often in life don't we desire great change, great results, but are unwilling to pay the price?

We need to have the courage to know that there will come times when we have to endure discomfort but becoming committed to the process, will yield results that can create fruit that will last a lifetime.

Honey and Syrup

Put some syrup and honey in a glass side by side and you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference just by appearance. One of the fruit of the spirit is love and for most of us that can be confusing because we assimilate love with romance. Just like syrup and honey though romance and God's love are very different.

God's love is unconditional. God's love is exemplified in action not in emotion. When God sent Jesus to die on the cross, he did not feel like doing it, but his love us compelled him to make the sacrifice necessary for our redemption. 

God's love is also not just 'liking' someone but the ability to act in a way that shows grace despite them being hurtful towards you. It is always difficult to show respect and dignity when others have offended or hurt us in some way, but it is in those situations that we get tested and are given an opportunity to truly learn how to show the love of God.

Learning to show God's love requires a great deal of work and we will truly need the help of the Holy Spirit to do so..... but then again, that is why it is called a fruit of the 'Spirit'.

Grapefruit galore!

I will never forget the day my dad came home with a bakkie load of grapefruit. I can't remember the reason for the windfall, but there were stacks. We were asked to call all the neighbours. Bags and bags went home with the neighbours, yet there were still a ton left. Of course we ate grapefruit till they came out our ears.

Galatians 5:22-24 talks about the fruit of the spirit. We all need to have these fruit in evidence in our spiritual walk. Some may come more naturally than others as our tempraments will dictate our strengths and weeknesses in this area.

Nevertheless, we should all strive to grow in our understanding and the exhibition of these fruit in our lives, so much so, that we will attract others to Christ through bearing these fruit in abundance.

Table Mountain, South Africa

I can only imagine the expression on António de Saldanha's face, when his ship rounded the cape and he took sight of Table Mountain for the very first time. He was the first European to land in Table Bay. He climbed the mighty mountain in 1503 and named it Taboa do Cabo (Table of the Cape, in his native Portuguese).

If you've ever done the trip back from Robin Island to Cape Town, you'll agree that Table Mountain's panorama, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic and breath-taking backdrop to Cape Town.

What is the backdrop to our lives? As we celebrate this final candidate of the New 7 wonders of nature, let us pause for a moment to consider the impression we will leave on people's hearts and minds. If there is one thing we should desire to be remembered for, it should be our faith! And..... if nothing else that we loved the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.

Puerto Princesa River, Philippines

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres north of the city centre of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The park has a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions, is the cause of the formation of caves.

Worldwide there are many limestone caves. These places have become natural habitations for animals, bats, aquatic life and ancient nomadic tribes. God desires that our hearts will be like limestone. As we allow the water of God's word to work in our lives it creates caves of spiritual habitation for the presence of God and a space where we can allow people into our lives so that they can be ministered too.

As the world celebrates The Puerto Princesa River as one of the New 7 wonders of the world, lets search our hearts to find the areas that have become hardened to God word. Ask God to soften your heart so that your life can be a habitable place for God and people.

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Komodo National Park was established in 1980 and was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1986. The park was initially established to conserve the unique Komodo dragon, first discovered by the scientific world in 1911 by J.K.H. Van Steyn. Since then conservation goals have expanded to protecting its entire biodiversity, both marine and terrestrial.

The Komodo Dragon is among the world's largest reptiles and can reach 3 meters or more in length and weigh over 70kg. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Their group behaviour in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion.

I wonder what lizards we have dominating our ecosystems? Is it relationship, financial or maybe physical or emotional issues? Life isn't easy and we all make mistakes, but if we take our eyes off God it is so easy to allow life to ambush us and take over and dominate our sphere of space.

As the world honours Komodo National park as one of the New 7 wonders of nature, let's choose to acknowledge the lizards in our lives. It isn't easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can ask God to search our hearts and make us sensitive to the issues we need to deal with.

Jeju Island, South Korea

Jeju Island is a volcanic island, dominated by Halla-san (Halla Mountain): a volcano 1,950 metres high and the highest mountain in South Korea. The island measures approximately 175 kilometres across, end to end, at the widest points. The island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions and consists chiefly of basalt and lava.

Volcanic islands are created as the earth plates move over volcanic hotspots. As the lava flow cools from contact with the ocean, it becomes hard. Future eruptions then increase the growth of the island as each successive eruption cools. Although some islands have become habitable, their disruptive nature never goes away.

We all have weaknesses in our temperament, problem areas that never seem to disappear. The only thing we can do is ask God to send the cooling waters of his Holy Spirit to come and calm the trouble zone.

As the world celebrates Jeju Island as one of the new 7 wonders of nature, allow God's spirit to do a work in you so that others will marvel at his handy work in you.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil

The waterfalls of the Iguazu River are located on the border of the Brazilian State of Parana and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The name "Iguazu" essentially means “Big Water”. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipi, who fled with her mortal lover Taroba in a canoe. In a rage the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

Numerous islands along the 2.7 kilometre long edge divide the falls into about 275 separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 metres and 82 metres high. About half of the river's flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil's Throat.

When we run away from God's love we may often find ourselves thrust deep into our enemies throat. This may well cause us to fall hard and find parts of our lives split as it were into little islands. Ironically, the areas surrounding these great waterfalls are coverd in rich and fertile land. Our failures can break us to a degree, but if we get up, learn from our mistakes and move on, we can find ourselves in the richest spiritual state ever.

As the world celebrates Iguazu Falls as a new wonder of nature, allow God's grace to turn your failures into a fertile bed from which to rebuild your life and show forth God's wondrous miracles of life.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

The meaning of Halong Bay is literally, "descending dragon”. According to local legend, when Vietnam had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders. To assist the Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders.

The climate of the bay is tropical, wet, sea islands, with two seasons: hot and moist summer, and dry and cold winter. The average temperature is from 15°C- 25°C, and annual rainfall is between 2000mm and 2200mm. The bay consists of a dense cluster of between 2,000 and 3,000 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, rising spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves.

Jade is an ornamental stone. The term jade is applied to two different types of metamorphic rock that are made up of different silicate minerals. There are times in our lives when we may be faced with invasion by our enemy Satan. God often uses a process of changing our reactions to certain events to bring about calm. Once these new traits are learned they can become fertile in our lives and be like islands of calm bringing peace into the situation.

If God is bringing change in your life, receive it as a jewel from him that will one day bring a calm similar to the waters in Halong Bay. As the world recognises this area now as one of the 7 wonders of nature, so too, those close to you will see the wonder of God's hand upon your life.

The Amazon rain forest

The Amazon basin encompasses 7 million square kilometers that spans nine nations. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest and most species-rich in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world.

Environmentalists are concerned about loss of biodiversity if the forest is destroyed, which could accelerate global warming. The use of remotely sensed data is dramatically improving conservationists' knowledge of the Amazon Basin.

A study of the record number of plants, animals and insect species living in the Amazon, declares the Glory of a God who revels in creating a planet in intense intricacy and detail, so we should never doubt that God has a unique interest in the details of our lives!

It is great testamont to God's creation that the Amazon rain forest has been declared one of the New 7 wonders of nature!

So you want to go back to Egypt?

I remember a school play we did one year. My favourite part was about the children of Israel bemoaning their plight because they were stuck in the desert.

The gist of it was that they thought they were better off in Egypt than being in the desert because at least in Egypt they were well fed. Well yeh, you have to feed slaves if you want them to work.

We all get stuck in the past at some stage or another, but we cannot afford to romantisize the past. The truth is that if we are honest about things, there are things in our past that we all can do without.

If we don't focus forward we might miss the miracles that God is about to do; the quails, the manna, the water from the rock..... They go away if we turn back.... We have to keep going forward.

Jaloppy

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 6 (last one :-)

The trip home was hot but pleasant. Past all our landmarks, including SAPPI (ewe) and the tunnel. Another stop at Milly's to pick up a few last goodies for home.

Arriving in Pretoria, we were both greatful that at least from the mechanical side, all had gone well. Tamsyn's little reliable Golfie, had got us home safe!

We all love to have new things; iPad's, Blackberries and BMW's.... But sometimes it is better to place our trust in the tried and tested and I can think of no better place to place my trust, than in the 'Ancient of days' !

All you can eat buffet

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 5

On Sunday, while Tamsyn went to visit a friend, I popped down to the lobby, to help myself to the buffet. Most restaurants and hotels know this is a cost effective way to serve meals, because people can seldom eat more than a certain amount. You do run the risk of wastage though.

The devil loves to trip us up on deals that are too good to be true and other luscious temptations. We need to continuously guard our hearts against his charms.

After that it was a short stop past the Mbombela soccer stadium before heading out on our way home.

Thoughts of cuddling my kitties and sleeping in my own bed now foremost on my mind.

Tripped up

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 4

Arriving at Lowveld High was a special moment. Taking a walk through the school grounds brought back memories, some good, some bad. So much has changed, yet in some ways nothing has changed.

Seeing school mates whom I hadn't seen, some for over 20 years, was fun. I think the same could be said of the people, some had changed alot, others not so much.

I was beginning to think my Nelspruit jinks was a thing of the past, when....... I caught my shoe in a whole and down I went and hurt my hand in the process. A quick thinking classmate got ice onto it quickly which prevented some swelling. My battered ego was the worst affected though.

In our relationship with God, complacency can be our biggest downfall. When we forget to watch our step we can trip ourselves up and get hurt in the process.

Keep God foremost in your consiousness. A heart anchored in God will seldom be swayed.

24 Tambotie Street

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 3

We arrived in Nelspruit and I was truly amazed at the growth and change. We stopped to buy lunch, then it was off too the Nelspruit Botanical gardens. I am biased and do think they are the most beautiful in the country, especially the expansions and addition of an african rain forest!

After a pit stop at the hotel it was off to the reunion, but not before stopping at our old family home, 24 Tambotie Street, and my what a change.

We used to have an open plot next too the house where my dad had a mini pawpaw plantation, now occupied by a new house. Any vegitation that was left, has grown gigantic. There were some changes I didn't like, but I suppose I don't have a say.

I suppose therein lies the lesson. We often build an altar at the memories of our past because we somehow think things are better there. God doesn't want that. He wants us to live in the now. Remember the good memories, live for now and hope in a future blessed by God.

Wooooooooow SAPPI that's bad!

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 2

So you're driving along nicely, in awe of the beauty of the majestic subtropical mountains that are covered in greenery and trees, right to their peaks, when........ You come across Ingudwana.

This is the home of SAPPI's paper mill and what is that lovely by-product? Oh my word! It's a sulphur bomb! A giant fart that lasts for kilometers. :-D

The sad thing about this, as I've been told, is that if you've been landed the sad misfortune of having to live in the 'fart zone', that the human brain has the ability to just say, "well that smell isn't going away, so I'll just ignore it". Then it just switches off and you just can't smell it any more.

The question we have to ask ourself is, what spiritual bad smells have we just learned to live with? What have you just switched off too, that you really just should get away from?

I don't know about you, but I think it's time to apply for a transfer and get away from there!!!!! :-)

NZASM

Nelspruit road trip 3 - part 1

So ........ After 2 bad trips to Nelspruit I should have thought twice before accepting an invitation to attend my own high school reunion. However, after having had a really difficult year with the passing of my gran and other personal challenges, I decided alittle fun was in order.

As you begin your decent down the escarpment, past Waterfal Boven, you go past one of Mpumalanga's oldest land marks and an engineering feat in it's time - The NZASM tunnel. The original rail tunnel completed in 1883 to link the inland region to the then Delagoa Bay. The road tunnel was completed many years later.

As you exit the road tunnel going East you are greeted by the beautiful splendour of the Elands River valley.

In life we all want to get to the beautiful valley but seldom are we willing to do the work required to build the tunnel required for our safe passage. Growing in God required that we will be willing to dig through the word of God to find the path that God desires for us.

Don't get weary of the work required, the rewards are so magnificent they would be sad to miss.

Shut up and drive

Nelspruit road trip 2

Years later, my sister Jacquie wanted to go to Nelspruit for a school reunion. She flew up to Jhb and we were to drive down together in my 1 year old Hyundai Atos. (I must add that it had just been for it's first service).

In our excitement we forgot to consult a map and were yakking so much we kinda lost focus and ended up on the Pretoria road via Midrand. My sister said, no worries, she knew her way from PTA.

I noticed my car was over heating but after stopping to fill up the radiator fluid we reckoned we were okay. Just outside Witbank.... My car broke down (beginning to see a patern?)

A tow truck, hotel room, taxi drive via Dullstroom and lift to Nelspruit later, we finally arrived at the reunion. Amusingly at several times during my now 2nd ill-fated trip, the song "Shut up and drive" kept popping up on the radio.

In life we will have detours, breakdowns and will have to rely on others to get us to our destination, but we just must not stop. Just keep going, keep the faith and with the help of a few Angels we'll get there eventually.

Waiting for the bus

Nelspruit road trip 1

A few months after I moved to Joburg permanently I was feeling a bit home sick. Mom suggested as a distraction that I go to Nelspruit (where I grew up) and visit one of my best school buddies, Tamsyn.

With my bus ticket booked I headed off to the bus station. The Joburg coach would go through Pretoria first before heading off to Nelspruit. Just outside Pretoria....... The bus broke down.

Now this was before cell phones so getting a message back to Head Office took some time. Then they had to organize a replacement bus. A few hours later a new bus arrived, we did the switch and eventually got to Nelspruit at around 2am.

Sometimes in life, we can have the right ticket, be on the right coach and even on the right path and still end up hitting a problem. Don't let set backs distract you from your path. Just wait on the Lord, he will restore your strength and get you to your destination.

We have to learn to just trust him!

Chubby mouse

Mouse to Garfield: How'd you get so fat?
Garfield to mouse: Eating chubby mice.
Mouse to Garfield: Let me rephrase that.

Very funny, but there really is a moral to that story. There are often answers to questions we ask that we feel unprepared for. That's because those answers will fundamentally change the way we live and behave.

What we need to remember is that God's devine order and providence will never lead us into anything he has not prepared us for, we just don't know that yet.

Yes the devil does come to test us, but it is in those times that we learn the meaning of the answer God gave the apostle Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you."

Easy does it

We all know the analogy that an Oak tree is simply an acorn that stood it's ground. Seeds need time in the soil in the right conditions with nutrients and moisture to make them grow.

In younger years, youthful enthusiasm lead me to rush into projects. It's not that I didn't take the time to think things through, but rather that I didn't allow those ideas time to germinate.

The bible says that we need to let the word of God dwell in us richly. This means that we need to allow the word of God to take root in us, so that it can mature and bring forth good fruit.

This applies equally to the dreams we have. We need to allow God time to germinate our visions so that as they grow the wind will not simply blow them away.

If you have a dream, don't give up on it! We don't see the germination process but when our dream grows slowly but surely we can be assured that it will endure and stand the test of time.

Attention shoppers

My gran reminded me of an incident from when I was around 4 years old. Our family was shopping at a supermarket when I somehow got separated from my parents.

I must of being paying attention that day as I had noticed the man at the info desk making announcements with the microphone. I marched my 4 year old self to the info desk to ask them to announce that I was lost. Sure enough, mom soon arrived.

It is easy for us to wander away from God's presence. Don't wait for God to use the megaphone to get your attention, learn to hear his still small voice and return to his presence.

Bed time stories

I sometimes struggle to get my kitties settled at night, so a little trick I've learned is to just sit quietly in their room and wait for them to come to their baskets. I remember well the soothing feeling of having my mom read us bed time bible stories when we were kids.

So I decided that the time used settling kitties presented a wonderful opportunity to catch up on my bible reading. Being still really helps to focus on the word and get the best benefit out of it.

So if you're a busy parent, struggling to find time for your bible reading, try keeping your bible in the your kids room (out of harms way of course). Then once bed time stories are done, you can be still for a few moments and do your reading while the kids doze off to dream land :-)

Nighty night little dreamers.......Zzzzzz!

Oooops No GPS

Before taking mom back to the station yesterday, we both spent lots of time checking map books for directions. My prefuse statements that I knew how to get there by "following my nose," just weren't any comfort to my 'have to be sure' mom.

After much adoo we'd mapped out our course. Problem was, no amount of good directions helped as the streets were just not marked clearly enough. So in the end sniffing out my way worked once again.

So why does this techno junkie not have a GPS? Because I simply don't need one. In my early years in Joburg, I got lost so many times, that I eventually managed to landmark my way through most of the city.

When we are getting to know the word of God it can be difficult to remember where last we saw a particular scripture. To help with that I would encourage you to use a highlighter and mark these scriptures. No it's not sacrilegious to do that, it will really help.

Pretty soon, you'll learn to sniff your way through the bible without needing a search function. So go for it and happy marking.

Gautrain fun

Wow, wow and wow again! Today mom and I went on our first Gautrain joyride to Pretoria to visit my cousins and their beautiful daughter Zoe.

I can't say it was a totally new experience as my family was fortunate enough to do a European tour some years ago and we had used both the London and Paris underground.

The ease of travel, speed and efficiency made the trip an absolute pleasure. But think about it...... A train can on only run on an existing laid track.

When we live our lives according to he word of God, it is like running on a laid track. All we have to do is stick to it and the destination is guarenteed.

When Jacaranda's bloom

If you're a student you may have heard it said that if you haven't started studying by the time the Jacaranda's bloom then you've left it too late.

There is a season for eveything in life. The problem is that we often build an altar at the point of our success or failure.

We should remember that failure isn't fatal with God. He is able to redeem everything. Success should be celebrated in humility and gratitude to God for his Grace.

In both cases though we need to be able to pause to ponder then move forward into God's destiny for us! Keep on moving!

Caught napping

We all oversleep at some time, some more than others :-) Well this morning was my turn. I thought I'd hit the snooze button but obviously not. Jumping out of bed at 6:15 meant I had to move fast and change my routine to catch up.

Spending time reading the word should be a crucial part of our Christian walk. We all get derailed at some point though and the loss of momentum can leave us feeling lost.

Getting back on track can be easier than you think. There are many tools out there that can assist you with getting going. If you have access to internet, you can google 'Bible reading plan' and you'll be shown a stack of sites.

No internet? Don't stress. I suggest you start with the book of John in the New Testament and continue through the New Testament and then stop with Jude if you're a novice. You can track your progress with a simple spreadsheet or a manual list.

A bit more of a practical post for today, but I hope it helps someone :-)

Cool breeze

One of the greatest joys of a summer evening, is a cooling breeze of the late evening. It refreshes, calms and revives after a long hot day. In our spiritual lives the Holy Spirit is our breeze when we are weary.

The role of the Holy Spirit is not only to be our comforter and standby but to refresh our spirits when when we are weary. When we spend time in his presence he revives and restores us and gives us strength.

Maybe you haven't experienced his presence, if that is the case, all you need is to have a relationship with him. How do you do that? Just say this prayer, “Holy Spirit, I invite you into my heart, come into my heart and refresh my soul. Help me to grow in my relationship with God. Thank you Jesus that I can trust you to send your Spirit to me.” Amen!

Made to move

Recently I've experienced some problems with painful joints and hips. Hestitant to go to gym for fear of making the problem worse, I used that as an excuse not to go.

This week I decided to put excuses behind me and head off to gym. To my surprise getting back to gym brought quite a bit of relief to the problem.

You see our bodies are made to move and when we do we function better. The same is true for our spiritual lives, the less we move in our spiritual life the harder and more painful it is to do.

We have to make a start somewhere and once you do, momentum will follow. If your spiritual joints are a bit tight, I want to encourage you to get moving and ask God to help you to get back on track with him.

M.I.B

I remember the scene right at the end of the first Men in Black movie when they open the locker door only to realize that we are tiny creatures in an Alien Universe..... :-)

We all look at the smallest creatures on our planet and marvel at how small they are. Really though from space our entire planet is really small.

You see it's all about perspective. So often we get wrapped up in our troubles. We all just need to take a step back and see the bigger picture.

When we do this we'll soon be able to focus on our great God and be able to take a deep breath while we seek God for guidance.

From scratch

A few years ago I made some big mistakes. I took my eye off having faith in God and started trying to live life very much in my own strength. Disaster struck and I was forced to make some big corrective changes in the way I managed my life.

The learning curve was hard and painful, but I have learnt so much through it all. I have learned afresh God's grace and forgiveness. The other thing that I have had to learn from scratch is how to live by faith.

Psalm 37:4 reads, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." As I have drawn closer and closer to God he has once again taught me how to live by faith.

I'm seeing now again that as I commit my desires to him, wait on his guidance and act in faith how he provides. God desires for us to have joy in him and to celebrate life.

If you have given up on faith, why don't you draw near to God and allow him to care for you!

It was a couch affair

Ever since I bought my town house in 2004 I have wanted to buy a good sleeper couch. I made up my mind as to what amount I wanted to spend and searched. I just never have been able to find something I liked at a price I was happy with.

A short while ago I saw a couch I really liked at House & Home on 14^th avenue going for R4000. I kept it in the back of my mind but carried on looking. On the Sunday after my wardrobes arrived, I took some time out for coffee and cake at one of the shopping centres close to me. I had forgotten that there was a House & Home there too and when I went inside there was the couch I wanted..... marked “Was R4000 now R2500”.

I had to act quick because the sale was about to end....but I got it! When we learn to wait for God's timing he brings the best blessings into our lives. The trick is that God's timing is not our timing. Learning to wait on God is hard but the rewards are amazing.

Wag n bietjie (Wait a bit)

In life we are often in such a rush for a solution to a situation that we make hasty decisions. The Afrikaans term "wag n bietjie" (wait a bit) is usually used to calm someone down when they are rushing you.

Psalm 27:14 says "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." We need to learn to be patient with our dreams. God's timing is perfect and when we rest in that fact we allow God the opportunity to exercise his sovereignty in our lives and bring about the perfect result.

When the heart is ready the solution will appear, so trust God today and let him fulfill your hearts desires as only he can :-)

That's Joburg for you!

In the past I've wasted much time and energy stressing about bad traffic. This often lead to feelings of depression, thinking life's not worth it.

Last week from two different sources God gave me Jeremiah 29:11 (when God does that it's time to listen), "For I know the thoughts I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future ".

It would seem from this that small things like bad traffic don't change God's plans for us, so why do we let it bother us? I think God is telling us that we are on track with his plans and we need to rest in that assurance.

Sure I'll have to work the time back but that's a minor problem. I'm not saying I'll never get annoyed by bad traffic again, but I think I'm gaining some new perspective.

Satan will use any ploy he can to throw us off track with our future, remember God's word and cleave to that truth.

Have you got your key?

Friday morning as I left home, I arrived at my front door, handbag over my shoulder and realized that I had left my keys on the kitchen counter. I said to myself, "You're not going to get far without your keys."

This really got me thinking. We require keys for so many facets of life; driving cars, locking houses, suite cases, post boxes and many more. We use these keys to specify our ownership over an object, provide security and seperate our possessions. What is our greatest spiritual key and how do we use it? Faith!

It is by faith that we are saved (ownership) and call ourselves children of God (seperation). The word says, "the just shall live by faith!" Surely that should be our security that we know that by faith we have power to live.

Well I took my keys from the counter and toodled off to work. Do you have your keys?

DNA

Tell any young child that you knew his/her mommy before they were born and the concept just won't register. I think this has something to do with the fact that they are fresh out of the womb and their bodies are still infused with creation DNA.

They always say that out of the mouth of babes comes forth truth, so maybe we should be thinking twice before we dismiss their enthusiastic spirit as they eagerly argue that they have been in existence forever.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that in Christ we are a new creation. Our old spirit dies and we are reborn with with a new spirit that is embeded with the eternal DNA of God.

The only thing standing in the way between us and eternal life is our acceptance of Christ as saviour.

Blocked remote

This evening I had to go to Clearwater mall on my way home from work. As I was about to leave my car I pressed the remote, but this time my car didn't lock. I tried it a number of times but it just would not lock.

The media has beed full of reports of remote blocking, so following my instincts, I locked my car manually. Sure enough when I got home, my remote worked fine.

We would like to forget that we live in a fallen world, but the hard truth is that this earth is currently ruled by Satan. When we least expect it, he blocks our spiritual signal connection to God.

Wisdom from God is our greatest strength. When we feed our spirits with the word of God we deposit power to guide is when the lights go out. If our spiritual batteries are not charged, we may loose precious time as we try to recover from an attack.

Let's heed the spiritual warnings and charge our batteries with the word of God daily.

What’s up with Nineveh?

We are all very familiar with the book of Jonah, but most of us miss the connection with the book of Nahum. Why did God have two books dedicated solely to declaring Nineveh's fate and why did he send his prophet Jonah there in the first place? Why did God want to destroy it? 

 

Firstly, as a central trade district would mean that it could act as a catalyst for spreading of the gospel. Secondly, this area is in the vicinity where we believe the Garden of Eden lay. I believe this land held great value to God and seeing this area transformed into an idol worshipping center would have enraged him. 

 

How does this apply to our lives now? We cannot live one in church and one in the world. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to change us so that we can live focused on our jobs and also treat our work and colleagues in a way that shows God’s love, grace and mercy. 

 

Worship is not just the singing part of a church service. Worship requires us falling in love Jesus and having our hearts drawn to him in a deep and meaningful way. If we don’t allow the words to impact our hearts and attitudes, we may as well be singing secular songs instead.

God’s desire is that we would be able to live our lives with our faith and worship centered in him and that his life permeates every area of our existence.

Shaving cream

I once had a youth pastor named Bo Nielson. Youth camps with Bo became legenday for one thing, shaving cream fights. Of course when my family moved from Nelspruit to Empangeni, I was determined to continue the tradition at my next youth group.

One youth camp in particular turned into a duzzie for an all out war of the battle of the sexes. Somehow a mole leacked my plans for an attack on the boys and the guys schemed a plan to manufacture a "stink potion".

Naturally...... Myself and a few co-horts raided the boys bungallow and stole the potion and all their stock of shaving cream while they were out on a game drive. Need I say more... War followed :-)

I say all this to remind us that as adults we take life all to seriously. We need to unwind and have some fun and let the kid in us come out. God has a great sense of humour and delights in seeing us enjoy life!

Mmmm, maybe it's time for a little mischief!

Music and lyrics

Having a musical background myself, I often listen to songs on the radio and find myself humming along.

Most good songs have catchy melody's, but ironically the music itself has a short lifespan, but the words can last thousands of years. We see this with David's Psalms that have immortalized in scripture.

Our lives are like music and lyrics. When our bodies die, our music ends, but our lyrics (our soul and spirt) go on for eternity.

What are people going to remember about you when they read the lyrics of your life? I'm hoping that I'll be remembered for having a heart after God!

Pendulum

I'll admit that I'm the type of person that can get quickly flustered.  Small problems can often trigger feelings of anger or anxiety.  Unfortunately life finds a way to bring situations like that across our paths regularly.  At times like that it can be difficult to get centered, calm and able to focus again. 

A pendulum very simply works on a principle that a suspended weight bob can swing back and forth until gravities force brings it back into the equilibrium position (still).  So how do we get to a point of emotional and spiritual equilibrium?

What works for me is to have easy access to either scripture or a devotional that can bring my wandering thoughts back to God.  As I read and meditate on God, I find my soul is gently calmed and I can more quickly find peace and continue to focus on other activities that require my attention. 

Will you try it for yourself and find peace in our hectic world?

The voice

The program “The Voice” has just launched in SA. What I find inspiring about it is that contestants are judged on nothing else except the quality of their voice. Nothing stands in their way, not first impressions, weight, height, race, gender.... just raw talent.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells of the parable of servants who are given differing values of talents (money). Two use them to make make more money, but one buries his talent. Each of the servants who multiplied their talents are given more, but the one who hid his, has it taken away and given to the servant to earned the most.

This may seem unfair, but God doesn't mince his intentions as to what he wants us to do with the gifts he has given us. Romans 11:29 tells us that the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable, meaning that God will never take back a gift he has given us. He does not regret any gift that he has bestowed on us and wants us to use them to the full.

Are you using your gifts and talents for God?

Vat hom fluffy

Yes there are times in life when we go down to a hefty tackle by our enemy Satan. We may sustain major injury in the process. Luckily we can recover.

We have two things to look forward too. First there are times when we will get turnover ball. It's called Romans 8:28 - All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Bad things will happen but when we give them to God, he will make something good come out of it!

Then there is the final score. You see even if we get to 78 minutes and the score is against us, God has already scripted the end. We WILL win this game because no weapon formed against us can withhold us from our glorious victory of an eternity with God!

So when you get on the field (wake up in the morning), look at yourself in the mirror and say, "Vat hom fluffy" (go get him tiger), because God is already winning the battle for you!

Ankle tap tackle

Picture it... you've got the ball, an apparent clear space ahead, you set off in a sprint. Then out of the blue, from behind, a hand grabs your ankle and kaduf....down you go!

A few well trained rugby players have a keen sense of balance and can either roll and bounce up or with a quick adjustment can avoid going down and overcome the tackle.

Well our spiritual game is similar to a ball game in some aspects. There are times when our path is clearer allowing us an opportunity to gather speed. Satan hates this and sometimes all he can manage is an ankle tap tackle.

We have a choice. These tackles are relatively unimportant obstacles, like a missed bus, too much time in traffic, a que when you are in a hurry. Nothing that on a better day would have little effect on you.

You can choose to maintain your cool and recover quickly or you an allow it to blow your fuse. Learning to overcome these challenges will be an important part of your spiritual growth.

Spoeg and polish

Well my wardrobes I've been waiting for finally arrived yesterday, bringing with them lots of memories and weird emotions. Getting them into the house and settled in required a lot of hard work. They needed lots of cleaning and polish before they would be useful.

This makes me think about a spiritual state of being run down. God calls this backsliding. It is the state our spirits get to when we neglect our relationship with God and church and we allow ourselves to be filled with dust and junk.

In Jeremiah 3:22, God calls us to return to him and he promises that he will heal our backsliding. This means that he will restore us to our full spiritual state of being close to him and also means that he will cleans us and heal any areas of our lives that need restoration.

Do you need a little spoeg (spit) and polish? Heed God's call and return to him and he will heal you.

Faces in the mirror

I'm always so amused by the great lengths my unusually camera shy kitties will go to, to avoid being photographed. It's as if the thought of a glaring lense capturing their likeness is to invasive for little creatures who don't like to gaze at their reflection in the mirror.

This reminds me somewhat of what the Apostle James wrote in James chapter 1 where he tells us that forgetting the word is like a man looking into the mirror and forgetting what he looks like.

We need to behold ourselves in the mirror of God's word, for it is as we gaze on Christ that our reflection is changed to mirror the saviour we behold.

Will you you gaze on Christ today and allow him to transform your heart?

His strength is perfect

So often in life we face situations where our expectations or dreams get shattered.  In times like this when the pain is so strong, it helps to know that we have a God who has felt our pain and can respond with love. 

Steven Curtis Chapman has a beautiful song about this and the chorus says," His strength is perfect when our strength is gone, He'll carry us when we can't carry on, raised in his power the weak become strong, His strength is perfect!" 

If you are facing disappointment right now, know that God sees your heart and knows how you feel.  God said to Paul, my grace is sufficient for you.  We sometimes think grace is weakness, but it is not, it is God's strength carrying us through our heartache. 

Oh please get organized!

Being a natural organiser myself, nothing frustrates me more than other peoples inability to plan, especially when it disrupts my schedule. There are various problems with this controlling tendency.

First, stressing about the problem is futile. There is good reason the bible tells us to caste our burdon on Jesus. Stressing won't change the outcome.

Second, when are over controlling we try to solve the problem ourselves, instead of making the responsible person take accountability. This disables their own learning process.

Lastley, controlling behavior typically shows little grace to the recipient of our frustration. Learning to be graceful during a crisis will require great personal constraint.

Now just in case you were wondering, this was another sermon to self. Hope someone else can benefit from it though :-)

What's on the cover?

Most people underestimate the value of a file label.  That is until the day they need to find something they filed a few years ago.  We are taught not to judge a book by its cover in order to avoid a judgemental attitude, yet we seldom remember that we all labelled uniquely based on our own attributes.

 

Colossians 3:3 tells us that we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God.  What does this really mean?  This means that when we accept Christ as saviour our old nature (the sinful one) no longer exists.  To be hidden with Christ means to be tucked in, unseen from the outside.  This would be something like a small baby Kangaroo in its mothers pouch.  From the outside you cannot see that the baby is there, you only see the mother.

 

When God looks at us, he no longer sees us, He sees Christ and the price that he paid for our salvation.  God only sees a blood washed lamb, because we have been hidden away.  All our sins are covered under the protective blood of Christ and that is why we can boldly proclaim that we are Christians, little Christ like ones.

 

That is our true label – Child of God!

 

 

Grave test

All of us struggle with bad habits of one kind or another.  We often hear people say, "I just can't kick that habit."  It can be smoking, drinking, swearing, abusive talk, the list goes on.  The reason we struggle with these habits is that over time we start to assimilate that habit with who we are (our identity).  If it then becomes part of our identity then giving up that habit becomes a denial of self.

I have to challenge this concept.  We are made up of spirit, soul and body.  When we die, our body gets destroyed but our soul and spirit leave together.  Our true identity is in who we are in soul and spirit.  I would like to call this the 'grave test'.  If your habit will stay in the grave when you die, it is not part of your identity. 

When you can separate your 'being' from your 'doing' you should be more clearly able to tackle the problem at hand.  Why hang on to something you can't take with you?  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  Be strong in God, face your habits and deal with them!

 

Beautiful noise

Whenever I listen to my cats purr, I am reminded of Neil Diamond's song “It's a beautiful noise....it's the sound that I love”. Listening to them purr has a great calming effect and brings great joy.

I also noticed recently that they use the same vocal registers as humans do when singing. By this I mean that the sound is vibrated in the same parts of the body as human voices, i.e. the head, throat and chest.

If all creation shouts God's praise, shouldn't we lift our voices to the heavens and declare his goodness. When you praise the Lord, it is a beautiful noise in his ear that makes him stop and listen.

Naughty little rascals

Going out to visit friends at night is always fun.  My cats especially enjoy the activity and upon my return usually greet me with lots of hyperactive and disobedient play.

It may surprise you, but our natural response to God is not of love as you would think, but rather that of rebellion.  It requires a process of gentle wooing by the Holy Spirit before we are really ready to receive God's presence.

Where are you in that process with God?  Do you still feel yourself pulling away from the tender drawing of the Holy Spirit?  If you do, know that this is normal.  Ask God to help you come to that place of surrender, so that you can enjoy the fullness of his presence.  

Doesn't quit fit right

Rearranging the furniture can be tricky. You can only find out if you like an arrangement once you've spent time in that space. I had a location picked for one of the new wardrobes, but after being in the room a day or two, it just doesn't feel right, so it will have to be changed.

Something else that just doesn't work for me is trying to have a dedicated time of prayer in the morning. If you are anything like me, you'll know what I mean. I wake up in the morning and everything has to get done on 'auto pilot' because I just don't really wake up till about 9am.

Religion has tried to train us that we should always start our day right with the Lord, and in theory that is a good practice and if you are an early bird like my mom, spending time with God at 5am is the most blessed time of the day.

What we need to remember is that we are all unique, so you must find a time to meditate on God when our heart and mind will be most receptive to his presence and leading. For me that's at night. If you are not in a routine of spending time with God, maybe you should give that some thought as you will definitely see a change in your relationship with him once you do.

Table mountain coffee

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to win a free air ticket through my cell phone provider on their summer promotion. Eager to get away from Johannesburg I headed straight off to Cape Town. I had a fabulous week of relaxation.

One day while strolling down the road, I stopped at a quaint coffee shop for coffee and cake. They had a beautiful window seat looking straight up at Table Mountain. In awe of the mountains beauty, I was keenly aware of God's presence in that moment.

I said a prayer of thanks to God for the opportunity and I felt I heard him say, "My child, if I had to fly you 1200 km to have coffee with you, it was well worth it!" Gods has such a deep desire for us to fellowship with him, that he would do anything to get our attention.

Will you surrender to God's call for intimacy?

What's going on mom?

Today I have been rearranging my bedroom furniture in anticipation of
my expected 'new' wardrobes.  I was expecting my babies (my cats) to
get quite nervous about the new layout.

To my surprise, the new set up created a lot of energetic play and no
fear as I had expected.

I think sometimes in life we are afraid to make the changes we need to
because we are afraid of the response we will get to our decision.

We need to be bold in our resoluteness to make changes in our lives.
God is waiting on the other side ready to bless us!  Be bold and step
out for God!

Loyalty points

While shopping this weekend, the thought struck me, that it is amazing how stores have cottoned on to the fact that we are all really just creatures of habit.

A huge amount of stores and even banks offer you cash back loyalty points if you shop with them regularly. Thereby cashing in on an existing human habit.

Our relationship with God is a little different though. We go to God saying, "bless me and I'll be loyal to you". The thing is, God doesn't want our loyalty, he wants our devotion.

What's the difference? Loyalty is given with an expectation of return, while devotion requires a full heart surrender without the possibility of reward.

Thirst

In John 4 Jesus challenges a women to give him water. He then says to her that if she knew who he was that she would ask him for living water. Naturally she asks him where she can get this magical water. Water is essential to life. So too, we need a special type of water on a daily basis to sustain our spiritual walk. This water finds it's source in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2 we see the account of how the disciples received the Holy Spirit. How can we do this today, do you have to be in Church? No you don't. You can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit right in the privacy of your home. All you have to do is ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart in a special way, and fill you with his power. Ask him to give you the gift of speaking in tongues which is our heavenly language. This language will give you the ability to speak to God directly in a secret language that the devil does not understand.

If you haven't done it yet, pray this prayer with me. Dear Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Fill me with your power and give me the gift of your wonderful language of speaking in tongues. I believe that I will receive this gift. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Wait and see what happens :)

Rearranging the furniture

56 Hercules (my home) is undergoing some changes.  I'm busy getting ready to move some furniture into my house that belonged to my late Granny Joyce.  Thing is, I have a really small town house, so guess what, something's gotta give!

Some old things are going to have to get tossed in the process.  This is a process that I've noticed happens quite often in life.  We usually have to get rid of what we don't want in life, before we can make space for something new.

This applies to all areas in life, including our spiritual walk with God.  What we have to ask ourselves is, what is hindering us from having the things in life that God wants us to have?  Whether we want a deeper relationship with him, healing in our marriage or relationships, financial blessing or wisdom to know what choices to make, we will have to make room in our lives by getting rid of things that are holding us back.

This takes work, just like moving furniture.  It will require some work on our part to rearrange the furniture in our heart.

Is it still possible?

Many people ask why in our western society we don't see the spiritual gift of the working of miracles any more.  Quite simply it is because there is simply no demand for it in western culture.  Our dependency on the medical profession has grown so large that many have just become to spiritually lazy to exercise faith and believe God for their miracle.

Do I believe God does miracles?  I most certainly do.  There are many evangelists working across the world today who are the living embodiment of the great commission.  They preach the word with convincing power to multitudes and see miracles performed in their crusades.

Are there fakes out there?  Yes, there are, but Jesus told us that there would be.  Many will claim to operate in Christ's power but have no relationship with him.  Yesterday we looked at the women with the issue of blood.  Doctors could not help her. 

If she had faith that a simple touch of his garment would heal her, then we too can faith where we need it most.  If you need healing, stand firm in your faith and ask God to heal you!  Watch what happens next……. J

 

One touch

Imagine having to walk down the road shouting, "unclean, unclean". Well in Jesus time any person with a specified condition had to do this in accordance with the law. In Luke 8 we read of a women who had an issue of blood that could not be cured by doctors.

In her desperation she sneaks up behind Jesus and touches his coat. Jesus knows something has happened and asks "who touched me?" She crawls before Jesus and confesses. Jesus responds, "your faith has made you well!"

With this story we see two important ways to receive our healing. Faith and a contact point. Faith is a verb, which implies that there will be some action required on our part. What that action is, is up to you. For the women the contact point was Jesus robe. For us it may be a cross, a candle, or a handychief that has been prayed over by a church leader.

It is up to us to decide how to apply our faith or what contact point to use. Go get your healing.

Stripes

Being home ill is never fun. But we have hope. Isaiah 53:5 tells us that “by his stripes we are healed”. Jesus paid the price for our healing on the cross of Calvary and each of us have a right to claim our healing. Receiving our healing can come in various ways.

Mark 16:18 tells us one of the ways we can get our healing. It says, “You shall lay hands on the sick and they will recover”. This means that any believer can lay hands on a sick person and pray for their healing. Note that recovery is a process and not instantaneous.

If you or any loved one you know if sick, ask a believing friend to pray with you. If you are a single person unable to get to someone then lay your hand on the part of your body that needs healing and pray: Lord I thank you that you died on the cross for my healing, I lay my hand on my (sick part of your body), and pray that you will heal me according to your word!

Then thank God in advance for your healing and believe that he is at work.