Faith

Has 2020 Changed Your Assumptions?

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Has 2020 been a year in which your basic assumptions have been challenged? Have your basic assumptions changed about yourself and the planet in which we live? My guess is they have – for you and for millions of people all over the world. Are you disturbed by what has happened in 2020? Should you be?

Dr. Ian McCallum of Port Elizabeth, South Africa has written about these challenges to our assumptions in a very important “must read” article.

To see the article click here.

Dr. McCallum is a psychiatrist, psychologist, award winning author and poet. He is an adjunct professor at the Nelson Mandela Graduate School of Business in Port Elizabeth. He is also an honorary lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town. In his youth he was a Springbok Rugby player (he represented South Africa).

Thank you.

A lesson from the Bay – The Covid19 storm will pass in due season

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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Ecclesiastes 3: 3 & 4

Sometimes the Bay is lashed by storms.

Sometimes the Bay is calm.

In due season, calm, peaceful times will return for us and for all our loved ones.

Trust God

Beauty during the pandemic. The Gunpowder River

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This tranquil scene was photographed this morning. It is the Gunpowder River in Baltimore, Maryland in the USA. Fly fishing is popular there. How fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful world.

Hang in there everybody.

We are going to get through this pandemic.

Let the African Bush Trumpet with Joy

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The African bush in the Addo Elephant Park in South Africa, suddenly became silent. It was the silence of expectation. It was the silence of respect. The elephant family was waiting, tenderly surrounding one of its female elephants. The gift of new life was coming. And then it happened. A baby elephant was born. Let all the African Bush trumpet with joy!

There are 2 pictures. Please scroll down. Thank you.

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How privileged we humans are. We did not see the actual birth but we did see the family cherishing and protecting the new born. The first picture shows the family protecting the baby. But where is the baby elephant? Look to the right of the young elephant. The tiny elephant could not walk properly and was still pink in places.

The last picture is of the baby staying close to what can only be its mother.

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Words cannot describe how grateful we are to have been close to such a joyful occasion in the glory of life,

To God be the Glory

Thanks to our two good friends who made this viewing possible.

A Flower resting in Sparkling Light

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How thankful we should be for the gift of the ability to receive joy from a single flower

Praise the Lord

A three word prayer that immediately deepens our awareness of God’s presence.

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We can use this prayer at any time.

Do we realise that each and every blessing we have comes from God? This includes every breath we take. This also includes the air itself. Without the ability to breathe, we die. It is as simple as that. So, every moment we live it is by the grace of God. Life is God’s gift to us.

The prayer

We should sit quietly and think about God’s gift of breathing and His gift to us of life.

Then,

Every time we breathe in, we pray “Thank you Lord”.

and

Every time we breathe out, we pray “Thank you Lord”.

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Soon we will become more aware of God’s presence and of the other countless blessings which He has given us and which we so easily overlook.

Praise You Lord for the gift of life and for always being close to us.

Source: The suggestion is based on a short extract from a book sent to me recently by a friend.

.

The gift of being able to appreciate our beautiful world

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(Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I, John Bartels, may earn commission, at no extra cost to you, from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com)

Bug Sur Photo John Bartels

Consider the beautiful world in which we live: the giant red woods in California, the misty Bug Sir coastline south of San Francisco, the surging ocean below the Golden Gate Bridge, the distant snow seen from Lake Tahoe during summer, a tranquil sunset over one of the Finger Lakes, the vastness of the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon, the endless expanse of the desert in Nevada, the calm and beauty of flowers in the Cotswolds, walks in the English country side, the stillness the Matopo bush in Zimbabwe, the calm sea at a small deserted bay in Corfu that brought to life Greek mythology, the smoking thunder of the Victoria Falls, the view from Table Mountain at sunset, the bush in Southern Africa which silently watches you, warning you that you are not alone ….

What a wonderful world.

My wife and I are so grateful that we have been able to experience all this.

How grateful we both are that God has created us with the ability to enjoy His creation so much.

Praise the Lord

The insight that God has not only created our beautiful world but also created in us the ability to appreciate it, came from reading “What are we doing here?” by Marilynne Robinson, the Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Fear in Dangerous Times (Part 2)

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As stated in Part 1, we live in dangerous times. Covid19 has spread its lethal tentacles all over the world. It has silently crept in the hovels of the poor and into the mansions of the rich, powerful and famous. The virus is not a respecter of persons. Fear abounds. None can escape the touch of its cold hand.

How should a Christian deal with fear in “Seasons of Danger”?  The advice the Puritan John Flavel (1628-1691) gave to Christians in England long ago,  is relevant today. 

Two points that Flavel makes are:

Reasonable fear

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Some fear is reasonable. He calls this “cautional preventative fear”. This is fear that”opens our eyes” to foresee danger and take reasonable steps to protect ourselves.

Unreasonable fear

Another kind of fear is not reasonable.This kind of fear “invades the heart” and unfits the heart for duty”. It “distracts”, It “drives men upon unlawful means and brings a snare with it”. In other words it can lead to sin.

What is this unreasonable fear about which Flavel warns? It is “the fear of diffidence” which is fear arising out of our failure to trust God in dangerous situations, one of which is this pandemic.

We must guard against this at all costs.

How to guard against unreasonable fear

Trust fully in God in all things and at all times.

Remember

Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Nothing, including COVID19 can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Isaiah 43:1-2 Romans 8:39

Praise the Lord

Kept in Seasons of Danger (Part 1)

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Photo by Ray Bilcliff on Pexels.com

We live in dangerous times. Covid19 has spread its lethal tentacles all over the world. It has silently crept in the hovels of the poor and into the mansions of the rich, powerful and famous. The virus is not a respecter of persons. Fear abounds. None can escape the touch of its cold hand.

How should a Christian live in “Seasons of Danger”?  The advice the Puritan John Flavel (1628-1691) gave to Christians in England long ago,  is relevant today.  Here is just a snippet of that advice. 

Photo by Tim Marshall

1 

Understand that everything is in the hand of God. Get this thought well settled in your heart and it will “guard you against slavish fears.” 

2 

Remember that God, in whose hands you are, is your Father. Christ is King and Supreme Lord. You are the apple of His eye. He loves you most tenderly. Understand this and you will quickly say, “Return unto your rest, O my soul.”

Then

You will soon sing “in the midst of danger, “The Lord is King of all the earth, sing praise with understanding.” 

Simple yet profoundly true.

Praise the Lord

Scripture

Psalm 116:7 * Zechariah 2:8 * Psalm 47:7

Family together for Church Service although 13000 km Apart

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Praise God for giving people the intelligence to create internet apps that enable families to worship together even though they are far apart.

This morning, my wife and I, together with my daughter, worshiped together during the 11 am Eucharist Service held at St. Matthew’s Church, Wimbledon, London.

But here’s the thing. We were over 13 000 km apart!

  • My wife and I were in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
  • My daughter was in London, social distancing.
  • As I said, St. Matthew’s is in London.

On the computer screen, in small squares, we could simultaneously see the Celebrant and all members of the congregation “attending” the service via their individual computers. The whole service was live, including sound..

This was all possible using Zoom.

Praise the Lord

Have a look at St. Matthew’s Church, Wimbledon, London.