This weekend I was officiating at the wedding ceremony of my brother’s daughter in the mountains just outside Rawsonville. The ceremony was held outside. The weather forecast said it was going to rain. There was no plan B. So, everybody prayed. I also asked for the Lord’s favour, that He would take the rain to […]
Read moreSometimes in my life I’m uncertain. Times when I doubt whether I believe correctly. My thoughts run around in circles and spiral down to a place where it feels as if my faith has in a sense left me. At times like these I feel as if I’m barking up the wrong tree and I […]
Read moreI always make a joke by saying when I ask people how much is enough, they say more. No, I haven’t ever heard anybody say that, but when you see how some people chase after wealth, it seems as if they’re saying more and more and more, please. Don’t take this the wrong way. There’s […]
Read moreLife doesn’t always make sense. Often in my life, I’ve asked what was the sense of the challenge I was facing. Sometimes I was discouraged by the challenge and would ask: “Why is this happening to me? I don’t understand why I have to go through this again”. Especially when you’re already under a lot […]
Read moreI’m a farmer through and through. It was a wonderful experience working as a farm manager on two glorious Boland wine farms for 12 years. You work hard throughout the year. First, you prune until your hands seize up in the early morning hours. Shortly after that, buds start appearing on the grey, lifeless vine […]
Read moreThere’s this story about a man who often went mountain-climbing. He was an experienced mountain-climber and enjoyed discovering all the different routes. One day, on a new route, he stopped for lunch. He opened his packed lunch and thanked God for the privilege to eat in such a beautiful place. The climber got so caught […]
Read more2Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Danie is struggling: This last month has been a dark period in my life. It’s a daily struggle just to get through the day with storms raging inside me. I feel so alone, I feel completely swamped. I don’t […]
Read moreWhether it is to show others the error of their ways, and whether it is to show others the way, everything we do must have one objective: Love must be the result. 5The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Or as […]
Read moreSince I started writing about 1 Thessalonians, I’ve used the word ‘hardship’ quite a lot. Hardship and suffering was a reality in the lives of these new Christians. And we have said often: If you are serious about the things of God, there will be hard times ahead. Things don’t always go well. There will […]
Read moreThe Colossians’ faith was something special, an example even for Paul: 5… I am delighted to hear of the careful and orderly ways you conduct your affairs, and impressed with the solid substance of your faith in Christ. Even though things weren’t going that well for them, even though they were by far in the […]
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