Honour God

{image}

Every morning as part of my daily prayer, I ask God to help me to honour Him with the words I speak, by my deeds, with my thoughts and my attitudes.

I love my God, and appreciate everything He has done for me, and the way in which He continues to bless me and prosper me in what I do. I don’t say that arrogantly but with a humble, thankful heart. And I want to honour Him in every day life.

There was a song years ago that went:

Count your blessings name the one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God has done…”

It’s easy to let life pass by without recognising the blessings that our Heavenly Father pours out into our lives constantly. We take for granted the things that Christ has sacrificed His life for.  He went to the cross and gave all He had so that we might live. Jesus said:

I come to give you life in abundance.
John 10:10

God wants us to enjoy His generosity, His life, His gifts, this abundant life. I believe our part is to live a life of gratitude. Do you want more out of life? Get to know the life-giver. Be in relationship with Him, the One who can make a difference. And when you know him more, you will trust him more; and when you trust him more, it becomes easier to see how he moves in your life – guiding, protecting, opening doors and closing others. And why? Because you serve a Heavenly Father who is infinitely interested in who you are and everything you do.

And that brings me back to my prayer. I pray, most days, that my last waking thought for the night and my first the next morning would be of Him. It has taken me 50 years to learn just how dependent I am on Him in every part of my life. From the moment I am awake to the moment I fall asleep, I want to be conscious of Him. Not in some super-spiritual, of no practical use to this world way; but in a way that leads me to live my life in honour to Him: by my words and my deeds, with my thoughts and my attitudes. Why? Because of how he loves me, and because of how he blesses me.

When we honour God and put Him first in our lives, He honours us. He is faithful to his word, and faithful to His promise. James 4:8 says to:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

He longs to have fellowship with his people.

I was asked the other day to describe worship. I explained it as the most intimate thing we can do with God. I went on to draw a parallel to the act of kissing. When I kiss my wife, I close my eyes and my entire being becomes focussed on my love for her. At that point I am not aware of anything else in my surroundings; my worries disappear, my fears, and the rest of my being follows into the “worship” of my wife.

God loves you so much, and the act of bringing honour to Him, is no less than an act of reciprocal love. He thinks about us all the time, and He longs for us to have the best in life. I can honour Him with my words and worship. I can honour him with my thoughts, my deeds, my attitudes, my trust.

When my father passed away wen I was in my early twenties, I remember crying out to God and asking him “Why??” His answer to me was a question: “Son, will you trust Me?”

God places no demands on us for obedience or difficult tasks to earn our salvation. He simply asks: Will you trust Me? This becomes relational. We trust what (or who) we know. And this trust will never be misplaced when we place it in Him.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8 is very clear on God’s commitment to us:

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one -  for God himself  has given us right standing with himself. Then who will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything every separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecute, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your own sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can every separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the Earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39

Isn’t that alone worthy of our honour?

Have a great week!

Erick.

In Memory of my Mother

I want to share with you something very personal.
Not that all my other articles haven't been personal, but this comes from my heart. This is about a woman who has been an integral part of my life for over 50 years, my mother. Mama passed away peacefully on the 27th of October, after a four-year battle with cancer.

In everyone's life there are people of influence. People who impact our lives to make us what we are, or rather, who influence us to make the decisions that make us who and what we are.
For me, one of those people is the person whose life I celebrate here today in this article.

Ann Buma Bruining left an amazingly rich heritage for this world; her 8 children. She was a mother who cared for her children, who loved them, who believed in them, who inspired them, and who prayed for them, every day.  Not a faultless, flawless woman who never made mistakes, but a fragile, passionate, determined woman who, with the aid of an incredible husband raised 7 amazing kids... and me.

This is my Mama's testimony.

As I said, Mama was a mother of 8. Let me introduce my family from the eldest:

Olaf: a husband, father of 6, grandfather of 7. A teacher like his own father, passionate about the things of God, and always eager to make a difference in people's lives. He has had influence in our communities not only through his profession as guidance officer and teacher, but also through Christian radio and in leadership in the church.

Cees: also husband and a father of 3. From a very early age he wanted to become a doctor of medicine so that he could use his skills in the mission fields all over the world. He has done that very successfully, having worked with YWAM, and on Mercy Ships, and more recently with Joint Therapy Outreach, he travels overseas regularly to use his doctoring skills in countries where medical services are scarce and unaffordable . Also trained in theological studies, he has and continues to make peoples' lives better; giving them hope, addressing their needs both physically as well as emotionally and spiritually.

Christina: wife, mother of 4, grandmother and major support to many mums out there who have been blessed by her skills as a Nursing Midwife. Taking hold of her own struggles in her battle with breast cancer, she has strapped on a determination to be a greater help to those who are also struggling with life threatening illness by adding to her skills counselling and Bible college training.

Karin: mother of 3, wife, and one determined lady, driven with the sole purpose of making a difference in people's lives, she is an academic who has used her skills in schools and universities.
Level headed, strong willed, her determination has raised her to excel to levels beyond where most of us could only imagine.

Ilse: mother of 3, and grandmother of 3. Despite the odds, and the many curve-balls that life has thrown her, she too makes a difference in people's lives.

Annechiena: wife, mother of 3, and carer of our mother in her final years. How can we ever thank you enough for what you have done for our mama? Juggling her care with a career in the classroom, as well as running your home and the many church activities that you have been involved with over the years. All due to a passion and a calling to make a difference and to be the answer.

And Barbara: Our other missionary sibling. Beautiful wife, Not yet a mother, and yet an adopted mother to the many children, hundreds, if not thousands whom you have made it your purpose to introduce to Jesus and a better life. Barbara and her husband Lukas spent years touring nationally and internationally doing children's out reaches and  mission work. What a calling, what a heritage.

Oh, and then there's me. I, too have made it my purpose to be a blessing to people that I come across, and to make a difference in people's lives. I have had the privilege of being a worship leader, musician and recording artist. More recently I am co-producer of the Worship Leaders Podcast, a weekly podcast that reaches thousands all over the world. I boast an amazing family of 4 children, 2 grand children and 2 more on the way. Wonderful, mature young people who love The Lord with a passion, and serve Him in their own churches as Worship leaders, and wherever the opportunity arises.

We all spend our lives looking for acceptance and approval; especially from our parents. And at times all in my family found it difficult to gain that approval from our Mama, and yet I know that she was immensely proud of us all. She was proud of what we have achieved in marriage, with family, our careers and our various ministries. In her eyes, we all gave her something to be proud of and to boast about.

As I was reminiscing over what write here, my thoughts took me back to memories of our childhood.

I remember the near fatal car accident that Mama and Papa had after our youngest sister Barbara was born. I remember our local neighbours coming and farming us out to various families in our local community while Mama and Papa recovered in the hospital. The accident had left our father in a coma, and Mama with serious internal injuries. It was 4 weeks or more before they were well enough to come home. Barbara was so young that they kept her in with Mama so she could feed her.

I remember trips to Haamstede, a small farming village in the south of Holland, to go camping. All of us cramped into that blue station wagon, with some of us having to take it in turn to sit right in the back of the wagon. And there was no such thing as third row seating back then. There we were, stuck in the back squashed in amongst the luggage. I also remember us fighting over whose turn it was to sit in the back, and no one wanted to do that uncomfortable trip, and one day refusing and causing such a fuss that Mama in her anger yelled and said that she would travel to Haamstede in the back of the car.  It was not long after that that Mama and Papa bought a Daf (a small Dutch built car) to alleviate the passenger congestion.

I remember some of our adventures camping. Going into the WW2 bunkers, me climbing trees and falling out and having to be carted to the hospital, Christina falling into a thicket of stinging nettles, wearing nothing but a bikini, and Mama was there for us, tending to us.

I remember building a trailer for my bicycle because I was going to ride to Albany some 400 km away, just for something to do, and Mama cleverly came up with an idea to send me to a Scripture Union canoeing camp instead (What was I thinking???).

Whenever we got into trouble, mama was there, usually with the wooden spoon. She was a great believer in that scripture in Proverbs 13:24

He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

I can honestly say my mother loved me very much!

I suffer from confused personality. My family constantly confuses me for someone else. Brother Cees almost only ever calls me Cameron (his son), the other day Olaf was calling me Zac (his son), and after Papa died, and Mama would come to Queensland we would go somewhere in the car I would get the sudden hand on the leg and the "Pas op Cor!" (Cor was my father's name).

I spoke earlier of our struggle to gain acceptance. One of the most memorable moments of my life was when Mama and Papa drove up to Lake Leschenaultia, north of Perth, where I was living and working after I finished high school. They sprung a surprise visit on me and brought with them my high school results. It is one of the first times I remember Mama and Papa saying they were proud of me. It was something I never forgot.

A survivor of World War II Holland, Mama lived a life full of challenges, and she was human enough and normal enough to struggle with them. Simply put, she wore her emotions on her sleeve, and everybody at some time got a taste of it. She struggled a little with the finer attributes of diplomacy and couldn't suffer fools, or for that matter anyone who she perceived was trying to have a go at her or just didn't understand her. And, rather than try to reason with someone, she simply told them what she thought of them and storm off... And later on she would regret it.

When she was just 53, she suffered the loss of the love of her life to cancer. This happening, and at such an early age, I think was one of the single most difficult traumas she had to face. It shook her world, as it did ours. He was her rock, and her balance. But, to her credit, and with the incredible help of my beautiful family over in Perth, especially Barbara who put her own life on hold to be with her, she was able  to move on with her life.

She told me that God had been good to her over the years, and she wanted to do something for Him. So she went on a number of mission trips, smuggling bibles into China, and visiting churches in Burma. I was pretty proud of my mother for undertaking such adventures at this time of her life and on her own. She too, wanted to make a difference.

Mama loved to travel. When Papa was alive, they travelled everywhere together, and in later life she undertook many trips back to Holland and other places. Sometimes on her own, many times with others in tow.

She also travelled to Queensland many times to visit us. Sometimes these were good visits, other times we were relieved to take her back to the airport. Our children though, loved their Oma, and they were always sad to see her go.. When our kids were little, whenever they saw a plane up in the sky they would stop and wave and yell at the top of their voices "Bye Oma !" They always associated aeroplanes with the comings and goings of their Oma, and I share with you the deep sadness that our 2 as yet unborn grandchildren will not get to meet the Grand Old Lady who has headed up the clan.

Mama was a fierce woman, who was not to be messed with, as we witnessed once when we were on the Gold Coast at a bird park, and when it came time to feed the birds, our kids were there ready to feed the birds when all of a sudden, out of nowhere a bus load of tourists appeared and started to crowd out our little ones. Well, Mama was having none of that, and like a sumo wrestler, she firmly planted her feet apart on the ground, behind the kids and warded off the newcomers,  elbowing them whenever they got anywhere near her grandchildren!

Mama knew what awaited her in death. She knew where she was going, and I remember after that major operation in late December 2009, we were able to go in to be with her in the ICU. We sang the Christmas hymn "O Holy Night" to her, and later when she came out of the ICU she told us that she was aware of our singing and thought she was in the presence of the angels. That's why the first words she spoke when she finally came out of her induced coma was "I am alive? Praise Jesus!"

Mama also had a great sense of humour and mischief, as we witnessed many times with the surprise visits, late-night arrivals for special occasions such as birthdays, sneaking in with the aid of my own wife and children to make it all the way across Australia just for us.

And who can ever forget the countless poses for photos with the traditional finger up someone else's nose, or that famous photo at camp Buma when we all posed for that funny photo and Mama had taken her wig off and held it high in the air!

She loved her Husband, she loved her children, she loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and she loved her Saviour Jesus. I'm sorry she's gone, but I'm glad she's graduated. She didn't deserve to suffer, and fortunately she didn't suffer long. On October 27, 2013 after a 4 year battle with a rare form of cancer, Mama went home to be with Jesus.
The world may not know her, but the world is a better place because of her.

Proverbs 13:22 says

A good man ( or in this case woman) leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.

Proverbs 31:27-31

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear–of– God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

And right now we hear the voice of God saying "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest."

There is so much more I could say; of cups of teas from porcelain cups, of puzzles on a rainy day, of adventurous picnics on hot a summer's day, of road trips to remote places.. I could go on, but time will not permit. So I will close with my children's words as she takes her final flight on the wings of the angels:
Bye Oma!

Erick.

Love Is.

[image]
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter. Every wedding I have ever been to has used this chapter either in full or in part to give a more or less poetic guide to the upcoming commitment to the marriage.

One of the most contentious words on the planet is the word LOVE.  It's the most used, abused, misused and misunderstood words in the English language. Books are written about it, songs are sung about it, wars have been fought in the name of it.

In the English language the word LOVE covers a multitude of meanings: I love peanut butter, I love my car, I love that movie, I love my dog, I love my brother, sister, uncle, aunt. I love you! I love that song! I love, I love.... What is true love?

All of these are correct in a way.
God so loved that He gave. Love is giving.
Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life for his friend. Love is ultimate sacrifice.
“God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).
When Jesus said to Peter: Do you love me? And three times Peter replied "Yes"; what was the question and what really was the answer?

Love is affection. Love is emotion. Love is romance.
Are we moved by love? Are we motivated by it?
One is a response, the other is a preempt.
The world is full of confusion between love and lust. Lust wants to have, love longs to give.
Love is a decision. Love is a choice, it is a commitment to a person no matter what the time, circumstance, situation; no matter how I feel...

Love is what I choose to do, more so than what I feel like. The Bible uses the word Agape to describe God's love for us. This is a love that goes beyond feeling and emotion to decision and commitment. It talks of love "out of a sense of duty" not out of reciprocating deserved-ness...
The only reason we can love is because He first loved us. That whole "Greater love hath no man" thing wasn't because he was in a good and generouse gushy feeling kind of mood that day, it took every bit of courage, commitment and guts that Jesus had to go to the cross.
When a soldier goes to war to defend his country, his family, his way of life, his freedom, and dies, that to me is love.

So, biblically, 3 types of love.
Eros, totally motivated by the senses. Physical. Sensual, sexual.
Phileo, the love and dedication I have for my friends, family, children, spouse.
Agape, the unconditional uncompromising unrepentant love of God.
What do you think, about love?

“I Wouldn’t Miss It For The World!”

Memories of John, a friend with Parkinson's Disease.


I have been living in my current home for about 15 years. I love our home, it is a lovely house set in a quiet neighbourhood on top of a small rise. We are surrounded by a number of rental houses in our street and the occupants rarely last more than a year. But across the
road is Petra, a sprightly single lady of sixty-something and next door to us on the left lives Thelma. Her husband John just passed away recently.  I'm really going to miss John.
I moved in next to John and Thelma with my family about 15 years ago. We had 4 children at various stages of little and had moved to the area to be closer to school and church. When we first applied to rent our home, we were told we could only drive past but not look inside, as the
present tenants haven't moved out yet. Ok, so we drove past very slowly and as we did, a man came out carrying a box to his car. I greeted him and told him we were thinking about applying for the rental and would he mind if I had a quick look around? He invited me in and said "go ahead" and kept loading the boxes into his car. I wandered through the house and into the back yard. The house was perfect and I walked back to our car, stuck my head in the window and declared:" Honey, I have found our new home!"
A few days later we moved in.
Our next door neighbours were a retired couple who kept pretty much to themselves. Husband John loved to work with wood and often had his garage door open and the smell of freshly worked timber like Camphor Laurel would come wafting down the street. As I walked past, I shouted: “G’day! How are you going?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Came the chirpy reply. It was a statement that would identify John for me for the rest of my life.
PARKINSONS

John suffered from Parkinson's disease; though you wouldn't know it. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which most commonly affects people over 50. The most obvious symptoms include uncontrollable shaking of the limbs.   This retired mechanic was anything but retired. As well as his love for timber,(he had lots
of wood working tools, including a lathe, and there was a lot of bits of wood suspended from all sorts of places) he was also a passionate painter and fisherman. His back yard was immaculate and he had a 5 hole putting green embedded in his lawn. John also taught painting at the University of the 3rd Age, a place where mature age students (usually retired) can go and learn skills they never knew they had.
To look at John, you would never know that he had Parkinson's.  He certainly didn't let it stop him doing anything. Thelma, his wife, made it her business to know everything there was to know about the disease. She accompanied John to every doctor's appointment, researched the disease, the treatment drugs and their possible side-effects. If there was a support group, Thelma went along. If there was an article in a paper or magazine, she would not only read it, but if important enough, she would cut it out and keep it.  Thelma is so knowledgeable about the disease that in later years when John went
into respite on the occasion, she would often need to educate the nursing staff on the regime of medication John took, and the idiosyncrasies of the disease. Thelma made it her job to make life as normal and as liveable as possible for John. She could alter the doses of his medication depending on his level of activity, the weather, all sorts of things.
As the years wore on, the disease progressed. There is no turning back with Parkinson's, no known cure. There are operations one can have to prolong normality and quality of life, and drugs to help stop the shakes and other impacts of the disease, but once you have it, you
will die with it, and most likely from complications of it.
 

For Better, For worse…

What I loved about this couple was their commitment to each other, and their tenacity to see this thing through to its end. I once asked Thelma if it wouldn't be easier to put John into permanent care? She replied: "When I married John, I stood before the minister and made a promise; for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. I intend to keep that promise.  And besides, this disease is so varied from day to day, that a nursing home would not be able to look after him the way I do. We have had our 'for better and in health' years, now it's time to do the other."
As for John, I never saw that man without a positive attitude and a
kind word. "I wouldn't miss it for the World!"

Over the years as the disease started to take over his body, John became more and more reliant on a wheel chair. But try keeping an active man down! At every opportunity he would climb out of it, and be
out in the garage, fiddling with something or heading for the lawn locker to get the mower out or grabbing the golf clubs to have a hit around the yard. Inevitably he would run out of puff, and on the occasion he would lose balance and fall. Thelma had learned techniques of how to use balance and cantilever to get him back up. These same techniques she taught me to use on him.   Sometimes he would fall awkwardly or heavily or end up in a place where it was impossible for Thelma to help him. She would wonder out to the front door or over the back fence: "Erick, can you help? John's had a fall and I can't get him up." I would go over and rescue John from his temporary place of
rest. John would joke about it, and make light of the situation. Never did I see him lose his temper, or become angry, he was always thankful for the hand up. I rescued John from all sorts of obscure places; he once crashed through his side fence; I picked him up a couple of times out of his workshop; and I remember once being called to pick him up after he had fallen out of his bed and with the bad shakes he had got himself wedged between the bed and a lifting frame designed to help him in and out of his bed.
I often wondered if he felt the frustration of it all, but he never showed it. It was almost as if he had the attitude of "there is someone out there worse off than me" and that kept him going.
I never saw John complain, and though I know life was often a struggle for Thelma, she never gave up on her resolve to see this thing through right to its inevitable end, and right by her Husband's side.
Towards the end of John's life, my rescue visits became more frequent. I made sure that Thelma had my mobile phone number and kept it by my bed at all times. I told her that no matter what time of day or night, if I was available I would be over to help.
 

A Lifetime of Memories.

I loved visiting with John and Thelma. They always had a story to tell, and the time to tell it. They would talk about the adventures they had had together, raising their 4 children, their time travelling across Australia on holidays, the old days living and working in Toowoomba, of speed boats and skiing, this couple had had a great life together and created many good memories. We would sit and chat, sometimes for hours until the call came over the fence or one of my kids would come to the door: "Papa, mama said it's dinner time".
Of Cars and Boats and Fishing
John's love for cars never failed him. I remember one time when I had bought a brand new car, I offered to take him for a spin in it. We piled him in and took him for a ride. He stroked the dash and the door: "Magnificent," he said, "what a machine." He was truly impressed.  On a couple of occasions I had the opportunity to take him out and let Thelma have a break. I took him fishing, I took Him to a car show, all the things he loved. At the car show, Thelma had
insisted I take the wheel chair, but once out of the car, John was determined to walk. I just walked beside him, pushing the empty wheelchair.
The last year of his life was, of course, the most difficult for both John and Thelma. The disease was taking its toll and adversely affecting both their health. As john became less able to control the dyskinesia, Thelma struggled more and more to help him. Thelma is a lady of small frame, and John who was much taller and heavier became more deadweight. This had its toll on Thelma and her health suffered as she struggled to maintain the level of care required to keep John at home. She did have home care help with people coming to help with
showering and dressing as well as therapy. And yet still the determination and commitment to fulfil the wedding vows was there. The last time I saw John was a few weeks before he went into full time care. Thelma was no longer able to give John the level of care that the now fully advanced disease had required. I had picked him up after yet another awkward fall, and spent some time with him chatting. This time both John and Thelma looked worn out. Neither of these people complained about the situation they were in, but the inevitable was coming; John had to go into care.
Wouldn’t Miss it for the World
John passed away peacefully just a short time after being admitted to the care facility. For me it was a day of mixed emotions. I was deeply saddened at the loss of this neighbour who I was proud to call my friend. At the same time I was glad that John was finally truly at rest.
Thelma continues to live next door, her children are visiting regularly to make sure she is ok, and for those of us left behind, life goes on.
I will miss John. I will miss his cheerful, positive attitude, his stories, his adventures, his chats at the dining room table.

"I wouldn't miss it for the World!"
The world will miss you.
Goodbye John.
See you on the other side.
Erick. November 2012

Love God

 

We live in a "What's in it for me?"-world. Our decision making is based on "how does it make me feel?" We look to satisfy our needs, and as long as we are ok, well that's a good start.

As Christians, it seems our faith is often manipulated the same way. Our prayers are based on what we think is best for us and our situation, and our assessment of answered prayer on how it has benefited us. I'm not sure that this is correct thinking.

{image source}

The Greatest Commandment

When Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees with the question: "Which is the greatest commandment?" in Matthew 22: 37 Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."

He added to this that second most important commandment was (vs39) :"love your neighbour as yourself". 

The response Jesus gave was not at all what the Pharisees expected, and it left their arguments dead in their tracks. 

See, I like to think that the Pharisees were looking at a legal-if you don’t do it you will go to hell- kind of greatest commandment, whereas Jesus was talking about the most awesome, lose out if you miss it- greatest benefit to those who live it-kind of commandment.

God-thinking turns World-thinking totally on its head. Sometimes embarrassingly so. God-thinking is so at odds with what society teaches and yet it works. Society says: "Look out for number one; if it feels good do it; you deserve this; pamper yourself; you will feel great if..." God wants us to be Christ-centred, others-focussed, totally selfless. He wants us to focus our love on Him.  Love God. 

 

What's in it for me?

This is one of the most selfish, self centred statements ever to pass the lips of men. The conditional premise of doing anything in the community of Christ is often perceived as "if I do this thing, I will get ...in return". 

Giving is the perfect example. Jesus said in Luke 6:38; "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Most people I know (including me) have used this as the secret formula for wealth. I guess in a way it is, but not in the context that we would like it to be. Investing into the Kingdom of God is important. The question is: am I giving to get or am I giving to give?

We need to turn our thinking around and focus on our total motivation for anything we do in life:

I work and in return I get paid. I give to God of my time, talent and finances because I love Him. I know that He is not only able, but also true to His word in looking after me. My attitude to God is relational, one of faith and trust, not a business deal. We cannot out-give God, so don't try. Give out of relational response, because you love Him.

When I think of my relationship with God, I often compare it to my relationship with my own children. I am motivated by my love for them and respond to their relationship with me. When one of them comes to me with open arms and hugs me and tells me they love me, I just want to bless them. (What can I do for you, how can I bless you?) Their love for me invokes an even greater response of love back. I think in a way that this is how it is with God; we obey his commandments because we honour, love and respect our Heavenly Father and He in return blesses us with answered prayer, provision, peace and His presence. 

God’s love for us is manifest all around us. His promises of supply, protection, care, guidance and companionship, are littered generously throughout scripture.

Matthew 6:27-33

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? ’ or ‘What shall we drink? ’ or ‘What shall we wear? ’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

Surrender & Submission

Loving God is about surrender and submission. I like to think of it this way: When 2 armies are at war, and one surrenders to the other (white flag and all that stuff), normally it is the capturing victorious army that dictates the terms of the surrender. Funny thing about Christianity is we want to do all the surrendering on our own terms: “Well, God, I will give you these parts of my life, but I am going to hang on to this one...” That doesn’t work. Never has, never will. God wants total surrender, not a partial one. Why? Well, for starters, Jesus was willing to give everything He had and everything He was up for you and me. He set the standard of total surrender when He went to the cross. I really think in His own flesh He had some serious reservations about the whole suffering and dying thing. In the garden of Gethsemane He prayed: ... “Let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.”(Matt 26:39) But He was driven to total Surrender to God’s will by His total love for you and me! The other reason I believe God wants all of us in Surrender to Him is because only He knows the plans He has for us, “plans for good and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future” (Jer 29:11), and He can’t bring that to pass if He doesn’t have our total, confident, submitted trust.

2 Chronicles 15:2

“And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

When we walk away from God, we leave Him virtually powerless to work in our lives.  

I am realising more and more that relationship is the key to life. When I have great relationship with my wife, things go really well for us. When I focus on doing my own thing, and put her second, our relationship suffers. It is no different in Christianity. God longs for relationship with us. He is looking for ways to bless us. When we stop loving God to pursue other things, we stop His ability to bless. It is like cutting off the line of supply. We are not wired like that. God made us for relationship with Him. Love Him. Today!

Have a great week!

Erick.

Thirty Years On. Life, Marriage, Children

It's been a while since I posted a blog page. I've been busy. I've had a lot on my plate. At my age, you just get busier. I now have grand children in my life. 5 years ago I would not have imagined that I would be sitting here today talking about a grandchild, much less two! But here I am. They are beautiful. A girl and a boy. Mayana and Reuben. We drive up to see them, and then they come to see us.

And so I  keep busy. Last weekend, we drove up to see them.
My Eldest two daughters, both married, both live in the same town. Zoey and Peter are the proud parents of our grandchildren. Bethanie and Lachlan live about 5 minutes from them by car. Zoey and Bethanie are both teachers at the same school (although Zoey is on maternity leave). Peter
Is a teacher at a pre-school and Lachlan is finishing his teaching degree. Having them all living in the same town has definite advantages, both for them and for me. Zoey and Bethanie have become very   close and both couples get together socially regularly.

Tambrey and I miss out on this so we have to travel up to make up the short fall in access place. This is one of the important reasons I run out of time. I love having time with all of my Maryborough mob; family is very important to me, and the fact that they live in the same town means we can visit everyone in one trip.


Our youngest two, Alexie and Jordan, both live at home with us. Alexie is studying Nursing and Jordan is doing a music degree. Both lead interesting and full lives. They are both heavily involved in our church and youth ministry, and volunteer regularly of their time to it each week. Alexie is the unofficial assistant and right-hand to our Youth Pastor, Michelle and the two have become inseparable best friends. She spends two days a week unpaid with Michelle working organising youth programmes and church administration and the like. Alexie and Michelle have become involved in a local High School where they run a mentoring programme for troubled and at-risk teenage girls. This programme has become so successful that the school has asked them to extend the programme to 2 days a week, and open it up to more girls.

Jordan is in classes 5 days a week in an intensive Music degree, the first year of which gives him a dual diploma in music performance and music law. This term his week has been reduced to 4 days and so he too volunteers his time at the church office, helping out wherever they can.


What's with the 30 years?

I titled this blog 30 years on because recently Tambrey and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of our first date.  It was 30 years ago that I took an innocent country girl into the big city, showed her how the other half lived and went to the movies. We saw Chariots of Fire and walked around the city square. I'll never forget seeing those beautiful big blue eyes getting bigger and bigger as we experienced one religious group after another trying to convert us to their way of faith. We had young Christian zealots over in one corner who despised everything the mainstream church stood for saying all was based on pagan philosophy and ritual, Christianised by the early church and nothing to do with true faith. In another corner there was a local youth group doing street witnessing, praying together and singing Choruses accompanied by guitars. And last and most colourful were the Hare Krishna's in full get up complete with tambourines singing and offering peace cookies to all passers by.


For a young country girl whose regular Friday nights only exposed her to the locals pouring out of the pub in various stages of drunk, this was quite a sight, and she was tightly wrapped around my arm as we made our way around. I can say what we have been tightly wrapped around each others arms ever since!


30 years on, we have done much, lived in places where there was no tv and no telephones. We have experienced poverty and homelessness and seen God prove Himself faithful time and again. We have seen our children grow into incredible strong young people of God; independent,  capable, motivated and passionate.  We have never gone without a meal. We have had all our needs met at the times when we needed them met. We have had the privilege of meeting and having fellowship with some of the most amazing people that God ever put on this Earth. We have had the privilege of being an answer to prayer many times and in some of the most surreal situations.
We have walked where no white man has walked (literally). We have been to places that we might only have dreamed of. I have made music to crowds of thousands, and ministered to young people going through difficult times. Tambrey has blessed scores of people that God has put across her path; speaking into their lives, taking them to achieving things they never thought possible.
30 years on as we look back we can see the path that God has taken us on.
It reminds me of that scripture in Jeremiah 29:11.

I know the thoughts I have towards you says the Lord; thoughts of good and not of evil to give you a hope and a future...

And in Proverbs 16:9

A man's heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

God had and still has great plans for us and if I had known then what I have experienced since, I may not have been so keen to pursue this path. But looking back I have no regrets. We have had no shortage of tough times and situations, but God has brought us through every one. And not just barely but triumphantly. What I can honestly say is that these times, times of trial and triumph have defined us and our family, shaping us into what and who we have become.  And through it all, as the song says, I've learnt to depend upon my God.

The one thing I keep on seeing is the closer we draw to God, the closer He draws to us. He blesses us beyond what we have ever dreamed. And as I look forward to the next 30 years, sharing them with the loves of my life and being introduced to new ones, I pray that together we will continue to grow closer and more dependant on Him. Because that is where the blessing comes from!
Have a great week.

GRACE... AGAIN (part 2)

GRACE, AGAIN. (part 2).

In this blog, I continue the thoughts about the Grace of God, how we understand it, versus what the Bible teaches. (please see below for part 1)

COMING TO GRIPS WITH GRACE

Romans 8:1 :"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
Romans 8:5-8
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Galatians 6:8
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit."

JESUS, THE TRUE VINE

Read this passage twice:
John 15:1-8
“ I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

In Me

I want you to notice two things:
1) the phrase "in Me" is in this passage 6 times;
2) 5 times it is preceded by the word Abide.
The true key to our Christian life is in this passage in a nutshell: We are to abide in Christ. To be grafted in the vine means that the vine has to be cut in order for the graft to be inserted. The graft then has to take on all the nutrients that flow through the vine to assure its survival and ability to bear fruit.
If you have ever had a go at grafting, you will have found that sometimes a graft doesn't take. The graft then has to be removed because if it doesn't it will draw unnecessary nutrients from the vine that will not benefit the graft and may cause damage to the vine. Once the graft is removed, it is destroyed.
Note also the warning that Christ gave in verse 2: "Any branch IN ME that does not bear fruit, He (the Father) takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may hear more fruit"
In this verse I see judgement and grace.
In Me means grafted. No fruit means no change. No change means the Father cuts off that branch and throws it away. This is judgement.
Bearing fruit means that God by His Grace prunes us: SO THAT WE MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT. Grace makes up the shortfall. God wants us to be fruitful, and then he prunes us (takes away the stuff that holds us back) so that we may bear more fruit!
I saw a great definition of grace on Facebook the other day: "Grace: God's divine power exerting Influence upon the heart of man. Grace doesn't grant us permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit." Col Stringer.

GRACE: WE DON'T DO THIS ON OUR OWN

Let's look at this next scripture:
Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
You know what? Life isn't easy. Doing things God's way can be tough! But God gives us the instruction manual AND His Holy Spirit to help us and guide us. And the great cloud of witnesses are cheering us on!! God knows the pitfalls and downfalls of this life. Jesus walked this earth and experienced all the troubles, problems, challenges and temptations that this world offers and He overcame. We too can overcome. The Bible says in Revelation 12:11; " by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony." hallelujah !!

GRACE, SHEEP, AND LITTLE CHILDREN.

I want to pull one more scripture about grace out and present it to you. It is the parable of the lost sheep.
Jesus talks in Matthew 18 on the subject of who is the greatest in heaven. Basically He says that unless you become like a little child, you can't even get into the kingdom of heaven! (vs3)
He then likens greatness in the Kingdom to the humbleness of a little child. Ok keep that thought in mind as you travel to verse 12 & 13:
Parable of the Lost Sheep
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety- nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety- nine that didn’t wander away!"
This is a great passage on God's grace. Jesus will come looking for you when you become lost! And before you think about grace applying to people in rebellion, I want to point out the Jesus is still talking about little children. Little children are easily trained and corrected and when lost, they want to be found.
When thinking about the sheep I also think of the passage in John 10:27-29
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand."
Don't you just love Grace??


I hope this study has helped you as it has me get a better understanding of the Magnitude and the Magnificence of God's grace. I pray that you don't abuse it, and that you learn what it means to abide in the Vine.
If this has helped you, or if you disagree, please drop me a note.
Sorry it is such a long subject, but I think we are far from finished with the discussions and the discoveries of this thing called Grace.
Have a great week!
Erick

Love is the principal thing (Part 2)

 

In part one of this blog, I started to speak about the reasons why we are in relationship with Jesus, and everything that is involved and included in this...that Love is the principal thing. I then left you with a challenge...

Did you do it??? Did you read and meditate on Psalm 91? Isn’t it the most amazing piece of scripture? “He who dwells in the secret place of the most High...” and right down to :” With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation” Such love, such intimacy...

The Challenge

Why did I challenge you to read this psalm? You are a worship leader, whether at the front leading the singing, or at the back, keeping the beat, or somewhere in between, you are a worship leader. If you can get a revelation of what this psalm is saying, then you will find it much easier to communicate that love and intimacy to the church today.

Worship leading can be a real struggle. Why do I do it, especially week after week, and especially when the congregation seems so unresponsive, and unappreciative? The reason I keep coming back to this wonderful call is the title of this blog: Love is the Principal thing.

Response to rebellion

As a parent, I have experienced in my own children rebellion, un-appreciation, ignorance of my instruction, un-responsiveness... but never once did I stop loving them, never once did I give up reminding them, encouraging them, disciplining them, loving them. Now that they are older, and mostly independent, they have a much greater appreciation of what Tambrey and I did for them all those years ago. In doing what we did, we helped to build their character and personality, and we helped shape their sense of intimacy with Jesus.

Worship-leading is not that far different. You have an amazing opportunity to impart into this congregation principals of worship, grace, mercy and love. Even though it may seem to be falling on deaf ears, your job is not to reap the harvest, yours is to sow and to water and to nurture. Many is the time when I have walked away from the stage exhausted and drained, feeling that the worship had gone absolutely nowhere, and wondering if God was in the place at all. Then someone would come to me later and say: “Erick that worship really ministered to me today, thank you!” Wow! The challenge is: am I doing this for earthly reward or for a heavenly one?

The Principal Thing

Today I have been reading a book by English author Adrian Plass. It is called “Jesus: Safe, Tender, Extreme” He makes this statement which really brings home my point about the principal thing: “The sacred and mystical truth is that when we Christians touch each other, we are touching Jesus. When that touch is the touch of care and love, heaven smiles on us...”

Love

John 15:12-17 says this (Words of Jesus, written in red): “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from the Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”

How strong the instruction, how beautiful the promise, how pertinent the reminder. The very instruction Jesus starts with is the same as the one He concludes with: “That you love one another”. Bear in mind, dear worship leader, that this is a command. See, sometimes with your family, your worship team, your congregation, your Pastor, things aren’t going to go the way you planned or even wanted. The principal thing is love. Let love be your guide and your motivator. This week you have the opportunity to bring your congregation into “the secret place of the Most High”. Whether your worship experience is a fantastic time or it all goes pear shaped, remember: LOVE IS THE PRINCIPAL THING.

God bless you real good, and have a great week!

Erick