Dear Precious Saints !!!!!
So I'm getting a few emails and phone calls asking "Are you well? Where have you been? Do you need someone to talk to? I'm really missing your mail.When r u gonna write yr book?," some of you have probably noticed that your inbox just ain't been so full lately (probably breathing a sigh of relief). I gotta watch the comments and stuff 'cause you know I'm painfully human at times and all these encouraging comments could go just straight to my head and then my head would swell to such an extent that I would not be able to get out of the office to go home. But please don't stop saying wot ever you wanna say. I really don't have any excuses it's not that I haven't had anything to say and share its just that I don't always know how to express it out here in black on white.
Well as per usual I'm working (yeah I do that) and I decide to check my email. Ah, a email from Allie (my wife). I innocently open it up totally unprepared for the contents (she did tell me earlier on, but I forgot....me forget!?) and on the attachment is Allie's testimony. She had sent it to a couple whose testimony we had recently read. Well I read through it (this is the first time that she has written it out) and phew it was just blow away time. Outside some union members were chanting and demonstrating, but me I was a mess I was crying without even realising it. You know we are so quick to forget God's love, grace and mercy in our lives, we sometimes meander off into a side street which is a dead end and there we sit howling at the moon, shaking our fists at God all kinda bitter and frustrated. Where ever you are now, whatever you are doing just take a moment to reflect, meditate on what God has done in your life so far and what it has cost Him and if your heart is hard let His spirit come in and soften your heart and if you cry.....so what. I have a my own cry room, it is the last toilet cubicle against the wall....I'm getting a sign for the door.
Concerning the Gentiles (datz most of us), God says in the prophecy of Hosea, "Those who where not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before. (Romans 9:25 from Hosea 2:23)
"If my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful it doesn't matter who criticizes me." - John Bunyan.
Will I believe You when You say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day
I will walk by faith even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Help me to rid my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With one breath you made me new
Your grace covers all I do
I will walk by faith even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Well I'm broken but I still see Your face
Well You've spoken
Pouring out Your words of grace
I will walk by faith even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
(Walk By Faith written and performed by Jeremy Camp)
LoCTY !!!!!!
PS Thank you Paul and Belinda keep shining.
PPS Just in case you are wondering or confused the "I've" in the subject header is definitely not me but God!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
I Need You Now
To The Precious Saints !!!!
Every morning I wake up, do you think I thank and praise and worship my Saviour? Of course I do! I mean you all know me as this wonderful, incredible, fine upstanding Christian to whom you all look up to as such a great example. Yeah right ! Lemme tell you anything good you see in me is from God (James 1:17) and that is only made possible by His love, grace and mercy which I'm slowly coming to realise through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Sometimes I'm in despair for those around me, sometimes I'm so lost, in a panic, don't have the courage to get up and go out in this crazy world which is driven by pride and fear. I ask God what do you really want me to do in this crazy mixed up world today? I'm really a paralysis analysis oke. But you know if I humble myself and talk to Him ('cause we all can) He reaches down and through His love, He restores my eternal hope and says just trust me,you are my child and I have given you the authority of my son, 'cause without Jesus this world just does not make any sense at all.
So in these past few days I have carefully walked (with Jesus) through all kinds of 'things' good and bad and when I'm feeling lost, when I'm hurting, when I see those around me being hurt, thousands dying in natural catastrophes,wars, whose fault is it? Who does the 'world' blame? You got it, God. Even those who don't believe he exists will quite contritely tell you that is why they cannot believe in Him 'cause of all the 'bad' stuff going on in the world today. Man, even they know something is wrong and mankind has not been able to fix it and is not 'evolving' into something better, forget all the nasty four letter words, there is one three letter word that blows them all away and that word is SIN. Jesus in Matthew 24 told us that in the last days these things would happen. Paul on many occasions expands on this in his letters to the various churches and then there is the book of Revelation. How many of us read the bible, how many of us pick up the pattern as to how God dealt with the Jews in the Old Testament? So many just dis the bible without even having opened it. They ask you to explain your faith without referring to the bible, ha now that is a good way to install a crunching handicap. Just because people believe or disbelieve something does not make it the truth but as Solomon (some wise oke) said there is nothing new under the sun.
Ag Raymond you know people have been saying that for years, that the end of the world is nigh. So how can we take this seriously anymore this is really the genre of crackpots and lunatics. Don't worry, they laughed at Noah as well, who was this crazy old man building this colossal contraption in his back yard. They stopped laughing when they started to drown. There is a cliché that goes like this, "the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn anything at all."
Of course then there is that other wannabe god. Satan who comes to lie, cheat and destroy, has anyone noticed him? What is his main aim, you mean you don't know? Come on, he wants to either stop you from getting to a relationship with God or if you have one to drive a wedge in it and break it down, he wants you to act outside of God's love and purely for yourself. He wants you to worship him. Just perchance do you see any evidence of his handiwork in this world today. But don't be fooled he is already defeated but he wants to take you down with him.
But when I look at people, when I deal with them I know Jesus died for each and everyone (John 3:16) on this messed up planet no matter what you believe but the only way out is through Him (remember the song by Sir Cliff) and I know I need my Saviour Jesus Christ every day of my life to help me do His will and to help me show His love, grace and mercy.
I've never seen that little town where You where born
It was long before my time and far away
But as time goes on I think about You more and more
And wonder what it was like in those days
I wish I could have walked with You
You might have called me friend
But there's no way I could have known You then
But I know You now
I know Your name
A lot of awesome things You did and why you came
I didn't know You when You helped that lame man rise up from his bed
I didn't know You when You stood there and called Lazarus from the dead
But I know You now
I didn't see You feed that tired hungry crowd with five loaves and two fish one afternoon
And I didn't see You catch Peter's hand so he wouldn't drown
When he tried to walk on water like You
I couldn't see Your face when You taught those little kids
There's just no way I could have seen You then
But I see You now
I see Your love
I see a tiny glimpse of You in every one of us
I didn't see You on the Mount of Olives crying as You prayed
I couldn't see You when You were kissed by Judas and betrayed
But I see You now
Oh , I didn't need You when that cruel and angry mob shouted "crucify him"
And I couldn't have needed You when they laughed and mocked You
But it could be that I'm a little bit like them
'Cause I need You now
I need Your grace
And how I needed Your forgiveness to be saved
I didn't need You when Pilate's soldiers beat You to the ground
I didn't need You when You hung there bleeding from Your thorny crown
But I need You now
Oh, I need You now
I need You now......
(I need You now,words by Kelly Shiver performed by Billy Ray Cyrus from the album The Other Side)
LoCTY !!!!!
Every morning I wake up, do you think I thank and praise and worship my Saviour? Of course I do! I mean you all know me as this wonderful, incredible, fine upstanding Christian to whom you all look up to as such a great example. Yeah right ! Lemme tell you anything good you see in me is from God (James 1:17) and that is only made possible by His love, grace and mercy which I'm slowly coming to realise through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Sometimes I'm in despair for those around me, sometimes I'm so lost, in a panic, don't have the courage to get up and go out in this crazy world which is driven by pride and fear. I ask God what do you really want me to do in this crazy mixed up world today? I'm really a paralysis analysis oke. But you know if I humble myself and talk to Him ('cause we all can) He reaches down and through His love, He restores my eternal hope and says just trust me,you are my child and I have given you the authority of my son, 'cause without Jesus this world just does not make any sense at all.
So in these past few days I have carefully walked (with Jesus) through all kinds of 'things' good and bad and when I'm feeling lost, when I'm hurting, when I see those around me being hurt, thousands dying in natural catastrophes,wars, whose fault is it? Who does the 'world' blame? You got it, God. Even those who don't believe he exists will quite contritely tell you that is why they cannot believe in Him 'cause of all the 'bad' stuff going on in the world today. Man, even they know something is wrong and mankind has not been able to fix it and is not 'evolving' into something better, forget all the nasty four letter words, there is one three letter word that blows them all away and that word is SIN. Jesus in Matthew 24 told us that in the last days these things would happen. Paul on many occasions expands on this in his letters to the various churches and then there is the book of Revelation. How many of us read the bible, how many of us pick up the pattern as to how God dealt with the Jews in the Old Testament? So many just dis the bible without even having opened it. They ask you to explain your faith without referring to the bible, ha now that is a good way to install a crunching handicap. Just because people believe or disbelieve something does not make it the truth but as Solomon (some wise oke) said there is nothing new under the sun.
Ag Raymond you know people have been saying that for years, that the end of the world is nigh. So how can we take this seriously anymore this is really the genre of crackpots and lunatics. Don't worry, they laughed at Noah as well, who was this crazy old man building this colossal contraption in his back yard. They stopped laughing when they started to drown. There is a cliché that goes like this, "the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn anything at all."
Of course then there is that other wannabe god. Satan who comes to lie, cheat and destroy, has anyone noticed him? What is his main aim, you mean you don't know? Come on, he wants to either stop you from getting to a relationship with God or if you have one to drive a wedge in it and break it down, he wants you to act outside of God's love and purely for yourself. He wants you to worship him. Just perchance do you see any evidence of his handiwork in this world today. But don't be fooled he is already defeated but he wants to take you down with him.
But when I look at people, when I deal with them I know Jesus died for each and everyone (John 3:16) on this messed up planet no matter what you believe but the only way out is through Him (remember the song by Sir Cliff) and I know I need my Saviour Jesus Christ every day of my life to help me do His will and to help me show His love, grace and mercy.
I've never seen that little town where You where born
It was long before my time and far away
But as time goes on I think about You more and more
And wonder what it was like in those days
I wish I could have walked with You
You might have called me friend
But there's no way I could have known You then
But I know You now
I know Your name
A lot of awesome things You did and why you came
I didn't know You when You helped that lame man rise up from his bed
I didn't know You when You stood there and called Lazarus from the dead
But I know You now
I didn't see You feed that tired hungry crowd with five loaves and two fish one afternoon
And I didn't see You catch Peter's hand so he wouldn't drown
When he tried to walk on water like You
I couldn't see Your face when You taught those little kids
There's just no way I could have seen You then
But I see You now
I see Your love
I see a tiny glimpse of You in every one of us
I didn't see You on the Mount of Olives crying as You prayed
I couldn't see You when You were kissed by Judas and betrayed
But I see You now
Oh , I didn't need You when that cruel and angry mob shouted "crucify him"
And I couldn't have needed You when they laughed and mocked You
But it could be that I'm a little bit like them
'Cause I need You now
I need Your grace
And how I needed Your forgiveness to be saved
I didn't need You when Pilate's soldiers beat You to the ground
I didn't need You when You hung there bleeding from Your thorny crown
But I need You now
Oh, I need You now
I need You now......
(I need You now,words by Kelly Shiver performed by Billy Ray Cyrus from the album The Other Side)
LoCTY !!!!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Who Am I ?
Dearly Beloved Precious Saints !!!!
About a week or so ago we had a prayer breakfast at Goodwood Methodist Church.
Yea so we're going to go to this prayer breakfast. So I wake up in the early hours of Saturday morning expecting to be so 'tooned' into the right spiritual mode brimming up and overflowing with God's Holy Spirit, full of ideas (whose?mine! or His) 'bout what, who & how to pray. So I lay there in bed and my mind is an absolute blank and I feel as spiritual as a vrot banana.
Eventually I get up, just kinda enjoyed the all round silence (not often my mind is blank, normally a trillion, zillion things mulling around there) for an hour or so and then did all those incredibly exciting spiritual things, going to the loo, (don't forget to flush or is that floss.... yea, yea)brushing teeth (hoping the mirror don't crack when I look into it, think the flush... er floss comes in here) and getting dressed.
So off to church still feeling (watch your emotions) a zillion miles from God and His love. Allie, myself and Matthew arrive about a half hour before things start. Clint G and Donny are there already and they are praying up on the stage and they are weeping before God. And I kinda get a stab of jealously in my soul, wot have they got that I haven't. The church is quiet, softly dark, there are only the five of us there. A worship CD is on. "Okay my Lord," I prayed," whatever you want from me to do here in this place I'm willing, just use me please."
I walked down the aisle of that empty church and as I turned around to face the front I see all the empty pews and God's spirit just hit me with a mighty force, so much it hurt. The song that was playing was Who Am I by Casting Crowns and the words just cut into my spirit and soul. My eight year old son Matthew was actually following me down the aisle and he caught up to me and hugged me as I was sobbing and I just kept on saying to Mattie that we must just ask Jesus to bring the people to Him, over and over and over. Weeping for the lost, weeping for the hurting, weeping for those of you who couldn't be there, weeping for the Body of Christ not exercising it's power and trust in God, weeping for the times we are so distracted from doing God's will, just weeping.....
I kinda pulled myself together as more people started to come in. Some had just dropped everything and decided to come. Some were not sure if they should actually be there.
We prayed and ministered to each other and then some of us just came and shared such deep things (their giants) to the group there that I was moved to tears again. All the time Matthew, although he had brought toys to play with just stayed with us, stayed so close, so quiet and still.
Eventually we finished up and chatted over coffee and some food, reluctant to leave. It is so good to be in the presence of God even if it hurts. There weren't many of us there about 14 or so but how blessed we were because we were there. Available, ready, willing and obedient.
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours
(Who Am I by Casting Crowns)
LoCTY !!!!!!!
PS Don't forget the Holy Week services at Goodwood Methodist starting at 7pm every evening this week. Good Friday is a morning service at 9am only. Go on make yourself available to God.
About a week or so ago we had a prayer breakfast at Goodwood Methodist Church.
Yea so we're going to go to this prayer breakfast. So I wake up in the early hours of Saturday morning expecting to be so 'tooned' into the right spiritual mode brimming up and overflowing with God's Holy Spirit, full of ideas (whose?mine! or His) 'bout what, who & how to pray. So I lay there in bed and my mind is an absolute blank and I feel as spiritual as a vrot banana.
Eventually I get up, just kinda enjoyed the all round silence (not often my mind is blank, normally a trillion, zillion things mulling around there) for an hour or so and then did all those incredibly exciting spiritual things, going to the loo, (don't forget to flush or is that floss.... yea, yea)brushing teeth (hoping the mirror don't crack when I look into it, think the flush... er floss comes in here) and getting dressed.
So off to church still feeling (watch your emotions) a zillion miles from God and His love. Allie, myself and Matthew arrive about a half hour before things start. Clint G and Donny are there already and they are praying up on the stage and they are weeping before God. And I kinda get a stab of jealously in my soul, wot have they got that I haven't. The church is quiet, softly dark, there are only the five of us there. A worship CD is on. "Okay my Lord," I prayed," whatever you want from me to do here in this place I'm willing, just use me please."
I walked down the aisle of that empty church and as I turned around to face the front I see all the empty pews and God's spirit just hit me with a mighty force, so much it hurt. The song that was playing was Who Am I by Casting Crowns and the words just cut into my spirit and soul. My eight year old son Matthew was actually following me down the aisle and he caught up to me and hugged me as I was sobbing and I just kept on saying to Mattie that we must just ask Jesus to bring the people to Him, over and over and over. Weeping for the lost, weeping for the hurting, weeping for those of you who couldn't be there, weeping for the Body of Christ not exercising it's power and trust in God, weeping for the times we are so distracted from doing God's will, just weeping.....
I kinda pulled myself together as more people started to come in. Some had just dropped everything and decided to come. Some were not sure if they should actually be there.
We prayed and ministered to each other and then some of us just came and shared such deep things (their giants) to the group there that I was moved to tears again. All the time Matthew, although he had brought toys to play with just stayed with us, stayed so close, so quiet and still.
Eventually we finished up and chatted over coffee and some food, reluctant to leave. It is so good to be in the presence of God even if it hurts. There weren't many of us there about 14 or so but how blessed we were because we were there. Available, ready, willing and obedient.
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours
(Who Am I by Casting Crowns)
LoCTY !!!!!!!
PS Don't forget the Holy Week services at Goodwood Methodist starting at 7pm every evening this week. Good Friday is a morning service at 9am only. Go on make yourself available to God.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
No Greater Love.....
To The Precious Saints !!!!
Today I sit here totally overwhelmed by the majesty of God's love. I'm just kinda sitting here at work plonking away mechanically at my keyboard but my soul, spirit, mind and body my whole inner and outer being is totally consumed by God's love. I'm crying in gratitude for the work He has done this past Alpha weekend, I'm crying in gratitude for the way He works through ordinary everyday people (yea jars of clay) and transcends us into such magnificent instruments of love and healing. Do I understand it. No not really but I feel it somewhere deep down inside. When I woke up this morning I went to prepare Matthews cereal and I wept (kinda like that old Neil Diamond song, crying in your pretzels) I went to shave, as I looked in the mirror I wept (okay I know some of you are thinking if they looked in the mirror and saw my face they'd also weep!).
Did we see mountains move? Did we see limbs grow back or any such physical miracles? No not really. But what we did see is all types of brokenness being healed. Spiritual eyes being opened as the truth was revealed by His Spirit to His children. We saw God saving lives for eternity.
Some snapshots. Mike's(our minister) friend giving His life to Christ and being filled with His Holy Spirit. Mike has been praying for him for 33 years. A women giving her testimony about falling so far from God, she used to be a lay preacher in Namibia, saying basically that God's love never fails. She was invited to Alpha by the guys doing Street Evangelism last year in November. You know just one of those chance meetings(yea right!)
We shared the weekend with the Roman Catholic Church (St Josephs) of Goodwood and they too were just blown away by the experience. They had just never experienced anything like this before. The raw (but gentle) power of God's love. When the Holy Spirit ministry was in progress many of them just stayed watching, after they had been prayed for, and just could not get enough.
Then on to an extended period of praise and worship and it was so great to see everyone worshiping the one true God in spirit and truth. Yes His Holy Spirit brings unity in Christ!
So many things to write about the weekend I cannot possibly put them all down here.
On to Sunday evening. And we have a celebration service, the church is packed and man do I get goosebumps when 400 or so people worship God with all they've got. God's grace and mercy just continued to flow as after the service so many people came up for ministry. This morning Allie received an SMS thanking us for prayer given last night. I have received phone calls about last nights service this morning at work, thanks for prayers and just how awesome it was.
Thank you all for your prayers for the weekend.
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the Healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when Your love came down
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
Oh, I feel like dancing
It's foolishness, I know
But when the world has seen the Light
They will dance with joy
Like we're dancing now
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
(I Could Sing of Your Love Forever by Delirious)
LoCTY !!!!
PS Peter B I'm only sending this to you internally so it makes it easier for you to pass it on to your group.
Today I sit here totally overwhelmed by the majesty of God's love. I'm just kinda sitting here at work plonking away mechanically at my keyboard but my soul, spirit, mind and body my whole inner and outer being is totally consumed by God's love. I'm crying in gratitude for the work He has done this past Alpha weekend, I'm crying in gratitude for the way He works through ordinary everyday people (yea jars of clay) and transcends us into such magnificent instruments of love and healing. Do I understand it. No not really but I feel it somewhere deep down inside. When I woke up this morning I went to prepare Matthews cereal and I wept (kinda like that old Neil Diamond song, crying in your pretzels) I went to shave, as I looked in the mirror I wept (okay I know some of you are thinking if they looked in the mirror and saw my face they'd also weep!).
Did we see mountains move? Did we see limbs grow back or any such physical miracles? No not really. But what we did see is all types of brokenness being healed. Spiritual eyes being opened as the truth was revealed by His Spirit to His children. We saw God saving lives for eternity.
Some snapshots. Mike's(our minister) friend giving His life to Christ and being filled with His Holy Spirit. Mike has been praying for him for 33 years. A women giving her testimony about falling so far from God, she used to be a lay preacher in Namibia, saying basically that God's love never fails. She was invited to Alpha by the guys doing Street Evangelism last year in November. You know just one of those chance meetings(yea right!)
We shared the weekend with the Roman Catholic Church (St Josephs) of Goodwood and they too were just blown away by the experience. They had just never experienced anything like this before. The raw (but gentle) power of God's love. When the Holy Spirit ministry was in progress many of them just stayed watching, after they had been prayed for, and just could not get enough.
Then on to an extended period of praise and worship and it was so great to see everyone worshiping the one true God in spirit and truth. Yes His Holy Spirit brings unity in Christ!
So many things to write about the weekend I cannot possibly put them all down here.
On to Sunday evening. And we have a celebration service, the church is packed and man do I get goosebumps when 400 or so people worship God with all they've got. God's grace and mercy just continued to flow as after the service so many people came up for ministry. This morning Allie received an SMS thanking us for prayer given last night. I have received phone calls about last nights service this morning at work, thanks for prayers and just how awesome it was.
Thank you all for your prayers for the weekend.
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the Healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when Your love came down
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
Oh, I feel like dancing
It's foolishness, I know
But when the world has seen the Light
They will dance with joy
Like we're dancing now
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
(I Could Sing of Your Love Forever by Delirious)
LoCTY !!!!
PS Peter B I'm only sending this to you internally so it makes it easier for you to pass it on to your group.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Purrrrspektive
To The Precious Saints !!!!!!!
Ya YOU, don't look around or behind you or at the person next to you and if you are working away by your little lonesome self, don't feel lonely 'cause He is with you always. Jesus is saying U RRRR PRECIOUS TO HIM he paid the highest price that one can pay for anyone. So no matter how vrot you are feeling today that does not change this truth.
If you ask the majority of people about Mondays, you kinda get the colour answer, black, blue or a combo black and blue, if its really a bomb of a day. Mondays are such clichés, everything seems to go wrong and what makes it so difficult is that my brain is still in neutral weekend mode when Monday springs up on me and screams in my ear SURPRISE!!!! its Monday. Oh what joy. I'm looking so forward to going to work, all those exciting deadlines, playing with exciting financial packages, meeting all those terribly depressed and morose people. Everyone is just so hyped and motivated to serve their fellow citizens in Cape Town, yea right.
So there I am hanging on to a leather handle of the bus, like a choice piece of meat, while trying not to put too much weight on my fractured toe. The bus is crammed, standing room only. Yea running late again, gee wot a surprise. We are caught in a tailback from Cape Town to Timbuktu and everyone is enjoying sucking in all the free carbon monoxide fumes. Its stifling hot in the bus and a woman is virtually fainting as she decides discretion is the better part of valour and sits down on the floor. I'm miffed I can't read or sleep as the bus driver tries doing his best Schumacher impression all the way to town.
A couple of years ago my spirit would have been crushed to the point of desperation. My thought then was. Man is this it? Is this all that life is cracked up to be? This endless joyless trudge of spending most of your time doing something you don't want to do. Now and again you get a "happy spark" when something good happens to you and you hang on to that memory and cherish it. You collect those memories, you treasure them and you try your best to plan and create new happy moments. When you go through a dark times then you call up those happy moments and you also look forward to creating those new ones. But this is such an inadequate philosophy to use in your life, you start falling apart from within, but that's okay as long as you look good and fashionable from the outside. I'm Kooel ! Oh yea what about you dieing some day? Listen I've got enuff on my plate I'll deal with that when it comes up.
Thank goodness Allie, when she was going through some of the darkest moments of her life started asking the same questions that I had been ignoring for years. She really started truly searching and eventually found a place and a person of truth. Me I was not interested. Church!!! Huh that's just a place full of hypocrites (always room for another one hey). Somehow through God's grace and mercy and the love of Christ He reached out and changed our lives forever.
So now when I hang around (literally) on the bus seemingly going nowhere slowly, I know that this life is just a mist, a millisecond compared to eternity and its definitely not all there is. I'm going to live forever with Jesus in heaven 'cause He bought me with a price and nothing can separate me from His great and all consuming love. And He has a purpose and plan for my life while I'm here. So if you feel like nothing and pretty vrot then join me and all the Saints and dare to believe in the promises of God. Put quite simply it's the plain everlasting, loving, truth.
We have heard the thunder
We have seen the storm
Echoes of your kingdom coming
Rumours of our home
Where one day we will stand before you Lord
Our altogether beautiful reward
And we will give you glory, bring you honour
King above all kings, you deserve our everything
We will lift our voices with your praises
Jesus you are our King
Though now we walk in darkness
Though now we see in part
Right now we're warmed by the burning flames
Of the fire in our hearts
You've promised you will lead us to your throne
Where we will worship you and you alone
(King by Tree 63)
LoCTY !!!!!!!!!!
PS There are quite a few scriptures in here but have fun and work them out 4 yer self. Go on don't be so lazzzzy !
Ya YOU, don't look around or behind you or at the person next to you and if you are working away by your little lonesome self, don't feel lonely 'cause He is with you always. Jesus is saying U RRRR PRECIOUS TO HIM he paid the highest price that one can pay for anyone. So no matter how vrot you are feeling today that does not change this truth.
If you ask the majority of people about Mondays, you kinda get the colour answer, black, blue or a combo black and blue, if its really a bomb of a day. Mondays are such clichés, everything seems to go wrong and what makes it so difficult is that my brain is still in neutral weekend mode when Monday springs up on me and screams in my ear SURPRISE!!!! its Monday. Oh what joy. I'm looking so forward to going to work, all those exciting deadlines, playing with exciting financial packages, meeting all those terribly depressed and morose people. Everyone is just so hyped and motivated to serve their fellow citizens in Cape Town, yea right.
So there I am hanging on to a leather handle of the bus, like a choice piece of meat, while trying not to put too much weight on my fractured toe. The bus is crammed, standing room only. Yea running late again, gee wot a surprise. We are caught in a tailback from Cape Town to Timbuktu and everyone is enjoying sucking in all the free carbon monoxide fumes. Its stifling hot in the bus and a woman is virtually fainting as she decides discretion is the better part of valour and sits down on the floor. I'm miffed I can't read or sleep as the bus driver tries doing his best Schumacher impression all the way to town.
A couple of years ago my spirit would have been crushed to the point of desperation. My thought then was. Man is this it? Is this all that life is cracked up to be? This endless joyless trudge of spending most of your time doing something you don't want to do. Now and again you get a "happy spark" when something good happens to you and you hang on to that memory and cherish it. You collect those memories, you treasure them and you try your best to plan and create new happy moments. When you go through a dark times then you call up those happy moments and you also look forward to creating those new ones. But this is such an inadequate philosophy to use in your life, you start falling apart from within, but that's okay as long as you look good and fashionable from the outside. I'm Kooel ! Oh yea what about you dieing some day? Listen I've got enuff on my plate I'll deal with that when it comes up.
Thank goodness Allie, when she was going through some of the darkest moments of her life started asking the same questions that I had been ignoring for years. She really started truly searching and eventually found a place and a person of truth. Me I was not interested. Church!!! Huh that's just a place full of hypocrites (always room for another one hey). Somehow through God's grace and mercy and the love of Christ He reached out and changed our lives forever.
So now when I hang around (literally) on the bus seemingly going nowhere slowly, I know that this life is just a mist, a millisecond compared to eternity and its definitely not all there is. I'm going to live forever with Jesus in heaven 'cause He bought me with a price and nothing can separate me from His great and all consuming love. And He has a purpose and plan for my life while I'm here. So if you feel like nothing and pretty vrot then join me and all the Saints and dare to believe in the promises of God. Put quite simply it's the plain everlasting, loving, truth.
We have heard the thunder
We have seen the storm
Echoes of your kingdom coming
Rumours of our home
Where one day we will stand before you Lord
Our altogether beautiful reward
And we will give you glory, bring you honour
King above all kings, you deserve our everything
We will lift our voices with your praises
Jesus you are our King
Though now we walk in darkness
Though now we see in part
Right now we're warmed by the burning flames
Of the fire in our hearts
You've promised you will lead us to your throne
Where we will worship you and you alone
(King by Tree 63)
LoCTY !!!!!!!!!!
PS There are quite a few scriptures in here but have fun and work them out 4 yer self. Go on don't be so lazzzzy !
Monday, January 31, 2005
Focus
To The Precious Saints !!!!
Max Lucado tells the story about when he was a little boy and he went fishing with his dad. They rowed out quite far and Max couldn't see the shoreline. Suddenly a storm came up and the water become really rough and the wind was howling. Whenever Max looked out at the water he felt terribly afraid but when he looked at his big strong dad he felt assured and unafraid. You see his dad was big and strong and he knew exactly what to do and where he was going as he rowed their little boat to shore. Max decided that he'd rather just continue to look at his dad and feel confident that his dad would save them then look at the swirling water around them and be afraid.
We must be like that. We must focus on God the Father in all we do and all we go through. This life is full of distractions that will blur our focus and many times shift it totally away. That is the work of Satan who plays on our weak and sinful nature. We must know this that we are in a battle every day of our lives and the outcome of this battle has eternal consequences.
However God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God) and Jesus has left us with the helper, His Holy Spirit and Jesus is constantly interceding for us to His Father.
This focus on God was so important that it is the first of the ten commandments for the Jewish nation in the wilderness. This first commandment was summed up in Deuteronomy 6:4 & 5 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." When Jesus was here on earth he said that this first law and that you love your neighbour as yourself summed up and encompassed the whole law.
Today whatever you are going through, whatever you are doing keep your focus on God. Know all that He has already done for you, what He is doing for you now and what He will do for you in the future. And then more then that in this battle fight for your family, your friends your church because God wants you to stand firm and fight. But not in your own strength He wants you to draw your strength from Him.
Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families and your homes!" (Nehemiah 4:14)
So never cease praying and encouraging each other and I leave you with this prayer from Paul to the church at Ephesus. When I first read this again three years ago(the last time I'd read it was 12 years before that as a JW, it did not have the same impact on me then) on the bus I wanted to shout it out to everyone on the bus, it just blew me away(and still does).
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvellous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Can we get an Amen? Or are you too busy, too under pressure, going through something, couldn't really be bothered, somebody has hurt you, angry with someone, angry with the church or angry with God. Just adjust your focus back to the Father and fight to keep it there. He knows you better than you know yourself!
LoCTY!!!!!!
Max Lucado tells the story about when he was a little boy and he went fishing with his dad. They rowed out quite far and Max couldn't see the shoreline. Suddenly a storm came up and the water become really rough and the wind was howling. Whenever Max looked out at the water he felt terribly afraid but when he looked at his big strong dad he felt assured and unafraid. You see his dad was big and strong and he knew exactly what to do and where he was going as he rowed their little boat to shore. Max decided that he'd rather just continue to look at his dad and feel confident that his dad would save them then look at the swirling water around them and be afraid.
We must be like that. We must focus on God the Father in all we do and all we go through. This life is full of distractions that will blur our focus and many times shift it totally away. That is the work of Satan who plays on our weak and sinful nature. We must know this that we are in a battle every day of our lives and the outcome of this battle has eternal consequences.
However God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God) and Jesus has left us with the helper, His Holy Spirit and Jesus is constantly interceding for us to His Father.
This focus on God was so important that it is the first of the ten commandments for the Jewish nation in the wilderness. This first commandment was summed up in Deuteronomy 6:4 & 5 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." When Jesus was here on earth he said that this first law and that you love your neighbour as yourself summed up and encompassed the whole law.
Today whatever you are going through, whatever you are doing keep your focus on God. Know all that He has already done for you, what He is doing for you now and what He will do for you in the future. And then more then that in this battle fight for your family, your friends your church because God wants you to stand firm and fight. But not in your own strength He wants you to draw your strength from Him.
Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families and your homes!" (Nehemiah 4:14)
So never cease praying and encouraging each other and I leave you with this prayer from Paul to the church at Ephesus. When I first read this again three years ago(the last time I'd read it was 12 years before that as a JW, it did not have the same impact on me then) on the bus I wanted to shout it out to everyone on the bus, it just blew me away(and still does).
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvellous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Can we get an Amen? Or are you too busy, too under pressure, going through something, couldn't really be bothered, somebody has hurt you, angry with someone, angry with the church or angry with God. Just adjust your focus back to the Father and fight to keep it there. He knows you better than you know yourself!
LoCTY!!!!!!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
A Reminder From Stanley
To The Saints !!!!!
Last night saw the start of Alpha. It is always with mixed feelings/emotions that one approaches serving on team for the start of the first Alpha course for the year. There is excitement, passion, apprehension, fear, doubt and often (but not always) there is something that happens in your life in the week leading up to Alpha that brings out and highlights our weak and sinful nature. During this week we have have been subjected again to family tension and Allie has borne the brunt of this from her son Adam.
So on to the first night and Allie initially did not much feel like going but eventually she decided to go with me. Things went okay and we were enjoying the evening. While sitting in the small group Kevin came walking up to me and said he had a message from Mandy(who was looking after Matthew) that our car had been stolen and was in Delft and that we should phone her to get the number for the police there.
Of course I would like to tell you that I stayed calm and made all the right Christian responses and called an immediate prayer meeting or whateva but I flipped, I panicked, my heart came up in my throat, then sank down to my shoes (and then continued with this yo yo motion). Allie and myself hurried to the office, on the way there I looked out to where our car was parked (what was I looking for? It wasn't there!) and I said to Allie that its gone! By this time I was doing the good husband thing and trying to blame Allie "you see I told you to put a gear lock on the car, or get an immobiliser fitted but you wouldn't listen" (haaa, can you see Christ in me). Allie phoned Mandy and got the number of the police in Delft, Mandy also told Allie that the car was damaged. Allie was so upset at this time and she was crying she said "I told you I should not have come tonight....." I phoned the cops. While I was dialling their number I suddenly felt a calmness come over me and in my heart I said Lord whateva, I'll still love you and serve you. It was a strange feeling because I wanted to panic, I was enjoying it, I wanted to vent my frustration at the world, tell everyone who cared to listen how unfair life is(so wots new).
Eventually the cops answered the phone and the sergeant who I had to speak to took forever to come to the phone. When he eventually got there he asked if I was Mrs D White (ke ching! the penny dropped) it was Stanley (our old Mazda) who had been stolen. We had sold the car through a dealer friend when we bought our new car and the new owner had not yet registered it in his name. What a relief.
But then where is our car? I went to have another look (carefully this time) I was so blinded by my panic that I did not even see that our car was exactly in the same spot where Allie had parked it. Nope it had not moved at all. Of course I now had to put up with some good natured comments from the rest of the team about my eyesight, about immediate answered pray from the prayer team but it was all done in love.
Its just a reminder to us all as to how grateful we must be for every blessing and how grateful we must be that we have the truth and that we serve a God that loves us so much that He came down and died for us, so that we could be with Him forever. Sounds contrite, too good to be true, well my friends it is the TRUTH and you have it, it has been revealed to you. As Josh McDowell said the plain things are the main things and the main things are the plain things.
Mystery of mysteries
That you could love someone like me
In your hands eternity
And yet you have the time for me
A love so undeserved
You held nothing in reserve
Heaven played its symphony
I took your hand and you rescued me
Grace like a river
Is flowing down, is flowing down
It's flowing down to me
Staring at my history
Was all alone but never free
The sands of time have let me see
Your faithful shadow next to me
A love so unreserved
I did nothing to deserve
Love so free but what's the cost
To carry this old rugged cross
I love you, I thank you
I'm nothing without your Grace like a river
(Grace Like A River by Delirious?)
This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:10)
LoCTY !!!!
PS Thanks Michelle you really handled the group fantastically well last night despite the distraction.
Last night saw the start of Alpha. It is always with mixed feelings/emotions that one approaches serving on team for the start of the first Alpha course for the year. There is excitement, passion, apprehension, fear, doubt and often (but not always) there is something that happens in your life in the week leading up to Alpha that brings out and highlights our weak and sinful nature. During this week we have have been subjected again to family tension and Allie has borne the brunt of this from her son Adam.
So on to the first night and Allie initially did not much feel like going but eventually she decided to go with me. Things went okay and we were enjoying the evening. While sitting in the small group Kevin came walking up to me and said he had a message from Mandy(who was looking after Matthew) that our car had been stolen and was in Delft and that we should phone her to get the number for the police there.
Of course I would like to tell you that I stayed calm and made all the right Christian responses and called an immediate prayer meeting or whateva but I flipped, I panicked, my heart came up in my throat, then sank down to my shoes (and then continued with this yo yo motion). Allie and myself hurried to the office, on the way there I looked out to where our car was parked (what was I looking for? It wasn't there!) and I said to Allie that its gone! By this time I was doing the good husband thing and trying to blame Allie "you see I told you to put a gear lock on the car, or get an immobiliser fitted but you wouldn't listen" (haaa, can you see Christ in me). Allie phoned Mandy and got the number of the police in Delft, Mandy also told Allie that the car was damaged. Allie was so upset at this time and she was crying she said "I told you I should not have come tonight....." I phoned the cops. While I was dialling their number I suddenly felt a calmness come over me and in my heart I said Lord whateva, I'll still love you and serve you. It was a strange feeling because I wanted to panic, I was enjoying it, I wanted to vent my frustration at the world, tell everyone who cared to listen how unfair life is(so wots new).
Eventually the cops answered the phone and the sergeant who I had to speak to took forever to come to the phone. When he eventually got there he asked if I was Mrs D White (ke ching! the penny dropped) it was Stanley (our old Mazda) who had been stolen. We had sold the car through a dealer friend when we bought our new car and the new owner had not yet registered it in his name. What a relief.
But then where is our car? I went to have another look (carefully this time) I was so blinded by my panic that I did not even see that our car was exactly in the same spot where Allie had parked it. Nope it had not moved at all. Of course I now had to put up with some good natured comments from the rest of the team about my eyesight, about immediate answered pray from the prayer team but it was all done in love.
Its just a reminder to us all as to how grateful we must be for every blessing and how grateful we must be that we have the truth and that we serve a God that loves us so much that He came down and died for us, so that we could be with Him forever. Sounds contrite, too good to be true, well my friends it is the TRUTH and you have it, it has been revealed to you. As Josh McDowell said the plain things are the main things and the main things are the plain things.
Mystery of mysteries
That you could love someone like me
In your hands eternity
And yet you have the time for me
A love so undeserved
You held nothing in reserve
Heaven played its symphony
I took your hand and you rescued me
Grace like a river
Is flowing down, is flowing down
It's flowing down to me
Staring at my history
Was all alone but never free
The sands of time have let me see
Your faithful shadow next to me
A love so unreserved
I did nothing to deserve
Love so free but what's the cost
To carry this old rugged cross
I love you, I thank you
I'm nothing without your Grace like a river
(Grace Like A River by Delirious?)
This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:10)
LoCTY !!!!
PS Thanks Michelle you really handled the group fantastically well last night despite the distraction.
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