They call it Xenophobia when nationals turn on foreigners and attack them for living in their country and feeding off their land. I ask myself, how is this different to apartheid? Quite frankly, I don't care what you call it, one nation, people or language group asserting dominance over another, is evil beyond words.
Galatians 3:28 tells us how we should view our fellow man/christian, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
The ethics of this should remain the same whether we are dealing with Christians or non-Christians, for God has called us to show love and compassion on all of mankind. Let us choose to treat mankind, or even all of God's creatures, with love, compassion and kindness.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Yesterday's lies
None of us go through life without scars. Along life's path we face many situations in which we are wounded and hurt. The really sad part about this is that this is fodder for Satan. He absolutely loves to take our past wounds and use them time and time again to remind us of our hurts, our failures and our pain and in so doing he manages to keep us spiraling round and round, stuck and trapped by yesterday's lies.
We need to remind ourselves that life is hard and tough and things will go wrong and we will get hurt but we do not need to absorb all of that as part of our identity. We can choose to forgive and choose to let go of all of that. It will not be easy but as we let go of our grip, we release the power of God to be able to come into that situation and heal us.
God desires us to be whole and healed and functioning from our strengths and not our weaknesses, so go back to those situations and think about the good messages, there always is one that the devil would like us to forget. Remember the good and hold fast onto that and see God build your life from strength to strength.
We need to remind ourselves that life is hard and tough and things will go wrong and we will get hurt but we do not need to absorb all of that as part of our identity. We can choose to forgive and choose to let go of all of that. It will not be easy but as we let go of our grip, we release the power of God to be able to come into that situation and heal us.
God desires us to be whole and healed and functioning from our strengths and not our weaknesses, so go back to those situations and think about the good messages, there always is one that the devil would like us to forget. Remember the good and hold fast onto that and see God build your life from strength to strength.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Part of the family
I attended a baby shower of a good friend, Nishara Siebani, on Saturday. Being a large Indian family, they clubbed together and turned it into a wonderful party. It was great to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a long while.
What really stood out for me was all the wonderful memories I have had with this family, both sad and happy. I met the first sister, Ashani Sieberts, when she joined my home fellowship group that I had while at Rhema many years ago. Over the years they have welcomed me into the family not only as a friend but almost more like a cousin, or dare I say another sister :-)
Family isn't only blood but can span break the boundaries of race and ethnicity. Isn't that exactly what God did for us? He adopted us into His family and make us joint heirs with Christ. Did God not also declare that we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation? We are His amazing and peculiar people and I thank God for the many wonderful members of His family that I have the privilege of knowing.
What really stood out for me was all the wonderful memories I have had with this family, both sad and happy. I met the first sister, Ashani Sieberts, when she joined my home fellowship group that I had while at Rhema many years ago. Over the years they have welcomed me into the family not only as a friend but almost more like a cousin, or dare I say another sister :-)
Family isn't only blood but can span break the boundaries of race and ethnicity. Isn't that exactly what God did for us? He adopted us into His family and make us joint heirs with Christ. Did God not also declare that we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation? We are His amazing and peculiar people and I thank God for the many wonderful members of His family that I have the privilege of knowing.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Haul out the woolies
As the temperatures start to drop the wardrobe usually needs some rearranging. Long sleeve shirts that haven't been worn for a while need a wash and refresh, but don't pack away those short sleeves just yet as I'm sure we'll have another warm spell before we can kiss the warmer weather good bye for a few months.
As a gardening enthusiast this is good news. The heavy digging you've been putting off for weeks can now be planned without threat of passing out from heat exhaustion. Yes, each season definitely has its perks.
When last did you change things up in your life and discover something new or fun? I know my new art group has been the best thing for me. Those two hours have become a precious, time to unwind the mind and focus on the beauty of art.
In our faith walk we certainly need to mix things up too. We cannot afford to stagnate or get into a rut. That is where being part of a home fellowship group can be so important. It is a vital time where you can exchange thoughts and opinions on our life with Christ and gain new insights.
Are you currently part of a fellowship group of some kind? If not, let me encourage to make the effort. It truly is a rewarding effort and the relationships built will be priceless!
As a gardening enthusiast this is good news. The heavy digging you've been putting off for weeks can now be planned without threat of passing out from heat exhaustion. Yes, each season definitely has its perks.
When last did you change things up in your life and discover something new or fun? I know my new art group has been the best thing for me. Those two hours have become a precious, time to unwind the mind and focus on the beauty of art.
In our faith walk we certainly need to mix things up too. We cannot afford to stagnate or get into a rut. That is where being part of a home fellowship group can be so important. It is a vital time where you can exchange thoughts and opinions on our life with Christ and gain new insights.
Are you currently part of a fellowship group of some kind? If not, let me encourage to make the effort. It truly is a rewarding effort and the relationships built will be priceless!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Three in bed...
I woke up in the middle of the night, I wasn't lying in my 'usual spot' and boy was I sweating! Thoughts of menopause ran through my head until my hand glided across the bed and there I felt my two little fur balls lying cuddled up to each other and to me, Lol! I guess the seasons they are a changing. Well now I have to figure out just the right temperature to keep them snug.
Cats love being warm and snug an are attracted to warm, soft and cuddly fabrics and objects. Want to know a secret? As human beings we aren't any different. We are attracted to people that make us feel loved and valued and as Christians should this not be our motto...to be a little bit more cuddly?
I hear you say, we've just commemorated the crucifixion of our Lord, salvation is about thorns not being cute and lovable. To a point yes, but how did Jesus restore Peter after His resurrection? Around the warmth of a camp fire.
So can I challenge you to let Jesus love shine through you, by being warm and loving to those around you today?
Cats love being warm and snug an are attracted to warm, soft and cuddly fabrics and objects. Want to know a secret? As human beings we aren't any different. We are attracted to people that make us feel loved and valued and as Christians should this not be our motto...to be a little bit more cuddly?
I hear you say, we've just commemorated the crucifixion of our Lord, salvation is about thorns not being cute and lovable. To a point yes, but how did Jesus restore Peter after His resurrection? Around the warmth of a camp fire.
So can I challenge you to let Jesus love shine through you, by being warm and loving to those around you today?
Monday, April 6, 2015
Don't forget about autumn
Why is it that the moment the weather starts to get cooler that people talk about winter arriving. Sorry folks, but what about autumn? Autumn has a very important function and that is to slow down all development and prepare that land for the cold winter months.
In my garden I have learned now that it is better to trim back your fruit bearing plants in early autumn so that all the stumps and stalks have time to seal properly so that the cold does not kill the plants. If you only cut back plants in early spring you cause the plant to flower late and thus bare fruit to late. It is also a good time to remove the marigolds as no pollination is necessary and I have to make space for much needed compost to keep the plants roots well fed throughout the dormant months.
And of course if we rush past autumn we miss an opportunity to look at all the pretty trees turning their various shades of red, yellow and brown, we wouldn't want to miss such a beautiful season. I usually reflect back to my time living in Parkhurst and the beautiful avenues of oaks that lined the roads....spectacular!
There is much to cherish about each season of life and the same is true about our faith as well, so let's not race through the seasons, let's enjoy the crackling leaves and beautiful colours of autumn and rejoice in the time we have to prepare for the colder season.
In my garden I have learned now that it is better to trim back your fruit bearing plants in early autumn so that all the stumps and stalks have time to seal properly so that the cold does not kill the plants. If you only cut back plants in early spring you cause the plant to flower late and thus bare fruit to late. It is also a good time to remove the marigolds as no pollination is necessary and I have to make space for much needed compost to keep the plants roots well fed throughout the dormant months.
And of course if we rush past autumn we miss an opportunity to look at all the pretty trees turning their various shades of red, yellow and brown, we wouldn't want to miss such a beautiful season. I usually reflect back to my time living in Parkhurst and the beautiful avenues of oaks that lined the roads....spectacular!
There is much to cherish about each season of life and the same is true about our faith as well, so let's not race through the seasons, let's enjoy the crackling leaves and beautiful colours of autumn and rejoice in the time we have to prepare for the colder season.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
An Esther for THE King of Kings
Get
your popcorn and coke ready but be prepared, this movie is going to be shown in
fast forward. King Ahesuerus has a party
and wants to display his lovely queen Vashti, she refuses and is caste
out. The king gets lonely, there's a pageant
of sorts, Esther wins and is crowned the next queen.
Screeeaaach!
Okay sorry need to rewind for just a minute.
Have you thought about the year of treatment (every girls dream) the
pampering and the beautifying? It took a
lot of preparation to prepare these young women to be worthy of being shown to
a King. Amidst all that, the rules, the
do's the don’ts were all explained in detail so that the new young queen would
never disgrace the king again.
Back
to fast forward, a plot it hatched by Haman to kill the Jews, all because
Mordecai wouldn’t worship him. Mordecai
pleads with Esther to beg the King for their salvation. With grace, poise and strength Esther doesn’t
rush into things. She makes sure the
King is well fed and happy before she makes her request and Mordecai’s words
are entrenched in the history of the Jewish nation forever, “And who knows if
you have not come into the Kingdom for such a time as this.” You see Esther's grace, compassion and beauty
won the King's heart and he spared her people from annihilation.
In
our modern society many have questioned the role of beauty pageants in our
society, calling them sexist, demeaning and anti-typical of women’s
rights. I beg to differ for today more
than ever these queens have opportunities to have an ‘audience with the king’,
or shall we say political and business leaders.
Their influence is never more crucial now than ever with the crimes that
happen against women and children in both war torn countries and civil society
alike.
It
was therefore my absolute privilege and honour to meet one such contestant,
entrant into this year’s Mrs South Africa beauty pageant, Sugnét
Cornelius. Within seconds of meeting Sugnét
I knew that the same spirit that dwelt in Esther resonated through Sugnét in
every way. Her qualities of a gentle
quiet confidence make her instantly likable, but much more than that, her
heart for helping others shines through immediately.
In
her profession as a stylist Sugnét uses every client interaction to build their
self-esteem and she takes great joy in reaching women and children in her
community in any way she can. Sugnét has
a heart for serving and supporting others in need and takes every opportunity
to do so. These are just some of the
many reasons why I have chosen to support Sugnét in her bid to become the
next........
Mrs
South Africa....
And
I am asking you to join me in supporting her with his endeavour. We need Godly women to take on these roles
and Sugnét is ready for the challenge.
You can support Sugnét in her Mrs SA
journey by doing the following:
SMS - Send a sms quoting “Sugnét Cornelius” to
35959. You can vote as many times as you like and sms' are charged @ R3 per
sms.
FACEBOOK -
Firstly
Like the Mrs SA page.
Then
click on the link below and Like the
picture of Sugnet
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