Monday, April 18, 2011
Life in the Rat Race
As i look around in the place I live, I cant help but think "What has happened to us". Ask anyone from joburg and they will admit that the time that we run off is Traffic Time and Deadline time. Yes its those few words like "I'm late" "I'm busy" "I need to be somewhere". All of these things are evident in Johannesburg and whats funny is you head off to the coast you will find that a majority of them dont even bother about time or schedules, life just stops and comes to a halt when you are at the coast. Easter weekend is coming and its a time for everyone living in this chaos of a city called Johannesburg to just get away to the other quieter ends of the country. It's also a time for us to just stop thinking about traffic or what time we need to leave to get to the airports or other places and its a time where we can just relax. Take a trip to East London or Jeffreys Bay and you will find that anywhere in town takes only 5 minutes traveling time, Peoples journey to work or the shops or sports clubs or home, even the beach only takes 5 minutes and traffic for them is 1 car at a stop street or robot. I reckon its time to start adapting to coastal and stop worrying if we're going to get to places on time.
Monday, April 11, 2011
In memory of Craig Bainbridge
Years ago, when me and my brother were little kids hung out at the Edenvale Sports Club and we befriended 2 brothers Marc and Craig Bainbridge. We would just wander around and chill. Somewhere along the line we lost contact with those 2 brothers but we never did forget those times. Last year or the year before the one brother (Craig) was diagnosed with a life threatening cancer and on Friday Craig went on to be with the lord after suffering from system failure. I wont forget those days and Craig I know how much you were loved by the community and may your tragic passing be used to help some of those people you have come across over time to be drawn closer to God. You lived a good life and friends, family and aquantances will never forget you. May you truly rest in peace knowing that all the pain and suffering that you have been through is now no more. I enclose a poem written by C. Henry Scott Holland
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
How old are we anyway
I don't know about you but when you have the flu like I have just had and yes things will be back to normal tomorrow but as a christian its that time when you begin to fill your mind with christian teachings one after the other. A while back I visited a really cool and small church in Edenvale by a friend and he gave me one of these free DVD's by Kent Hovind and during my time of being bedridden I took the opportunity to start watching this. There are things that I'm passionate about and they are Gymnastics, Geography, The Offspring (The best secular band in the world) and also Christian Theology (Apologetics especially - Defending the faith) and this is why I have been so fascinated with Kent Hovind's Teachings.
He teaches that the stuff we learn in schools is absolute nonsense, have you noticed any textbook you can find says the earth formed billions or millions of years. I came to this conclusion after reading Genesis to Revelations last year and if you do the maths you will find that the textbooks don't exactly match up. His theory and its one I tend to agree with is that the earth formed about 6000 years ago as stated in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" then the fall of man happened which set a destructive example for the descendants to come and it was at this point that God appeared to Noah and instructed him to build an ark as he was going to bring about a great flood, to which Noah built this ark, collected animals galore and brought his family onboard and then the flood came and I'm not talking about the destruction that you saw in New Zealand or Brisbane, this was a global flood killing all humankind and species that weren't on this boat and then the human race had to start over again and about 2000 years later after more rebellion God brought Jesus in the form of a little baby born in a manger and that baby turned out to be the very son of God, he confronted society in a way we never imagined and even died at the hands he came to save in a cruel way? Why, well because of our sin. Jesus came to save us from eternal death so we could spend eternity in heaven.
This all sounds like a dream come true but the problem is that there are still those who oppose these teaching and would rather brainwash us with the teachings of Darwin (who by the way in my opinion is one of the worlds greatest frauds around for bringing in his false teachings and theories) and the schools pass them as factual. You see there are 2 conflicts
Atheism: The world was created billions of years ago from nothing (how nothing come from nothing is something I don't seem to understand, it just can't be possible - something must come from something)
Christianity: The Earth is not billion of years old but around 6000 years old and started with the creation as stated in Genesis chapter 1 (I choose to believe the Bible as it makes the most sense).
If someone asks me why I'm a Christian my answer is because I believe and if someone asks me why I believe I will answer "because I have seen his work in my life and even the most impossible miracles that only God can perform". I challenge you to ask yourself why do you believe.
He teaches that the stuff we learn in schools is absolute nonsense, have you noticed any textbook you can find says the earth formed billions or millions of years. I came to this conclusion after reading Genesis to Revelations last year and if you do the maths you will find that the textbooks don't exactly match up. His theory and its one I tend to agree with is that the earth formed about 6000 years ago as stated in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" then the fall of man happened which set a destructive example for the descendants to come and it was at this point that God appeared to Noah and instructed him to build an ark as he was going to bring about a great flood, to which Noah built this ark, collected animals galore and brought his family onboard and then the flood came and I'm not talking about the destruction that you saw in New Zealand or Brisbane, this was a global flood killing all humankind and species that weren't on this boat and then the human race had to start over again and about 2000 years later after more rebellion God brought Jesus in the form of a little baby born in a manger and that baby turned out to be the very son of God, he confronted society in a way we never imagined and even died at the hands he came to save in a cruel way? Why, well because of our sin. Jesus came to save us from eternal death so we could spend eternity in heaven.
This all sounds like a dream come true but the problem is that there are still those who oppose these teaching and would rather brainwash us with the teachings of Darwin (who by the way in my opinion is one of the worlds greatest frauds around for bringing in his false teachings and theories) and the schools pass them as factual. You see there are 2 conflicts
Atheism: The world was created billions of years ago from nothing (how nothing come from nothing is something I don't seem to understand, it just can't be possible - something must come from something)
Christianity: The Earth is not billion of years old but around 6000 years old and started with the creation as stated in Genesis chapter 1 (I choose to believe the Bible as it makes the most sense).
If someone asks me why I'm a Christian my answer is because I believe and if someone asks me why I believe I will answer "because I have seen his work in my life and even the most impossible miracles that only God can perform". I challenge you to ask yourself why do you believe.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Trust and Faith
What is faith? Faith according to the Oxford minidictionary says that it's Trust.
What is Trust? The same dictionary says Confident Expectation.
As you can see Faith and trust share the same meaning. For me this has been one thing that has been on my mind. As we all know the opposite is fear and doubt, and I reckon we all fall into this trap at times where we face circumstances or we just become scared and we lose track of the faith that is needed at that time. Sometimes all we need to do is step out of our comfort zone and make a move that will help us grow further into the people we are meant to be and for this to happen we need to have faith and trust that everything will happen in the end as we hope. These 2 things are the key to being a disciple of God because if you can't really trust that God's hand is with you helping you achieve your passions and dreams then I can say that you're not much of a believer. Rob Bell in the NOOMA DVD Dust puts it clearly:
He states that in that time by a certain age you study the scriptures and are required to memorise them (He's talking about the TORAH - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and if you pass that then the next level was to memorise the Hebrew texts (Genesis to Malachi). Passing all of these studies, you could then apply to the local Rabbi to be his disciple and if you didn't make the cut he would tell you to join the family business and if you did he would say "Come Follow Me" - The best of the best got chosen. Now for Peter a fisherman to be told by Jesus those words "Come follow me" it meant a lot because here he was faced with his Jesus choosing him. Now you can see that Peter wasn't the best of the best since he was out at sea fishing but yet Jesus looks past that and sees someone who can do what he does and calls Peter and 11 others to walk and live alongside him. Now later there's a moment where Jesus comes walking on water and with all 12 disciples on the boat watching all this thinking that Jesus is a ghost but Peter's eyes gets opened and climbs out the boat and walks on water towards Jesus.
Peter always strikes me as one with great faith and trust, he had faith that he could he could be like his master, he had faith in circumstances, He had a faith that he could be responsible for the salvation of many followers as he experienced in the beginning of Acts and I think we can learn from Peter on how to really trust and to really have true faith.
What is Trust? The same dictionary says Confident Expectation.
As you can see Faith and trust share the same meaning. For me this has been one thing that has been on my mind. As we all know the opposite is fear and doubt, and I reckon we all fall into this trap at times where we face circumstances or we just become scared and we lose track of the faith that is needed at that time. Sometimes all we need to do is step out of our comfort zone and make a move that will help us grow further into the people we are meant to be and for this to happen we need to have faith and trust that everything will happen in the end as we hope. These 2 things are the key to being a disciple of God because if you can't really trust that God's hand is with you helping you achieve your passions and dreams then I can say that you're not much of a believer. Rob Bell in the NOOMA DVD Dust puts it clearly:
He states that in that time by a certain age you study the scriptures and are required to memorise them (He's talking about the TORAH - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and if you pass that then the next level was to memorise the Hebrew texts (Genesis to Malachi). Passing all of these studies, you could then apply to the local Rabbi to be his disciple and if you didn't make the cut he would tell you to join the family business and if you did he would say "Come Follow Me" - The best of the best got chosen. Now for Peter a fisherman to be told by Jesus those words "Come follow me" it meant a lot because here he was faced with his Jesus choosing him. Now you can see that Peter wasn't the best of the best since he was out at sea fishing but yet Jesus looks past that and sees someone who can do what he does and calls Peter and 11 others to walk and live alongside him. Now later there's a moment where Jesus comes walking on water and with all 12 disciples on the boat watching all this thinking that Jesus is a ghost but Peter's eyes gets opened and climbs out the boat and walks on water towards Jesus.
Peter always strikes me as one with great faith and trust, he had faith that he could he could be like his master, he had faith in circumstances, He had a faith that he could be responsible for the salvation of many followers as he experienced in the beginning of Acts and I think we can learn from Peter on how to really trust and to really have true faith.
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