When birds fly

Sharing a smile ... Geoff and his friend Roger, from men from the Master.

30 September 2010

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Yesterday afternoon the young turtle dove chicks flew from the nest, and it is sad to think of the dangers that leaving the safety of the nest brings. The first bird flew and then went into the garage and sat on one of the roof rafters, the other went its own way and we are not sure where it flew to. In this area they will be exposed to wild cats, snakes, predator birds, and all the natural dangers that live brings. Each generation of birds will learn and have to survive facing these dangers. The beauty of this is that not one feather will fall without the knowledge of God.

Sometimes we are so busy with life that we forget that we are required to enjoy life with all its dangers, trusting that God knows all that we are facing and when we place that trust in Him nothing will harm us outside of His will for us. The more we trust and enjoy God, the more we have to trust and our enjoyment becomes even greater. It takes courage to leave the nest and to start to fly, just as it takes courage to do things in your life that you have never done before.

Be encouraged today to spread your wings and enjoy what God has given you, no matter what it is.

David

Point to ponder: Enjoy life and trust God.

Question to consider: Are you a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to enjoying new things?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Experience

The Youth of St Mark's ... in need of our experience

29 September 2010

Matthew 16:2 He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.'

The sun is shining and the skies are clear, spring is in the air, and so one dresses accordingly. Step outside and it is very cold, back inside again, a quick clothes change, warm again you start off. When one looks at the weather, it is easy to be deceived about the real skin conditions outside, both the weather reports and what we see, does not mean that we feel the weather the same.

In life we find similar situations where we see and understand one thing but actually experience something different. We find this also in relationships, and with associates who seem to be one thing, but we actually experience them differently. They may be sunny and reports may confirm this, but when we get close to them and leave our comfort zone we find them to blow a bitter cold wind. In this respect we need to understand that no matter what the reports may be, or even what we see, it is only when we take that step do we actually gain our own experience. With this experience we have either go and change in order to cope with their conditions, or what a joy when we do not have to because they actually are who they claim to be.

Be encouraged today be aware that not all people are who they claim to be.

David

Point to ponder: Experience teaches us the truth.

Question to consider: Are you who you claim to be?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Home

Marianne hard at work at tea on Sunday ... St Mark's is a home from home for all of us

28 September 2010

Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."

Under the gazebo in our garden, we have a piece of steel from which plants in pots are hanging. We placed them there to stop them from being damaged from the cold of winter, and on this piece of steel a turtle dove has nested. About ten days ago two chicks hatched and it is interesting to see how fast they are growing. I expect that within the next week they will leave the nest and start their own journey of life.

These birds took the opportunity to find a safe and warm place to nest and as the result they have been able to safely nurture their chicks. I suppose in the same way we all would like to have that same warm and safe place where we can come home to, both to nest and rest. For many people in this world this is a dream that never seems to come true, there is always the danger, being safe is always a risk, and with all the worries rest seems to be illusive.

We know that we have a home where we are able to be safe and at rest, where concerns about life will no longer be ours, this home is with Jesus Christ. We should only see our stay in this life as temporary, in a temporary home; our true home is with Him. We can claim this today and live knowing we are going home to Him.

Be encouraged today to seek your home with Christ.

David

Point to ponder: Our true home is with Christ.

Question to consider: Where are you safe to rest and nest?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Expectations

That's Men for the Master chairman Giyani Matampi at the head of the table at the first meeting of the Couple's Fellowship ... we have great expectations of this Forum

27 September 2010

Matthew 18:4 Whoever humbles himself like this child; he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

When a person has expectations, it creates a situation whereby one automatically judges whether the expectation is met or not. This has become so entrenched in most of us that we have all developed expectations about many things in life. We have an expectation of how Christians should act and live, we have expectations about our families, and so we may list these and many others.

True humility has no expectations; it is the acceptance of the situation without judging. It is in this way that nobody disappoints us, because we have no expectation in regard to them or the situation we find ourselves in. Where we are and who we are with, is where God wants us to be and to accept the other for whom they are without putting our expectations on them. This becomes extremely difficult because all that we are in this world is based on some kind of expectation or other.

When we deal with others we need to have no expectations, we do what we need to do, and we do not expect any help from others. When we live our life dependant on God, then we find that we need not be dependant on others, and so we find that freedom that comes from not being bound by expectations others may have on us.

Be encouraged today to have no expectations from others, only from God.

David

Point to ponder: God is the only One we can truly trust.

Question to consider: Do you live your life to fill others expectations of you?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

All action at St Mark's on Sunday

Birthday boy Geoff (in the pink shirt) and the lads from Men for the Master this morning.

The final Sunday of September served up an action packed day in praise of the Lord at St Mark's. Solomon's first early bird Communion Service attracted 15 members of the congregation, whereas historically the figure for the 08h00 service used to stand at around 10. That's a step in the right direction. Colleen kindly came in at 07h30 to assist with the elements, but is looking for support in this area. The 08h00 service will be held once a month.

Men for the Master followed at 09h00 and Solomon was again on hand. Many commented on the beautiful singing both at the Communion service and at the Men for the Master meeting. This was Africa at it's best. Giyani has promised us more of the same. This was the  biggest turn out to date for the Men for the Master and some of our regulars were not there today. The chairman is well pleased.

Irvine "anchored" the 10h00 service to give Solomon a break, but the minister was back to preach the sermon, ably assisted by Mike with the visuals on screen. The projector was used to great affect to drive home the salient points of the sermon. Our thanks must go to both Solomon and Mike in their efforts to make the Lord's Word live.

We were also hearted by our fledgling youth group, who are high school scholars with big plans for the future. Please assist them with their fund raised efforts. They are game to do just about anything to raise funds for the church, everything from polishing shoes to doing domestic work and gardening. One can just FEEL the Lord working in our midst.

After church it was the big hot dog give away in celebration of Geoff'a 60th birthday. The congregation turned out in numbers at tea, to the extent that we ran out of rolls in double quick time. Geoff's says thank you to all those who prepared the food and those who helped to make this such a special day.

Lest we forget Solomon was back for the Couple's Fellowship, at 11h30, with a guest speaker from Ghana. This was held in the Sunday school hall, but we seemed to have more men than ladies. Come on girls this is a team thing.

Blessings to all,

The St Mark's editorial team. 

Vision

23 September 2010

Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

Part of the new vision for Linga Longa is to provide a place of rest and retreat from the world and its problems, and also to facilitate and promote the ministry within the Church today. Yesterday three youth pastors came to spend the night and to use the opportunity to consider and set the theme of a youth leader’s camp to be held in December this year. As part of the facilitation process a number of ideas were considered and these to be discussed in order to set the theme and vision of this process. The most important aspect was to have the same vision as that given to the Church by Jesus Christ and then to teach and lead people into firstly understanding the vision and then through the power of the Holy Spirit to actually implement that vision.

This leads us to the question, ‘what is your vision and is it the same as Jesus Christ has for you and your life?’ it would be sad to lead your life and at the end realise that you missed the vision that Jesus Christ had for you. So often we become so embroiled in life that we miss what it is all about, when we stop and consider we regret the wasted time and effort. Each day should have its purpose, even if it means sitting and reading a book under the shade of a tree, or doing the ironing, or solving a problem, no matter what we need to have purpose and meaning in what we do.

Be encouraged today to seek your vision in Jesus Christ.

David

Point to ponder: Jesus Christ has a vision for you.

Question to consider: How close is your vision of your life with that of Jesus Christ for you?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Children’s spirituality

22 September 2010

Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

We so often play games when it comes to our spirituality or we tend to avoid our spiritual side and problems occur because we do. We are all spiritual beings, and there is a part of us that needs to be connected to this aspect of who we are. We grow up with this need and so when a child enjoys being connected spiritually we see the child as being spiritual. Other children may not display this response as publicly as others but it does not imply that they are not spiritual, this continues throughout our life. We need to be part of a spiritual whole, and when we become part of it, in that way we have a sense of being completed.

In this world today we see this being displayed in various ways, and this desire is often misdirected into areas that lead to problems and distortions. When our children are left without proper guidance in regard to their spirituality they will seek out their own interpretation of their need and so experiment with things that could harm and destroy them. This could be from trying drugs, to playing with the occult, to joining any cult or religious group.

The only way is the Jesus Christ way, for us to teach and realise for ourselves that we have a spiritual connection to God in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be part of the Church in order to become complete in Christ.

Be encouraged today to express yourself spiritually in Christ.

David

Point to ponder: Our spirituality is expressed in Christ.

Question to consider: Are you complete in Christ?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za