Soundtrack

I will admit, I'm one of those people who can happily watch the same movie over and over.  Sometimes I'll just have it on in the background as I do my household chores.

It could be the comedy, really good acting or great special effects that has me coming back over and over again.  One thing for certain, it is always the movie soundtrack that I love most!

What is the soundtrack your life?  Are you always confessing the negative?  Do you always see the worst in people?  OR do you attract people by your positive attitude, hope and smile?

When we draw our strength from God we can exude grace and peace in the midst of chaos and ultimately draw people to Christ.

20/40

2013 is going to be a year I have been looking forward to for some time now. This year I will not only be celebrating my 40^th birthday, but also commemorating 20 years of living in Jo'burg. I know this year will bring back many wonderful as well as some sad memories.

Time stand still for no-one, but as we take time to remember we grow. We grow because we have had some significant life experience and yet opportunities for great things still lie ahead. I hope that as this year unfolds you will celebrate with me as I take the occasional stroll down memory lane.

God has been good and his mercy is new every morning. I give thanks to God for this journey and that it certainly is not over yet. With Hope as my sail I can allow God to let the winds of change guide me to his arms once more every day.

Goodbye 2012

As I write my final blog tonight for 2012, it is a time for reflection and thanksgiving. 2012 will certainly not be a year easily forgotten. The year was filled with both high and low moments but certainly with memories I will treasure. God has been faithful in his guidance and inspiration for these devotionals and I feel that personally my relationship with him has definitely deepened.

There certainly were dreams that were not fulfilled but others that took me by surprise in seeing God's direction with major decisions that needed to be made. Some doors were closed, others remained constant and others were opened in surprising ways.

My 39^th birthday this year brought with it wonderful blessings that I had not expected. To have snow fall for the first time in Jo’burg on the 7^th of August, and indeed in all 9 provinces was truly spectacular. More so was the adventure I went on to Parys in the Free State. Limitations I had set as to what I thought I could do were challenged which opened a flood gate of creativity.

I give thanks to God for all of you who have been following this blog so faithfully over this past year. I give glory and honour to God for fact that this blog through the various media used has now reached readership of nearly 200 per day. I am thankful for your support and knowing that I have someone to write for has kept me going at times when it felt a bit like too much work. I am hopeful that in the year to come that many of you will refer me to your friends and colleagues and that readership will continue to grow. 

I give thanks to God for my family, especially my mother June, who without I would not be in this blessed position today. I give thanks to God for friends who have stood by me through both the good and bad times and I am so looking forward to seeing what new blessings God will bring in 2013.

I pray God's richest blessings on you all now for 2013 and once again, thank you!

God bless!

Ronwyn

It's a seed thing

Growing my own herbs and vegetables from seeds has given me a new appreciation for the industry of farming, it can be very tricky. Some seeds will propagate and others won't and it really takes quite a while for your crops to grow till they are ready to harvest.

Some seeds are happy seeds. Nasturtiums will take the usual 2 weeks till the first little green leaves appear, but once they see the sun, oh boy, are they just ready to go grow wild. Other seeds are shy seeds. They take longer to appear and then there's quite a big wait to find out whether those two tiny leaves you see are actually going to grow into anything worth while.

Our gifts and talents can be like that too. Some things we are just naturally good at and they burst out of us like water over a waterfall, but others are like a still clear pond, they serve a great purpose but they will seldom make any huge impact.

All our gifts and talents are valuable. Learn to value the time they take to grow and allow God to bring them to fulfilment.

Christmas Blessings!

Wishing all my blog readers a very blessed Christmas!

I pray that you and your family will be filled with the joy and peace

that comes from knowing Christ as your saviour at this precious

time of year!

Yours in Christ,

Ronwyn

Under the tree

I suppose the true joy of putting up the Christmas tree was knowing what was coming next. When we were little the excitement of going to bed on Christmas Eve then waking up the next morning to a huge pile of presents to be opened was just so magical, and yes, I did believe in Santa Clause until my sister spoiled that one for me. Lol! As we got older the presents would slowly gather under the tree as they arrived and it was great fun to watch the pile grow.

Our Father God is our ultimate gift giver. He blesses us throughout life with our talents and abilities. The wonderful part is as we grow older these gifts too grow in number and as we discover them and start to use them, we are in effect opening the gifts which God has given us. These gifts and talents too bring us great joy.

Do you know someone who doesn't know God? Invite them this year to meet the ultimate gift giver. Do you have gifts and talents that are still sitting wrapped up under your tree? It is time to open those gifts and start to use them for God.

Putting up the Christmas tree

One of my most treasured childhood memories are those of the annual event of putting up the Christmas tree. A task, once old enough, my mom happily left us to complete on our own. What joy to string up the lights, then the tinsel and all the little hanging toys. What a colourful spectacle it was to turn on the tree lights each night.

My other favourite was the beautiful home made manger scene that my mom lovingly crafted from a shoe box, some Hessian and a couple of cake decorations serving as Mary, Joseph the manger, baby Jesus, some wise men and shepherds and the cattle and sheep.

Living alone the fun of putting up a tree has just not been the same, so it was for me such a great joy this year to be able to put up my sisters' Christmas tree with her and the boys and so much fun was had.

This Christmas, why not share some of your Christmas traditions with someone who may not have a family around to share this joy with. You are sure to be a blessing and the joy you will receive in return will be immense.