A colleague of mine who was ordained after me relates how he tried to run from God’s call. He moved provinces and went to a different Church. He plough his energy into work … but our sovereign God, who calls men into the full time ministry would not let him go. He pastored a Church […]
When a man feels called to the full time pastoral ministry, he might be fully convinced in his heart that God requires him in His Vineyard. Yet personally, the call might be strong but that does not necessary mean it is God’s call. People around him need to identify his spiritual gifts, character and personality […]
From time to time we enjoy watching USA Police car chase videos on YouTube. There are times when there are serious crashes, rollovers … some caused because of speed, other vehicles crossing an intersection, red traffic lights, running out of petrol … and at times from pit maneuvers or the use of spike strips. It […]
I recall when becoming a Christian and listening to people belonging to St. James Church in Kenilworth in the Cape. They were extremely complimentary about the pastor, Frank Retief. As people had their lives turned around because of being born again through the Gospel being preached, they invited their family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues. […]
At my wife Jenny’s request, I build a “Log Rock Garden”. The logs are shaped in a half circles whilst the rocks are placed on the sand inside the logs. Over a period of years, with the sun, wind and rain, some of the logs started to break up on the exposed side, from the […]
A helpful preacher will always have an application to his teaching. One of the helpful tools in sermon building that comes out of the Reformed and Evangelical world of years ago is sermon application. It is one thing to teach a Bible passage accurately but without an application the speaker will leave his congregation hanging. […]
There are those who try to represent people … be it as an agent in business, sports, music, acting, arts, real estate … etc. … without actually knowing the person they pretend to represent. Once the “represented” person finds out about being misrepresented, they will say to the wrong doer … “I don’t know you… […]
On a human level we may not discriminate against people, be they from amongst our own ethnicity, language or nation or from any other ethnicity, language or nation across the face of the earth. People may not have our unique culture, speak our brand of language or participate in our specific culture … but together […]
We have all heard people name dropping. Some are so convincing that you would believe they actually know the person whose name they are dropping. Just to name drop does not mean you know the person whose name you are using. Years back, our presiding bishop asked me to represent him at a function where […]
You have heard the sayings … “You are what you eat” and “What you say you are” … very similarly “What you do reflects whom you are”. Generally when we were teenagers, your dress, your walk, your language told others exactly who you are. With reference to false prophets, Jesus says the Church can identify […]