How do we present ourselves: Rembrandt, Dürer and Christian humility.

Only last week, Gordon - the great and caring Gramps that he is - positioned himself on a provided chair in the London Science Museum's basement.  Instead of gazing at some of the Wrights' first-flight wings or the Apollo that circled (circled?) the moon, he had his warm grandfather-eyes on our grandsons, Joshua and Jesse, in the basement.  There you can find "The Garden" which is a child's paradise of water and activities that keep them engaged for literally hours. 

Liesl (our younger daughter)  and I walked through this kindly provided open door of being by ourselves as adults, and hopped onto the nearest Tube to explore the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square.  Liesl is far, far more knowledgeable about art than I am - so I happily followed in my daughter's  slip-stream.   We marvelled in front of so many masterpieces that I am compelled to return to one of daughter/mom-times together via this blog.  We lapped up world-class painting talent enhanced by our togetherness and conversations.

Today I am focusing in on two of Rembrandt's self-portraits in the National Art Gallery ( many others are distributed in other parts of the world).  And, then,  focus even closer in on the concept of how we present ourselves.  Much can be said - your comments are welcomed!  I gave it some thought in the midst of the ordinary things of life and restrict my few thoughts to one question, one conclusion, and one stunning mega, comfort.

Just in case you do not have time to read right to the end of this post, I would like to mention the three thoughts now:

1. How do we present ourselves to God in heaven, to our ourselves and to others?
2. Christians, saved by Jesus and grace, are to present themselves in humility.
3. From the Bible, Jude verse 24, 25 - a stunning promise for all those who have passed from death to life in Jesus:

To him who is able to keep you from falling

          and to present you before his glorious presence
          
          without fault and with great joy—

to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,

through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Amen!!

So then, how do you and I present ourselves to others?
Well, here are, first,  a few portraits of self-presentation - courtesy Rembrandt and Dürer.   Stand with Liesl  and I in front of two of Rembrandt's masterpieces in the National Portrait Gallery, London - also have a squiz at the third and see what thoughts theirs invoke in you!

This portrait shows Rembrandt at the height of his career, presenting himself in a self-assured pose wearing an elaborate costume in the fashion of the 16th century. It seems as if Rembrandt refers deliberately to his famous predecessors in this portrait, and thus places himself in the tradition of great 'Old Masters'.

This work was painted in the final year of Rembrandt's life and is one of his last pictures. He died on 4 October 1669 and was buried in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam.

Rembrandt painted more self portraits than any other artist of the 17th century. The National Gallery has two of them, separated by nearly thirty years. In this late picture, the artist wears a deep red coat and a beret, his hands clasped before him. The viewer is confronted by his steady gaze. Rembrandt painted and etched self portraits throughout his life, but those executed in his final years, in which he presents himself in a reflective mood, are among the most poignant and challenging.

The Germans still tended to consider the artist as a craftsman, as had been the conventional view during the Middle Ages. This was bitterly unacceptable to Dürer, whose second Self-Portrait (out of three) shows him as slender and aristocratic, a haughty and foppish youth, ringletted and impassive. His stylish and expensive costume indicates, like the dramatic mountain view through the window (implying wider horizons), that he considers himself no mere limited provincial. What Dürer insists on above all else is his dignity, and this was a quality that he
allowed to others too.

Last night I finished reading the small book on "Humility - true greatness" by C.J. Mahaney.  My Lord and my God by His Spirit, my Counselor, guided me once again into humility, while also wondering about the Master Artists' portrayal of themselves.

How do we present ourselves in humility:

We keep in mind
God's active opposition to pride.
Pride's potency to destroy
God's merciful warnings

A definition of humility: Serving others for the glory of God.

What is greatness? Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

How do I cultivate humility?

• Reflect on the wonder of the Cross
• Acknowledge your need for God
• Be full of gratitude
• Cast your cares upon Jesus.
• Study the attributes of God
• Study the doctrines of Grace
• Study the doctrine of sin
• Laugh at yourself
• Identify evidences of grace in others, appreciate them and encourage others
• Invite and pursue godly correction.
• Respond humbly to trials.

I desire to go after humility in all my roles:

• as God's beloved child
• as a marriage partner
• as a parent
• as an employer/employee
• as a friend
• as a family member in God's church
• as an opposed person
• in every role!

For an in-depth  look at Christian love and humility, please follow this link to my friend, Laurie's blog.   On our return we found Gramps in one piece and the two grandsons so thrilled by their surrounds they did not beg for a snack, not once!

Six brief life-changing tips on raising obedient children

Here are a half dozen brief reminders on how to raise obedient children - from a post by by PJ and Ashleigh Smyth from Johannesburg, South Africa which can be  found by clicking on this link.

After a little discussion on Christian parenting this morning at our church's "Mums and Tots" play morning, I was referred to the "GodFirst" church in South Africa.  That was a good tip, Louisa, thank you!  We look forward to exploring the website further.  Who is busier than mums with littlies?   Our own children, who are now mums, leap to mind!  We share this post with them, giving thanks to our Lord for the love He has poured out in their hearts for Him, for their husbands and for our 4 grandchildrenL  Josh, Josie, Jesse and Evie.

It also give us great pleasure to share this post with you, dear reader - hoping it will be a big blessing to you and your children-in-training!


1. We are confident in our God-given parental authority: God has set parents in place as the primary authority figures in the lives of children. Hebrews 12 speaks of how discipline is actually a privilege of being a son. Don’t fear that your child will resent your discipline. On the contrary, they will soon realise that it is a sign of your love for them.
2. We never count to three: The counting-to-three routine undermines your authority and places your child in the driving seat. You are training him that essentially obedience is a negotiation and that he can determine the timing of his obedience. Train them to say ‘I must obey straight away’.

3. We model it by submitting ourselves to authority figures in our lives: Several times a year there is a clash between what my ‘boss’ is asking me to do and what my family and I would like to do. I always seize these opportunities to explain to my boys that ‘I must obey my boss straight away and with a good attitude’, and that although I would much rather spend Saturday morning with them, I must obey my ‘boss’ and rather go to that meeting.

4. We try not to exasperate our children (Eph 6:4). Avoid petty rules. Pick your battles. Be merciful and compassionate. When you are in the wrong say a sincere sorry to them. Also, make sure that you are giving them sufficient attention so that they are not compelled to rebel just to get some time and attention from you.

5. We use appropriate forms of punishment.
We discipline mostly for three D’s:

• Disobedience.
• Disrespect.
• And Destruction (of property…or your brother’s nose).

Punishment must be proportional to the offense, and also proportional to the stage of life of the child. If it is not then you will find that you exasperate a growing child.
Also, the mode of punishment must be what will best help the child. Different parents have more ‘faith’ for some forms of punishment than others, and different children respond differently to different forms of punishment. I acknowledge and respect that, although we have had continued success with the primary biblical form of disciplining children: a wooden spoon to their chubby bottoms.

6. We are convinced that it really is worth the effort. The joy of parenting increases dramatically when you have obedient children! And most importantly, you are equipping your children with the vital life-skill of obedience, which will stand them in good stead in their obedience to God, life, at school, and in the workplace.

Learning from "Who made God?" Author: Edgar Andrews

For a while now, I have been trying to work out a short statement in regard to why I, like hosts of  other Christians,  find the theory of evolution's explanation of beginnings so totally unbelievable.  And then...commuting home on the bus today, I came across this one summarising sentence written by a  Christian Physicist that nailed part of the argument.   Thank you so much Prof. Andrews!

What is not denied and what is denied:

What is denied
is not the occurrence of mutations and natural selection,
nor their ability to generate change,
but
the absolute power of mindless, haphazard processes to manufacture
the teeming life of planet earth
starting from
some primeval soup or elementary spark of life.

Honestly, seeing evolution is still at the hypothesis stage,  it certainly takes a whole bunch of faith to welcome it's claims on board. To my simple mind, its description of origins demands more faith than faith in a Creator God.

The more scientists (bless them all!) observe via their senses and amazing instruments, the more we see that our universe smacks of design. And the easier it is to believe "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)


Gordon and I heartily recommend "Who made God?" to those who  firmly believe in the God of the Bible who exists: a real, personal God creating a real universe out of nothing - creatio ex nihilo.  
And we also recommend Professor Andrew's book to  those who prefer a theory that excludes God no matter how highly improbable it sounds.  How about taking up the challenge posed by a physicist?!

A young mother with terminal cancer talks about Jesus and dying

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by Name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters I will be with you;
and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you.  Isaiah 41 :1,2

This week we have been made acutely aware again, of the brevity of life.  Our very good friend Gail,our age, has recently been diagnosed with cancer and after having to undergo and endure treatments, he has been diagnosed with further areas of cancer invasion and is terribly ill. 

This is Nia.

And then there is Nia who turns ten  in June who has Leukemia and after a recent relapse is back in Oxford Children's Hospital on aggressive chemo and other treatments.  Our dear friend is in America, geographically so far away - but we were able to visit cute Nia on Friday during a day-out to Oxford.

Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave - ponder the moving scene.  We would dearly love to be faithful in earnest prayer, with our Saviour's tears, for our friend, Gail and  for Nia and for their families. Having nursed our son Michael to the end of his young life, the ravages of cancer are all too familiar to us.  How easy it is to get caught up in the events of our lives and lose touch with the pangs of the pain and the concerns and the suspense of the suffering and those around them.

So, with these reasons in mind, we listened to a video talk by Rachel at a Women's event  hosted by Westside Church at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond, BC, Canada on March 4, 2009.


Here is the link to the young mother telling her story of dying with cancer.
Rachel  took the  opportunity to share her hope in Jesus Christ, as a terminal cancer patient.   What began as a small talk to her church women’s group became an event attended by over 600 women and was an experience that left many with a desire to discover more about Rachel’s journey and faith and Jesus.

In addition to the audio link, we also include the bulk of a blog entry/letter by Rachel, written with exceptional honesty about her own experience of dying  Our motivation for both the link and the letter is certainly not to pander to a macabre curiosity about death, but to grow in being sensitive and full of love to those who are dying, to increase in genuine sympathy and be a lot more prepared for our own deaths.  May we all move closer to being more skilled at being tender and  thoughtful and wise and informed friends to those who are going through deep waters.

We trust you will read this blog in that spirit and that, like Rachel, you too will not die alone, but have Jesus Christ your Good Shepherd right there with you when your own time has come to pass through the waters and the rivers and the valley of the shadow of death.  You will find 4 steps in Rachel's video talk which points to how to be ready to die.

Rachel wrote as follows on April 20th, 2009 and died in Jesus early July 2009.

Dying is hard




I’m not sure what I thought it would be like but I think I hoped it would be easier than this. But, admittedly, I’m not that tough.




First of all, I’ve never done it before and there’s no one around who’s done it before to ask how to do it well. You have to prioritize and plan your days, weeks, months, without knowing how much time you actually have. You have to find the balance between complaining so that you can get relief and not complaining so that you don’t annoy all the nice people who are trying to help you. All this, I am learning, I am not that good at.




I went to bed the other night feeling ok but woke up an hour later with searing pain in my head. If it didn’t sound so odd, I’d say that I can feel the cancer growing. My face went more numb and I had crazy pain in my jaw and head. The cancer has spread to my shoulders too so those ache often as well. I took some pain medication and it’s subsided somewhat but was then wide awake and couldn’t stop thinking about how this is all going to go down. Will it be fast? Slow? More painful than it is now? I ask but there are, of course, no answers.




The last couple of weeks have been a bit more rough. More bad days. Fewer good days. I’ve had some more radiation on my other hip and my sternum where the cancer has spread and was causing discomfort. I usually get a little “bounce” a few days after the radiation when the nausea and fatigue from the treatment have worn off. Today was one of those days - kind of.
Dying is hard. And now I better understand some of the things people struggle with as they near death.




I remember my grandmother who, at the end of her life could not move, see or hear very well and wondered what Jesus was waiting for - why wouldn’t he take her home now? I understand how she felt. I remember my grandfather, who died just last year, as he patiently endured our entreaties to eat, our constant asking of “How are you feeling?” or our efforts to make him more comfortable. I understand how he felt. And then there are the moments where the kids ask, “Mom, how come you got cancer?” Those questions, of course, are the hardest.




Although I do very little these days, the one thing I do is pray more. I’ve never been a great person of prayer, to my shame. But when I’m lying awake at night or trying not to throw up or just alone in bed - I pray. I pray because it is the only useful thing I can do. And, that said, it is a very good investment of the time I do have. I pray for Neil. A lot. How grateful I am for him and for strength to endure what is being asked of him. I pray for Quinn and Kate - while I still can. And I pray for the many people that God brings to my mind in the midst of my darkness.




So all that to say, I’m not very good at this. I am trying though. And when I think of the end, of how hard dying already is, and of how hard it will be for those I love when I’m gone, these are the verses that come to mind:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.”
Isaiah 43:1-2

Dying is hard. But not as hard as it could be.

Who has the ultimate say in the future of the UK government after 6 May 2010

Would you please, please pray for the UK election taking place tomorrow, Thursday 6 May 2010?

This is where we live: in the small county of Hertfordshire.

Voters (30-40%)  admit that they are undecided as to who to vote for.  We count ourselves as part of that statistic.  Ok we do not fancy Communism, for eg, but it does make one wonder about Democracy and how it is that the the future of a good few year's goverance is subject to weak, weak, weak chance of making a good judgment and decision! What is the worth of a personal political opinion based on scanty party manifesto's.  To have our “own political views”, we all, obviously, need true information.  Whicih we get where?

Now.....................how very good and assuring it is that our God works out His purposes - HIS purposes - His PURPOSES - and that He is good and His love endures forever.  And somehow He can achieve His plans through voters who are so betwixt and between!

Gordon and I have been paying fair attention to the debates, analyzers communication through many forms of the media, but still, like many others, we battle to discern and make a clear choice. Uncertainty is a feature of this election, thus the leaders and campaigners' pounded the streets - some right through the night.  We have tried to assess and discern, while trying to remember who said what on which taxes, on the EU and immigration and the Recession and how to deal with the rich bankers - added to hospitals, age-care and education.  Do we vote tactically, for the party or for the man?

Many say there hasn’t been an election in their lifetime in which so many voters are just not certain where they or the parties stand – and no wonder, given the turbulence of the economy and the unusually slippery tactics of politicians across the board.  Disconcerting.

Here's the dilemma:  many of  the uncertain voters will stand in cubicles tomorrow and draw crosses.  Here is the crunch: many of  those crosses will determine the leaders of the United Kingdom for the next few years.

(A few  BBC interviewees said that when they are in the voting cubicle they believe the right decision will "come" to them!)

How wonderful and assuring and thrilling - and what real security -  to have our confidence in a Sovereign Lord .  He works all the time and He works all things together (just consider what a magnificent influence that is).  He works everything together for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.  He holds sovereign sway over the universe, the world and the UK elections tomorrow.  He is the Ancient of days - no lack of experience there!  Our God reigns and His purposes will not be frustrated.

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.   {Prov 21:30-31 RSV}

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

 
Please see  Some key issues to keep in mind when casting a vote. for further information.  Prayer makes sense- and to go and vote tomorrow - because as Christians we are convinced of God's sovereign and wise sway over the UK and all the kingdoms of our world.

We and the whole country are very curious to what the outcome is going to be - nobody knows - oh, SOMEBODY does know!  And before that "Somebody" there is splendour and majesty; strength and joy in His dwelling place.  Ascribe to the LORD, oh families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His Name."  1 Chronicles 16.

For an indepth Christian view on how to vote, we strongly suggest "How should Christians vote" bethinking.org

Christians in Britain today live in a collapsing culture in which God’s moral law is openly
flouted. Things will not get better unless this is addressed. The only lasting and real solution to
the problem of man’s sin is uniquely providedin the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel denies that there can ever be political salvation in this life. Nevertheless, we are to pray that our authorities would provide freedom for the Gospel and freedom for Christians to live“peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We are to pray that the governing authorities will fulfil their Godgiven
mandate and govern according to God’s moral law (Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-14).


The General Election provides an opportunity for Christians to speak out and play their part.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.Proverbs 19:21

Some key issues as we vote in the 2010 UK election tomorrow

Tomorrow morning we are off to the polling station at our nearest school to participate in the  UK 2010 election.   My soulmate, Gordon and I are familiarising ourselves with some of  the Christian principles to keep in mind, together with whatever information we were able to gather. The political leaders' and parties' manifesto's were/are criticised for lack of facts.

We received these welcome vote-reminders in email-format this evening from "Christian Concern for our Nation".  (See a link to their website at the end of this post).



 

Final election message:

Please remember the three key issues as you cast your vote

The polling booths open in less than 24 hours. As you consider how to vote, please remember the biblical vision of what makes for a peaceful and prosperous society and to value God’s wisdom over that of any political leader. Please also continue to cry out to the living and life-giving God that He might have mercy on this country and raise up godly leaders.


As the campaigns come to a close, we continue to underline the vital importance of three key areas. We do so not because they are the only issues of interest to Christians but because they are fundamental to the very foundation and fabric of our society and because they are currently under relentless attack. The ‘litmus tests’ of the future shape of the society that we and our children will inhabit are:

1. The protection of the most vulnerable in society—especially those at the earliest (unborn) and final stages of this life. (Christians make an enormous and positive contribution to serving the needs of the marginalised. We long to see justice for all and our concern for arguably the most vulnerable—the unborn and those nearing death—naturally flows from this).
2. The promotion of the family, biblically and traditionally understood, as the basic building block of a healthy society.
3. The proclamation of Jesus Christ as the only ultimate hope for our nation.

Despite the fact there are many wonderful politicians doing great work within each of the biggest political parties none of the parties now publicly support the biblical position on all three of these issues. This makes voting decisions harder and underlines the importance of voting in light of the commitments of the particular candidates in your constituency.

The issues at stake are so significant, that we believe that candidates’ positions on them outweighs other considerations—whether party loyalty or sympathy on matters such as economic, environmental or foreign policy.



For really useful information re Chrisitian issues in the UK, please refer to Christian Concern for our Nation

Does undying love for Jesus as Lord strip me of my freedom?

On a cold and unpleasant May Day here in Hertfordshire, UK today, Gordon and I stayed indoors, cosy and warm.  After some domestic tasks were done and dusted, we listened together to an online sermon by J.R.Vassar, from New York. 

If you want to check it out - and we do hope you have/carve out time - worth it!

Here is the link to "Love Incorruptible", a sermon on undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ - and the alternatives.    The site is navigation-friendly, you only have to click on the play-button.  Today's post consists of notes from this sermon mingled with our own thoughts and responses, with much thanks to JR.  

Ephesians 6:24:  "Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."

Oh, to love our Lord Jesus Christ supremely with a genuine love and devotion, loyalty, with an undying never-ending, forever love, resulting in glad obedience to Jesus as our Lord!

We are born lovers; born with capacity and inclination to give our hearts to something. We are incurable worshippers:

"When we cease to worship God, we do not worship nothing, we worship anything.” GK Chesterton.

Whatever we love most will begin to define us and shape us.

"We are to a large degree the sum of our loves, and we will of moral necessity grow into the image of what we love most.” Tozer.

Our loves give shape to our lives, they will define and direct us.

1. Our loves define us – our identity and meaning and sense of self, our joy and confidence get tied up in what we love most. We can’t begin to see our lives functioning without these things. Without these loves, we would not know who we were. Our greatest loves define us.
2. Our loves direct us - we make our decisions in light of what we love most. What we love most will be the most influential factor in our decision making.  What motivates and shapes our decision-making?

We need to identify our highest loves and  re-prioritise.  We do not destroy our loves, but when we love Jesus as our Lord, we demote them so Christ is supreme.  How and where do we spend and invest our time and money; our thoughts and imaginations and ideas and energy?  What do we love the most?

The essence of the Christian faith is that we trust and treasure Jesus above all things so that Jesus defines us and he directs us. If we love him in this way, it will mean a life of absolute and completely willing surrender and glad obedience, because my Lord Jesus Christ means most to us.

 John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command"  

 Does this mean I have to prove to Jesus that I love Him?  Here we go again:  all that two-faced loveless duty, those rules and regulations?  Take half a second and  read John 14:15 again: it starts off with love.  Jesus says "Love Me"  He wants our deepest affections, our highest loyalty and for it all to be pure joy on our part.   The obedience will follow.

Aaah but I want to call my own shots.  All this obedience business is nothing but dehumanising.  I want to be led by my glands, my culture, my preferences, my tastes, my peers - not by God.  Come on, give me my freedom! Freedom to make our own moral choices, about parenting, sex, money, and power, my immediate pleasure, my fulfillment.  We want to be free. But are we free?

All loves require a loss of independence. We voluntarily release our independence to the objects loved. Many can attest to how much they have  sacrificed to their loves.   Think for a moment of marriage, children, jobs.  We give up our independence  if we love our spouses, and if we love our children, our jobs and our hobbies.  We release our independence to who and what we love.

Conclusion:  If you love, you will not be free - you will gladly not be free.  You will put in a 90 hour week at work, you will spend time and money on your hobbies.  You will go hard after what you love.  You become slaves to what you love.  We think we are so free.   Are we?

The highest loves in our lives enslave us in that we have to have them for our identity, significance, joy and our direction.…Whether it is a successful career, a relationship, a body type, we sacrifice for them and struggle hard to keep them. We are never really free.


And to crown it all, Jesus also sounds ever so enslaving!  Even demanding.   Everything that I love become my master and now Jesus also wants to be my Master and my Lord.  It is vital to keep in mind that Jesus is every bit as demanding as He is loving. OK then, how loving is Jesus?

Here is one glimpse:

Philippians 2:7 "...but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"  

The risen Jesus' sacrificial love melts my mistrust. 
Jesus never requires from us what he has not already done for us. The self-less suffering and deep, deep love of Jesus, the lover of our souls melt the mistrust, the suspicion and scepticism in our hearts. I can trust a God like that - I can have full confidence in the Father who gave His only Son and in Jesus
who gave Himself on the cross in my place.

The difference is that Jesus is a better Master - a better Lord - by far!  Infinitely better than our "other loves".  We have to see His act of sacrifice before we see His demand of obedience.We love because he first loved us - we obey our Lord Jesus Christ because we love Him with an undying love.  We obey Him because we trust Him, who sacrificed Himself for us, to be our Master, our first love, our highest joy and treasure.  Hallelujah!

How do we cultivate this love?  Ask the Lord to pour out His love in your heart by the work of the Holy Spirit that He has given to you.   To cultivate any relationship takes time and truth.  We need time and truth to get beyond being merely attracted to Jesus, beyond admiration from a distance and to that place of undying love and glad obedience.  

There is an indescribable difference between duty and delight.   Here is an example, say you propose, put a ring on the finger of the one you proposed to, the setting is all romantic, the recipient glows and you pipe up with:  it's only my duty.  Isn't it the height of insult!


A genuine  and undying love for Jesus comes from a heart bursting with affection for Him.   I don't obey Jesus to avoid guilt and feel a bit more righteous or very righteous or more comfortable before God.  Dead and deadly legalism is motivated by guilt and pride and independence, not by love.  When I am smitten by God's love and His grace and love Him with an undying and first love - there's vitality and glad submission and joy.  Then I am truly set free.

Does this mean I have to eliminate the loves in my life?     No, it does not mean you discontinue your marriage, stop loving your children, give up your job and your hobbies and interests.   It does mean, if they mean more to you than Jesus that you need to demote them, so Christ is supreme.


Here is the reality check:

Deuternomy 6:5  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength"  And love others as Jesus has loved us.  

And for those who love Jesus with an undying love, who obey Him gladly because they love and treasure Him most of all?  Grace is poured out  those who love Jesus with an undying love. For those who treasure Christ above all things, God pours out his grace upon them.   God is active among a people like this with life changing grace and power.  Talk about blessings galore!

Ephesians 6:24

"Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."

Despite this wonderful doxology, the Ephesian church lost their first love...... Revelation 2:1-5. 

And it happened NOT because God's Word is powerless, but because they allowed their love to deteriorate to lukewarm "love". unstead of increasing and abounding in undying love.

John 15:9

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love"

What is so compelling about the Christian future that it cannot be compared to our present sufferings?

Romans 8:18

 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us"

Ponder and Wonder and Shudder at the world's and personal sufferings thoughout the ages - spend a bit of time, get the picture.

Ask yourself: 

What is so compelling about the Christian future

 that it cannot be compared to our present sufferings?

For a fuller picture, please listen to Matt Chandler's online sermon preached on 18th April 2010 on the Afflictions of Christ (Part 7) from Colossians 1.

Tonight we have been welcomed as new members at Spicer Street Church

Tonight Gordon and I and another new member have been officially welcomed into the fellowship of Spicer Street, St Albans. The simple but significant little procedure turned out to move us to quiet tears. Aaah how honoured and at home we feel and thrilled with OUR Bible-preaching pastors and church and with our new family!


Oh dear, then………..my eye caught a short blog about the possibility of disillusionment with a church (and they with us!). Who will be in the mood for such “negative” realities while enjoying the bliss of trouble-free church-ties. Please, not tonight!

It turned out to be strangely irresistable………..I kept on being drawn to that short article: “In our love for our church and our holy regard for those who lead us in the things of God, we forget the nature of humanity”. In our high happiness, would we be blind to the potential of our failures and those of our new church family. Will we in dream-like state,  persist in forgetting that humans are combinations of greatness and grief, of doing well and of disgusting sin.

So, we better check, right at the outset,  that we are not merely sentimental about our new church this evening. There is depth and sincerity in true love, and it should not cause us to drop our guard against the natural failings of humanity and ignore the signals our inner radar may be sending.
True stories abound of what people have suffered in the very place they have never expected harm – ie their church. Will the devil not strike hard where the pressure is on to change, to be like Jesus, where the stakes are high?

That is all I have to say about that (ala Forest Gump).

Except……….this specific, timely warning has not dampened our excitement over the fact that this very evening we became fully fledged members of our local church. But now we are all too well aware of our own personal potential for failure and sin.   And the same, in theory, of our church’s. So we go into this new phase, armed with God’s ways of confession and forgiveness and humility and service, clinging to His sure promise to us and to our new church family

“Give praise to the One who is able to keep you from falling into sin. He will bring you into his heavenly glory without any fault. He will bring you there with great joy. Give praise to the only God. He is our Saviour” (New International Readers Version)

Family pictures of our Gauteng family during the first two weeks in South Africa

My very recent one month long visit from the UK to our home-country, South Africa is still a fresh memory.  But, as is the way with all things (except God's Word that never fades away!) - these memories too will recede into forgotten joys.   And for this reason and to ensure future revisits, I have chosen just a few pictures from many taken over two weeks.  

Edith Schaeffer wrote a book called "What is a Family".  That book had a profound influence on my life and outlook on family.  Our hope is that your quick scan through these family photographs, will bring home again the deep blessing of loving family ties and we trust that you may conclude the same and much more as you consider your own family.

My treasured mom and I.   Sugarbush, family of the Protea, so typical of South Africa

Cousin Denise and a rose from my mom's garden.

My brother Pieter and his son Zander - stir-frying a feast on the Skottel

Leaping over this potplant has become an annual tradition

I love my mom - lief vir Mams!

Belinda flying and the usual family group photo

I love this pic of Pieter and mom because it shows their love-bond

Photo above:  The nephews visit and Rouan is  pretending to have a beer with Ouma!

Part of the family dynamics is young love and dreams of a future together:  Rouan  and Michelle

Another nephew, Ryno - each family member unique and treasured.

A prayer for each and every member of our family:

"My son, our family, be strong in the grace that is found in Christ Jesus!"