Hi there
I have taken a bit of a blogging sabbatical this December due to the holidays and some personal reasons.
I am going to be away for another week, and then I will be back in full force with my daily blog.
So in the mean time, happy new year to you all, and may 2010 be a blessed year for all of you.
Christmas
Due to me having ‘bloggers’ block again, I am posting a writing from Louis Brittz on Christmas. In many ways he expresses what I feel toward Christmas in the modern day, but his ending really got me just now.
Christmas, christmas. What to say?
If it weren’t for the vast splotches of red everywhere I guess I’d be O.K.
This is an unchangeable fact of life: Red is the base colour of Christmas. And it insults my sense of good taste. Red is the colour of fire engines, stop signs and matadors. It says danger! Stop! Anger! It’s also the hue of measles, pimples and other wortlike growths. Do we need a whole season clothed in it? Stuffed up men dressed in it from top to bottom, on every corner of every shopping mall?
Whole department stores transformed into fever factories? How is this supposed to make me happy?And if it weren’t for the Christmas bells I could cope.
I’m not from Switzerland. I’m not a goat or a cow. The ringing of a high-pitched bell doesn’t loosen the hidden merriment deep in my soul. To me a bell means that it’s time to go to class. That there’s a fire warning somewhere. That I must leave the significant things I’m doing to go wash up for dinner. That I must get out of bed! It’s a disturbing sound. It’s too high, too shrill, too clear and too piercing. It’s a javelin stuck in my inner ear. Satan’s arrow, I’m sure. It’s the blinding flash of white light behind my left eye before the headache settles in.
In fact, it’s the exact opposite of the warm, gurgling sound generated by an electric guitar played through a tube amp. If that doesn’t sum it up for you, you’re lacking in paradigm and I weep for you.
And what’s up with the fascination with snow? Where did the idea of a white Christmas come from and why is it so romantic?
Snow works great in pictures. Pretty and pristine. But that’s a lie. Up close it’s filthy, wet and horrible to drive on. And very, very cold. In truth I’m a bit biased (and maybe jealous?) because I’m from South Africa. Christmas for us is a sundrenched day at the beach. Dreaming of a white Christmas in South Africa…could get you thrown into prison. (Please consider our political history).
Oh, and then there’s the floral paper with bows on them that we wrap our too-expensive gifts in.
Floral paper.
Bows, for crying out loud.What is this, the Seventies?
And woman in church who sing too high. Why is it at Christmas that all the woman sing too high? Why are Christmas songs so written that they almost always support a piercing soprano harmony? Is this the enemy’s way of keeping musical people out of church at Christmas? Should I consider spiritual warfare?
…So I don’t celebrate Christmas…or do I?
Of course I do.I’m not enough of a non-conformist as to abstain. I’m not Ebenhaezer Scrooge!
I have a family after all, and this is such a great family time. And what harm could be done, I ask myself, in celebrating Christmas with the rest of the world? It’s such a non-violent thing. If it has an aura, I can only imagine it pink. Peachy, rosy, soft and warm…what ever.I’m just really glad that Christmas doesn’t originate from the Bible like the real Christian celebrations. That God didn’t tell me to do Christmas or He’d frown upon me and smite me. Because then I’d have to go all out for it. As you can imagine, I’d have to really dig deep and I’m afraid the well might be found dry.
Oh, but I’m happy for the kids! For them Christmas is the most splendid time of the whole year. Gifts, food, merriment, more gifts, more food. And a general license to do some things that they would never get away with during the rest of the year. And for the same reasons I’m happy for us grown-ups. We get a semi-Christian-like festival filled with wonder, amazement and a touch of magic. We get the excuse to make contact with our inner child and say to it “Come out to play.”
Christmas is when I retreat into my head, look at the whole shebang and think: “If only I never grew up.”
But then, I feel like that most days.Jesus,
I’m sorry that I’m such a partypooper. That I have to be so adult, morose and “real” about everything. Sorry for shattering the postcard-picture that gleefully romantic people have of a very happy season. I concede that Christmas is cool. You were born in a manger, which is a very special place to be born for a human. You were born of a virgin, and I don’t think it had ever happened before. Nore has it happened since. There was that very special star, the shepherds, the wonderful gifts that wise men brought, bad old King Herod who tried so hard to get at you…It’s a pretty amazing story and it deserves to be told. I can even imagine that You’re behind the whole Christmas-hype. How else would we get the whole non-Christian world to sing carols with your name in and be reminded that the Word became flesh and they called you Jesus?And at the barest,most basic minimum, every person ever born should get to have a birthday. On this earth, what we call Christmas is as close as you will come.
Welcome to the new Unsafe Challenge
I just want to inform you, that Unsafe Challenge is busy undergoing a bit of a revamp.
Certain features such as RSS subscription and Email subscription has not been added yet, but please be patient, and all will be back to normal as soon as possible.
If you still want to subscribe via RSS just click here.
also, please feel free to comment on features you would want to see here on Unsafe Challenge, and what you think of the new theme.
Update: 26 November 2009
New Social Networking tabs added to the right side of the screen.
Organisational structure, God’s way…
Yesterday afternoon while sitting in traffic, in the rain, I was listening to a podcast from Mars Hill Church on leadership.
The scripture of the day was Exodus 18, which is such a great guideline for the way in which God wants us to organise our organisations and churches, to allow people to really be accountable and to be able to be more efficient in doing what they were called to do.
The main section of this chapter is verses 17 – 23 (The Message)
Moses’ father-in-law said, “This is no way to go about it. You’ll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can’t do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They’ll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They’ll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they’ll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you’ll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also.”
How many of the churches and organisations within which you work or are a part of is organised in this fashion?
It is also great to know, from this passage, that God placed delegation there for all of us to be able to function at our peak, and to know that we don’t have to do everything by ourselves.
Jentezen Franklin
I just stumbled across his website and blog, to read the following blog post
I have read his book on fasting before, but this blog will have to be added to my favourites list.
Enjoy, and be challenged.
A new beginning
Isaiah 44:3-5
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD ‘;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
and will take the name Israel.
At our church, we are in the process of getting a new pastor to lead us into a new season of faith and growth. On Monday night, when he was introduced to the people involved in ministry, he gave us this scripture with the words following, that we as church need to live to the outside, and not in to each other.
What was amazing, is that out Worship Pastor got this exact same scripture, with the same revelation just a couple of days earlier.
I love the way that these people are starting to think, and I am super excited about this new season our church is entering. I am fastening my seatbelt for the ride, and believe that God is going to do great things still.
Billy Coffey
Over the last couple of months I have been following this blog with earnest every day.
I simply love his writing, and his post this morning, just puts things in such great perspective for me.
Equals
1 Peter 3:7
The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.
Ok, so today I am only going to tell you guys how much I love my wife, and why…
She is beautiful, clever and drives me to be different in everything that I do.
I used to be a very stubborn person, still am, but hopefully less. She has, over the years, taught me that even if I am unhappy about something or somebody, I don’t need to react on it. Sometimes it is better to “Smile and wave” 
She uplifts me in everything I do. If I were to come to her tomorrow and say I am leaving my job to go do something totally ridiculous, I know she will stand with me, all the way. She would even push me to go do it, and THAT is something that I know is why God gave this wonderful woman to me.
If it was not for her, I would be a very sad and uninspired person, but she pushes me to dream great big dreams, and then she will go out and push me to make my dreams become reality.
Just wanted to share this with you guys…
Congratulations
Today, all I can do is congratulate Johan Lombaard and his wife Susan, on the birth of a health baby boy this morning at 7:55.
I pray that the Lord will keep them as a family safe, and bless them up to the point where they will ask why they are getting all these blessings.
Blessing
Got this in my inbox today from a dear friend, Danie Nell. Thank you for this Danie
“Your son is here,” she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened.
He was s heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
“Who was that man?” he asked.
The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered.
“No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I never saw him before in my life.”“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”
“I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son, and his
son just wasn’t here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.”The next time someone needs you… just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY
HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
(love this line)THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY. RIGHT ?
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!
GOD IS SO GOOD
