IN HONOUR OF MY DAD'S 85TH BIRTHDAY!

My dad, Edward Raymond Lutge, known as Ray from birth, turned 85 on the 23rd August 2014!

In the words of Colin Garvie:  "Ray has had a colourful ministry as a missionary of the SUM in Nigeria and now a Supernumerary Minister of the MCSA."

He is a truly remarkable man.
He accepted Jesus into his life when he was a young teenager and through many hardships, joy, pain, immense heart ache and much laughter he never wavered in his belief that God was good and faithful.
He took to heart the words Jesus spoke:
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men".
Not only was he a 'fisher of men' but he was also a great fisherman!

When he left school he qualified as a plumber.
He also trained as a missionary with the Sudan United Mission and spent a few years as a missionary in Nigeria on a leprosy mission settlement.

He then studied and qualified as a school teacher and taught for many years.
At the age of 60 he was ordained as a Methodist minister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!  GOD BLESS.

THE IMPERFECT CHURCH

“If you think you have finally found the perfect church, DON’T become a member of it, as it will then no longer be perfect”1 (someone once said!)

Yesterday we were driving through Carlisle, England and the sign above caught my eye.  I made hubby drive around the block and find a parking space in order that I could take a photograph of it.

The words resonated strongly with me.

The church is there for sinners!

My personal definition of the church is “anybody who believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again in order that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life”.

There are church buildings, and then there is the 'church',  made up of people living all over the world.

Some of the loneliest and depressed people are found in a church building.  One of my dearest friends who used to live on the streets told me once, that he was initially far lonelier in the church than he had ever been on the streets.  He felt that a lot of folks who went to church were hypocrites – because they were Christians they felt they had to pretend that everything was fine in their lives. As though by believing in Jesus Christ they were no longer allowed to be honest and open about their negative emotions!  That by admitting they were feeling depressed/angry/hurt/sad/a failure they were basically negating their faith in Christ.

Someone else once said “Christians are not perfect, they are just forgiven and their sin/mistakes/faults are no longer held against them”.

That is my kind of Christianity.  Knowing that I live in God’s grace.

Over the centuries some churches have lost sight of God’s commandment “love one another as I have loved you” and are far more interested in the ‘man made’ rules which even churches of different denominations differ on.

Adult water baptism – right or wrong?

Communion - some denominations will not allow somebody from another denomination to take full communion?

Child baptism – a must or not really necessary?

Apartheid – separation of different races – which some churches actually justified by using Biblical scriptures?

Once you accept Jesus as your Saviour and are filled with the Holy Spirit you cannot continue behaving in the same way.  You need to strive to be more Christ like, to love others as He has loved you BUT to know that when you “blow it” you have the option of confessing your sin and being forgiven.

I have just read this to my husband and he stated “On the basis of what you have just written I would be put off church for life!”

That is not my intention at all – to put anybody off joining a church!  I do, however, believe that in order to be happy and accepted in a church, you need to find a church like the one advertised above. 

A church that accepts everybody and strives to love everyone who enters their doors as Christ loves us.  That means that the majority of people in the church need to have the same goals and basic belief that everyone is worth loving.

There are always going to be people in the church building that you are not going to agree with and some people who you will just not like, but if the majority of people in the church building invite others in the building into their homes for meals and fellowship, if the majority, who are more financially wealthy, share with those who are in need, if the majority are willing to forgive each other, than I would say that is the church you need to join.

My friend eventually found great healing, acceptance and warmth in the church and learnt to look past the few people who he felt judged him.  It is vital to fellowship with other Believers and to have God’s word explained by others who have had a revelation of the Scriptures and are able to teach God’s truth.

And yes, I do belong to a church!  In fact, I have been a member of my church, Mowbray Presbyterian Church in Cape Town, South Africa for over 17 years.

My church is filled with all kinds of people – different races, different upbringings, some are selfish, greedy and needy – far from perfect, but they all love the Lord and strive to live their lives sharing Christ's love with others.

1.  This quote has been attributed to Cardinal Dolan of  New York

THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR CHILD IS ...........

The greatest gift you can give your child is a knowledge of God. There is no greater gift.

In order to be able to give this gift to your child you, yourself, must first have a relationship with the living Lord.

“To lead someone else onto the right road, means we need to know the road ourselves. If those who are being led (our children) are to feel safe and free, they must have unshakeable faith and trust in the one who leads them” (Solly Ozrovech).

As parents we need to allow God to lead us so we can properly lead our children. Before He can lead us, however, we have to acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour in our own lives.

The second greatest gift you can give your child is to instill in them a sense of their own self-worth. They need to grow up in the knowledge that God loves them and desires the best for them. They need to know that no matter what happens to them in life they will, with God’s help, be able to overcome any difficulty.

In order for our children to grow into their full potential as human beings, to develop into compassionate and caring individuals they need to experience failure, sadness, depression and loneliness in order to appreciate success, happiness, a good mental attitude and to learn the value of friendship.

The third greatest gift you can give your child is the gift of listening to them.

Our responsibility as parents is to allow our children to experience, feel and express the full gamut of all the emotions mentioned above.

We need to give them the gift of listening to them without trying to jump in and fix everything for them. To advise them, to guide them and then to let them have the freedom to manage and own their emotions.

All of these gifts can be summed up in one word – LOVE

Our children need to grow up believing and living the second greatest commandment that Jesus gave us. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:3)

Our children need to be able to love themselves in order that they can show love to others.

I REALLY NEED TO GET MY 12 YEAR OLD A CELL PHONE!!

Our girls have a mini-mom.  Her name is Moyra.  She first came into our lives when our oldest daughter was four years old, our second daughter was two years old and we had not even thought about the third daughter yet!  We were looking for a baby-sitter and a friend recommended Moyra.

Moyra walked through the front door fifteen years ago and is still walking through the same front door on a regular basis.  She sort of evolved from being a baby sitter to being a mini-mom.  Our third daughter is now twelve and she grew up calling Moyra her mini-mom.

I would recommend that any one who has small children need to get a mini-mom.  They are great!  I hate clothing shopping - so when they were younger Moyra took the girls clothing shopping.  If my husband and I both had to be away at the same time it was Moyra who moved in and looked after the girls.  She took them to Sunset concerts in the park and had sleepovers with them at her place.  She has wonderful taste in clothes and music (well, the music bit is debatable!) and is old enough to give sound 'dating' advice but young enough to know what is trendy.

She is beautiful and smart, has traveled the world from Malawi (her country of birth) to the Inca Jungle in Peru to travelling around Europe, has climbed two volcanoes and skydived (with my brother).

 Been a participant on Survivor SA, http://survivorsa.dstv.com/category/profiles/moyra-makina/ .

Winning a Jeep in one of the competitions!

And is running the New York marathon later this year to raise funds for CAMFED, www.camfed.org/donate/personal-fundraising/moyra-nyc-marathon/
 (All donations are welcome!!  Just click on the link above.)

(Moyra was all set to run it in 2012 but the race was cancelled because of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy).

She has a lovely sense of humour and I have overheard her introducing herself to strangers as the 'black sheep' of the family.  If you look carefully at the photos you will see why!

The thing that I love about Moyra most, however, is the fact that she loves the Lord and she speaks to my children about Him.

You may be asking yourself what all this has got to do with the title of my blog.  Well, the thing is, that sometimes when I am on 'WhatsApp' with Moyra my youngest daughter will give me a message to give to Moyra, then Moyra will give me a message to give to my daughter, then she will give me a message to give back to Moyra - I am sure you are getting the picture.  That's when I thought to myself "I really need to get this child a cell phone!"  I won't though - I will continue to hold out against all the pressure being brought against me till she turns 13 years old!

Their message/conversation via me went like this yesterday:
Me:  "Em says she loves you".  Moyra:  "Tell her I love her more!"  Em via me:  "Tell her I love her most"  Moyra:  "Tell her I am gonna win this fight cos I love her mostest!  And my heart's bigger cos I am older so it can love more".

And it was that last sentence that really got to me "my heart's bigger cos I am older so it can love more".

Before time began, God was.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)

God was here before the beginning of the world, so can you just imagine how old He is, and how big His heart must be by now, and how much more He loves us than we could ever love Him?

"Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever"  (1 Chronicles 16:43)

THANK YOU MOYRA FOR BEING SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR LIVES AND FOR ALLOWING US TO LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU!!

THE LORD'S PRAYER - WITH A DIFFERENCE!

Dallas Willard was once asked how he prayed.  He answered that he prayed the Our Father every morning before his feet hit the ground. I can just imagine Satan’s reaction whenever Dallas Willard put his feet on the ground in the morning.  It must have been something like this “Oh hell!  He is getting up – take cover!”

Prayer and faith go together.  You cannot have the one without the other.

In Biblical terms prayer is a personal communication or request addressed to God and faith is a strong or unshakeable belief in God without proof or evidence.

“Prayer is a necessity to man - it is a universal phenomenon; but while not exclusively Christian, it is most real in Christianity because the Christian life is a life of fellowship with God.  In Bilbical religion the relationship between God and man is genuinely interpersonal. Prayer is essentially communion;  God desires man’s fellowship, and man needs the friendship of God.¹”

What follows is an example of how Dallas Willard prayed the Our Father.  I am writing this from memory and have added a few of my own personal thoughts – this is basically a guideline of  how he prayed.  You can add your own relevant requests, praise, thanks-giving to the basic outline.  You can also spend a lot more time on each section!

Our Father

My God, my Dad, my Lord, my Pappa, my Father

whom art in Heaven

You are high above the earth. You are all seeing. You are omniscient.  You know all about me and yet you still love me

hallowed be Thy name

You are majestic and wonderful. I praise your Holy name. Your name is powerful and mighty.

your kingdom come

Lord, please fill me with your Holy Spirit. May I be your hands and your feet here on earth.  May people see your Kingdom in me.

your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

I pray Lord that I, together with all other Believers, will be able to love others in a way that will ensureYour will being done here on earth through us.

Give us this day our daily bread

Thank you Lord for the abundance that you shower upon me.  For the home I live in – let me not take it for granted.  Let me share my abundance with others. Make me aware of the needs of those around me.

and forgive us our trespasses

Lord, please forgive me for not living a life of love.  For wanting my own way.  For judging others.  For repeatedly doing what I know is wrong in your sight.

as we forgive those who trespass against us

I need your help to forgive those who have hurt me.  Who have made me feel that I am not worthy.  Who judge and criticize me.  Help me Lord, to be able to forgive myself for the wrong I have done.

Lead us not into temptation

Please help me to be satisfied with what I have.  To be thankful for all I have.

but deliver us from evil

Lord, please break the chains that bind me.  Break the habit of me feeling worthless, angry, inferior, proud, judgmental.  Deliver me from addictions – be it alcohol, drugs, pornography, eating disorders. 

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever

Thank you Lord that nothing can ever befall me that you are not aware of.  That no matter what happens you have already prepared a way out – help me to trust, grant me more faith to know that you are all powerful.  I glorify your mighty name.  I praise you.

Amen

So be it.  I go into this day with my hope and my faith firmly placed in You, my God, my Lord, my Saviour.

May each one of us be the kind of person that when our feet touch the ground in the morning, Satan says “Oh hell, they are up.  Take cover!”

1.  The  Handy Bible Dictionary & Concordance

SOMETIMES OUR CHILDREN LIVE ON A DIFFERENT PLANET!

Saw this board whilst walking down the street yesterday.  It triggered a memory of an incident that occurred a few years ago with one of my children.  I need to set the scene for you first though!

Ever since our oldest child started pre-school I have prayed, together with other mothers, at their respective schools.  We have also always taught our children that lying and stealing is wrong and are, in fact, even mentioned in the ten commandments!

“You shall not steal”

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20) - which basically means don’t lie.

Now about the incident.

I was just walking into a  prayer meeting at the Junior school, feeling quite ‘holy’ when I checked my phone messages. Please note that subsequent to this, I no longer check any messages before going into a meeting.

There was a message there from my child in Senior school.  What follows is a record of messages stemming from that one:

Child:  “ Hey, mom.  Is it ok if I forge your signature on my History test? If it’s not signed I get detention”

Me:  “What planet have you been living on for the past fifteen years?? (now you can see why the message on the board above triggered this memory!” From the time you were born your dad and I have taught you that lying and stealing is wrong.  By forging a signature you are effectively doing both!!!!”

Child: “I thought it would be ok cos you have already seen the paper and thought my mark was pretty good”.

 I walked into the prayer meeting and told the ladies present “you will not believe what my daughter has just asked me!” and proceeded to tell them with great indignation.

One of the moms present responded “I think it is amazing that she asked you whether she could forge your signature and didn’t just sign it”.

This stopped me in my tracks and I messaged the child back:

“Meet me in the reception area at your school at first break and I will sign the test for you”.

When I arrived at the school I told the receptionist (who also happens to be a good friend of mine) why I was there.  I was still feeling a bit indignant.

She replied “Noel, you should be so thankful that your child asked you.  A large majority of the students here would just have forged the signature and not thought twice about it”.

That evening I was recounting the story to my oldest daughter via skype as she was overseas at the time.

Her response was “That is so silly.  Why would she even ask you something like that?”

I was just starting to pat myself on the back and think ‘well, at least I have got it right with one child’ when she stated “I would have just signed the test if you had already seen it!”

When you have children you just can’t win.

There is a lovely Irish saying “Shame the devil and tell the truth”

“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful” (Proverbs 12:22)

I have sometimes, in the past, told a ‘little white lie’ mainly when I have wanted to spare someone else’s feelings when the truth would have hurt them but a ‘little white lie’ is still a lie.

And in the long run our ‘little white lies’ add up and can be quite detrimental towards others.

If we are to teach our children honesty, we need to be honest in all things.

IF ANYONE IS LOOKING FOR ME, I AM ON THE UPPER ROAD!

"I'm going by the upper road, for that still holds the sun

I'm climbing through night's pastures where the starry rivers run;

If you should think to seek me in my old dark abode,

You'll find this writing on the door,

"She's on the Upper Road." (selected)

We sit and weep in vain, while the voice of the Almighty tells us to never stop moving upward and onward. (Streams in the Desert)"

God is in Heaven and all is well with my world. I am walking on the Upper Road and before I turn to the right or the left I will stop and listen for God's voice, saying "This is the way; walk in it". (Isaiah 30:21)

Tomorrow I will continue my journey upward in the knowledge that it is through the trials, the hardships, the pain, the disappointments, the joy, the happiness, the blessings - that it is through all these things I am growing into a woman God can be proud of and rejoice over.

It is because of my past - the good past and the not so good past - that I have searched my soul and assessed my character and realised that I needed to change. I have more empathy towards others and judge far less. I am able to forgive easier (especially myself), I am able to write about His faithfulness. I am able to love deeper because the hurt and pain have somehow shaped me into a more caring person. I have witnessed that He is a God who still performs miracles, that He is a God with the most wonderful sense of humour. I am able to be more open and honest with others. AND it is because of this past that I am able to look forward to the future with joy and hope and courage because my future is encompassed by Him.

Today, I just want to thank God for me and for you!