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Ode to Covid – 2025

Just because it’s popular

Doesn’t mean it’s true!!

You’ll always find upon the ‘net’

People who’ll agree with you.

A poem written in response to the many who have told me…Covid’s just a bad cold…deal with it!!

Do you remember 2020, late in March, just after tea?

Covid 19 first became NZ’s latest enemy!

Grab your family and some food, and come back home (if you could)

From others we should isolate – still uncertain of our fate.

My house sale was meant to settle, but where would we live now?

Homeless with my mum and dad? I just had to wipe my brow!

Turned out the lawyers were busy still, so settlement was delayed!

Thank God, the “out” I hadn’t planned, but for which I’d surely prayed!

Working from home felt “safe” for some; subsidies for those affected.

Keeping jobs open was the government logic, as always, the “greedy” suspected.

Some businesses jigged their income (subsidies required a loss).

How their falsities affected others – they didn’t give a toss!

Worse still, the public (and bosses too) as we returned to “normality”

Decried “us” choosing to wear our masks, keeping safe, for sake of family.

I worked for a church where gatherings should have been the safest place…

If all obeyed the common rules, and routinely masked their face!

I saw your smirks (behind your smiles), as you walked away,

For my eldery Mum, I stayed masked, a lone soul in our sanctuary!

Masks fought off the virus, many a strand

For over two years…my silent stand.

Until you invited a helper from Perth

To sit in my office (2 weeks on this earth)!

On arrival she was ignorant, so I explained all the “stops”

Covid placed on our freedoms, while driving to the shops!

She used a mask when forced to buy her goods,

But didn’t bother elsewhere when she should!

Her coughing in my office started out little,

When asked to test, she returned “negative”.

It continued for days, and my masked stayed put

Except for my mum’s sandwiches, which we both partook!

Less than 24 hours after she left via air, I was sick as a dog…it was Covid, my fear!

I heard by next day, she too was ill, her Perth church now at risk as well.

Three other colleagues, fell ill from her source…

After meetings that week before she left our shores!

Ignorance is an effective tool, to rid someone of blame.

But really … if you use it, it is to your SHAME!

Covid struck me again last year, but this source I understood.

With No Sick leave, a widowed mum of two, masked as best she could!

It didn’t help my either Mum and or I,

So sick this time, I thought she’d die!

Again, the naysayers told me – “bold”

Covid’s just a nasty cold!

This wasn’t my experience, for two times now

Worse than my Meningitis – in a hospital bed!

But now in 2025, annually vaxed to help keep free

I get mild Covid and understand their complacency!

Covid this year, yes it’s true, a fever for a day or two!

A cold at bay with counter meds, but a cough that’s ripping my chest in two!

Even now, I can see how one might say…it’s just the ‘flu, get on with your day!

But I am so grateful for all JA did, when she harnessed the country, so our health could be free!

If you had all been as sick as the worst cases…sigh,

Our hospitals would have choked, and deaths would have been high!

I am more than happy of the shake-up we got, and a hustle to care for our neighbours in town!

You can’t blame JA for all our woes now,

they’re worldwide problems, regardless of lockdown!

Don’t point your finger, unless you are blameless

Of abusing the system for your own good.

Take a good honest look…were others in your heart,

As you coughed behind corners, not doing what you should!

And remember when in lockdown, were you paid for doing nought?

While others worked harder still, receiving pay much too short!!

And lastly, remember…

Just because it’s popular

Doesn’t mean it’s true!!

You’ll always find upon the ‘net’

People who’ll agree with you.

Anonymous
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Do you believe in ‘once saved, always saved’ (OSAS)? Why or why not?

Introduction
Biblical scholars have been arguing this question over the centuries under the alternate title of ‘eternal security’. Two distinct systems of theology, Calvinism and Arminianism, attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. How you answer this question will depend on which you adhere to most. A source of contention can be seen in two main passages in the Bible, which seem contradictory on first reading:
• John 3: 16 – For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV 2012).
This is also supported by Jesus’ words to Martha in John 1: 25-26 …and whoever lives by believing in me will never die… (NIV 2012).
On the surface, it appears belief in God is all that is required to be saved, but could it also infer that if you stop believing, your salvation is put into question? What level of unbelief is needed, or what behaviours could imply possible unbelief?
• Paul discusses grace now reigning to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ in Romans 5: 21 (NIV 2012) and then asks the question in Romans 6:1 (NIV 2012), “… Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”
There is more to this statement, which goes beyond the scope of this essay, but his response in Romans 8: 12-13 (NIV 2012) is critical in this discussion. In these later verses in Romans, Paul encourages believers not to rely on grace, but to reject a sinful lifestyle because their eternal destiny is dependent on their post-conversion lifestyle choice. This indicates one can lose their eternal security.
In this paper I propose that there are good arguments for and against ‘eternal security’ as evidenced in the Bible, where we should find the source of all theology. After describing these arguments, and discussing biblical evidence that both supports and challenges both sides, I will propose my viewpoint. The answer has eternal consequences, so the intention is to give readers enough substance to challenge their own beliefs and consider the way they should live their lives going forward. In particular, can we lower our level of responsibility and just rely on God’s grace to cover over a multitude of our sins? Or should we make every effort to do what is right and holy at all times, and take responsibility for all that we do, knowing that God’s grace is there for us when it is needed, but should never be abused?

The OSAS Argument
In the Bible there are often seemingly contradictory passages, and it behoves us to seek the true meaning through the original translations (Greek and Hebrew). In many cases, we can find the true meaning easily, but where there is a lack of clarity, we should look to what we know to be clear in the first instance. Then we should try to understand the conflicting verse within that context (a hermeneutical principle known as ‘the analogy of faith’). Following this principle, those who believe we can lose our salvation could be seen to be in error as they violate this principle in two ways:
• They base their understanding of the gospel on a few difficult or unclear passages rather than on the many very clear ones;
• They overthrow the correct interpretation of clear passages by understanding them in the light of faulty views of the unclear or more difficult passages of scripture (J. Hampton Keathley 2004).

The major arguments around OSAS seem to be centred around whether or not persistent personal sin after salvation can exclude you from eternal life. A key change that takes place between the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) is the method of atonement for sin. In Leviticus 16 the Lord tells Moses how Aaron must come before the presence of God once a year (at the Ark of the Covenant) to atone for the sins of the people. In the NT, Jesus died for our sins once and for all, making our atonement for sins complete. If we believe in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. He is the presence of God, and it is this power we now possess that will keep us from sinning. John 3:16 tells us clearly that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life (NIV 2012).

Many scholars have argued that this last verse is the end of the matter, taking the approach of the French theologian, John Calvin (1509 – 1564) who based his system of theology on the five tenets commonly referred to as “TULIP” (Piper 2015). On the other side of the argument, Arminians espouse the views in the Five Articles of Remonstrance of Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, 1560 – 1609 (Arminius n.d.)
While all the tenets affect this discussion, one of the main arguments between the two views is whether or not:
• God’s grace is irresistible so no one can lose their salvation of their own accord, supporting OSAS, as in Calvinism;
• God allows His desire to save all to be resisted by an individual’s will, that could lead to losing your salvation, as in the Arminian doctrine.
While Calvin and Arminius debated this in the 17th century, some of the central issues could be traced back to Augustine’s disputes with the Pelagian’s much earlier in the 5th century and are ongoing today (Wikipedia, History of the Calvinist-Arminian Debate 2019).

Discussion of the Biblical Evidence
The key verse in support of OSAS is the much-quoted:
John 3: 16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV, 2012).
John Piper drew on the following scriptures to support the understanding of the gift of eternal life (Piper 2015):
Matthew 10:29; Luke 18:29-30; John 3:16, 36; John 5:24, 6:40, 17:2-3; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:8; 1 Timothy 1:16, 6:12; Titus 1:2, 3:5-7; 1 John 2:24-25, 5:11-13; Jude 1:21 (NIV 2012).
As alluded to earlier, if belief in Jesus is all that is needed to have eternal life, then we must look at ‘belief’ carefully to make sure of our eternal security. A common understanding of belief is trust, faith or confidence in someone or something. In John 3:16, belief is much more than just having an intellectual trust in someone (in this case, the one true God in the person of Jesus), as ‘(e)ven the demons believe that – and shudder’ in James 2:19 (NIV 2012). It requires action in the form of faith that will transform your life to save you from the eternal consequences of sin and demands our total surrender and obedience to God’s word. Belief in Jesus can also imply love of Jesus and following how He lives as shown in these verses: John 14:15, 21; 1 John 2:5-6; 1 John 5:1-3 (NIV 2012).

But can lower levels of belief, or actions that indicate unbelief, affect our salvation? In Calvinism, perseverance of the saints works on the premise that God will enable a believer to persevere once believing in Christ. This supposes there is only belief or disbelief. What if there are levels of belief below true belief? The Arminian view Nixon espouses holds that true belief requires adherence to the expectations of holiness required of believers who claim to follow Christ. It doesn’t mean absolute perfection is required but does mean that persistent sin, if not repented of, can cause you to lose your salvation. Piper draws on these verses that teach sinful behaviour is antithetical to faith:
Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5: 3-7; 1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV 2012).

Since Jesus himself said we need faith to believe, it follows that sinful behaviour is akin to disbelief. To have real faith is to take up our cross and follow Jesus as seen in Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV 2012). Jay Lucas taught his congregation that an outward profession of faith without an inward regeneration meant you never really possessed Christ at all, so they couldn’t lose a salvation they never had. God requires commitment to the process of sanctification to bring salvation to fruition (Lucas n.d.; Nixon 2019, 89). Piper concurred with these thoughts, claiming no sin a believer commits can result in condemnation or loss of salvation, but that believers who live in continued sin are hypocrites, and not really believers at all (Piper 2015).

Piper, while also a proponent of Calvinism, supports the need to continue in one’s faith to be finally saved (Piper 2015). He points out faith and actions must work together as shown in Genesis 22 and reiterated in James 2:22, where Abraham was about to offer Isaac as a sacrifice up the mountain, and God intervened and provided a ram as a replacement, for Abraham’s faithfulness. Other passages in the NT that support the view that salvation is conditional upon faith or that we must protect our faith are:
Colossians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Hebrews 3:6, 14; 2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 John 1:8-9; John 15:5-6 (NIV 2012).

Nixon takes the Arminian view claiming that while the initial justification is based on faith ‘whoever believes in him’, which is your initial commitment, the final judgment is based on faithfulness, which is your post-conversion commitment (Nixon 2019, 96). He stresses the concept of Commitment, which provides a connection with judgment being based on deeds spoken throughout the NT in verses such as:
Matthew 16:27; John 5:29; Romans 2:6-10; 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 6:7-10; Ephesians 6:8; and 1 Peter 1:14-17 (NIV 2012).
Nixon believes, ‘commitment wends a balanced way between the justification-by-faith passages and the judgment-by deeds passages, giving equal weight to both’ (Nixon 2019, 95). He goes on to say that while Romans 2:6-10 does not suggest ‘sinless perfection’ (Nixon 2019, 94) no amount of good works can erase his disloyalty to God and to God’s way of life (Nixon 2019, 95). Abandoning commitment to God’s lifestyle is tantamount to abandoning one’s faith.
This discussion of the Biblical evidence reinforces why there has been so much debate by so many theologians over this whole issue for a long period of time. It will probably continue long into the future, but is it God’s intention to dwell on these issues? Or would he rather we spent our energy on reaching those that are yet in the position to be able to lose a salvation they haven’t yet received?

Conclusion
It is my belief that Once Saved, Always Saved is a human term that does not clearly reflect the full intent of God’s saving grace and His requirement for us to repent and turn away from our sins in order to follow Jesus and inherit eternal life.
Clearly, some passages in the Bible state we are saved for all eternity, and in others, we can lose our eternity through repeated sin. Logic follows that we should not risk our eternity by knowingly sinning, but if we do err, we should seek forgiveness and turn away from it.
I am not willing to risk being told at the end of my days, “Depart from me”! God’s love for us was so great, giving His only son’s life for us to have eternal life, that I would want to show my appreciation by extending that love back to God. How can I show love, and at the same time sin and just expect it to be covered by God’s immense grace?
I have been saved and accepted through my positional union with Christ and know that no-one can remove me from God’s hand. I am not interested in taking part in the perfect tense argument used by some to support their saved state, or just relying on the expectation of grace to cover my sins.
I don’t consider loving God and keeping His commandments “work”; doing these things doesn’t enter the realm of thinking I am being saved by “works”. I know that I can confess my sins and God is faithful to forgive them. I would rather love God by trying to emulate how Jesus lived on earth as our example. I want to act in a way that the answer to the OSAS question would never need consideration, let alone have to be proved by God, at the end of my days on earth.

References
Arminius, James. n.d. “The Works of James Arminius – Vol.1 Nine thrological questions, Q 7 and 8.” Wesley Centre Online. Accessed October 27, 2019. http://wesley.nnu.edu/arminianism/the-works-of-james-arminius/.
J. Hampton Keathley, III. 2004. “1.4. Assurance of Eternal Security.” Bible.org – ABCs for Christian Growth – Laying the Foundation . 30 June. Accessed October 24, 2019. https://bible.org/seriespage/14-assurance-eternal-security.
Lucas, Jay. n.d. “Is Salvation Forever? The Doctrine of Eternal Security. A position paper prepared for the Grace Community Church.” Accessed October 21, 2019. https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/c5/c5ee493b-e6ad-4985-bdea-1a4665570f2e/documents/Is_Salvation_Forever.pdf.
NIV. 2012. NIV Faithlife Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Nixon, Timothy L. 2019. “Exegesis of Romans 8:12-13: The Epitome of Paul’s Response to the Question of Romans 6:1.” Scholar Works at Harding. Spring. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-etd/12/.
Pawson, Davis. 1996. Once Saved, Always Saved?: A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XNJ3BgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT8&dq=once+saved+always+saved&ots=AjK8zpz0gr&sig=DkaGKAIcsnDBFnG3T5twRzc42UY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=once%20saved%20always%20saved&f=false.
Piper, John. 2015. “Watershed differences between Calvinists and Arminians.” desiringGod.org. 15 August. Accessed October 25, 2019. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/watershed-differences-between-calvinists-and-arminians.
Wikipedia contributors. 2019. John Piper (theologian). 21 September. Accessed 10 27, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Piper_(theologian)&oldid=916990996.
Wikipedia, contributors. 2019. “History of the Calvinist-Arminian Debate.” Wikipedia. 31 October. Accessed November 2, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Calvinist%E2%80%93Arminian_debate#Augustine_and_Pelagius.

Tenets Calvinism Arminianism
Total Depravity Every aspect of humanity is corrupted by sin so humans can’t come to God on their own account Even though people are depraved and corrupt, they can decide to trust God or not for their salvation
Election Unconditional – God selects His people based on His will and not on anything inherently worthy in the individual Conditional – Tied in with Pre-destination, God elected those to bring to salvation – those He foresaw would believe and provide their own decisive impetus to maintain their faith
Atonement Limited – Jesus died for all, but it would only be effective for the elect Unlimited – Jesus died for all, and this would become effective for all who believed through faith. In other words, faith is the human means of obtaining forgiveness of sins that was purchased by the cross
Grace Irresistible – Those called will come to salvation through God’s work of renewal in our hearts Prevenient – God’s work of renewal in our hearts is in response to our act of saving faith. Grace therefore enables but does not ensure, personal acceptance of the gift of salvation
Perseverance of the Saints People will persevere and will not permanently deny Christ or turn away from him Conditional – Arminians say God works to preserve His people, but He does not always prevent some who were born again from falling away to destruction

(Arminius n.d.; Pawson 1996; Piper 2015; Wikipedia, contributors 2019)

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20/20 Vision – A clear way forward this New Year of 2020

I realised this new decade was to be opened by 2020 – the only year where 20/20 vision would be an appropriate play on words! When it comes to setting New Year goals, there is a tendency to reflect on what went wrong the last year, and what changes you want to make so it doesn’t happen again.

If a change was that easy, you would have done it last year when the grip of problems started to tighten. But changing isn’t easy to initiate, so I thank God for the opportunity each year to get some priorities back where they belong.

NB Point to self … God actually tells us “His mercies are new every morning”, so why do we waste all the other 364 mornings (or 365 as this year allows) and not do something about change every morning?

I actually started this post 6 years ago, so that gives you an idea of how change can be difficult to embark upon (or maybe I just got busy). In reality, however, I have made huge changes in that time, but it is something we need to work on continually.

  1. What area of your life seems lost or hopeless? Ask God for the strength to resist giving way to discouragement.
  2. How does God’s promise to “repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” give you hope?
  3. How does the thought that what you are enduring bring you comfort, when you know it is “but for a moment” in light of eternity?Joel 2:25, 27

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you . . . Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.”

Well, it is now September 1st 2020, and I never did finish the post – and WHAT CHANGE we have been through since then! This is more pertinent than ever, so I am now posting it, with a little extra comment…

Every morning … be grateful you are here to enjoy another day! Focus on what you can do to make a difference to your circumstances, and don’t dwell on what you can’t change. Be kind and add a smile to someone’s day (a little hard behind a mask, our compulsory added fashion item at present). You can always show your smile with a kind gesture!

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Snooze and SOZO go hand in hand!

Snoozing
Snoozing

I had a wonderful day today at SOZO ministry training in Silverdale, with an amazing English emergency doctor, now working for Bethel Ministries in Australia. Kate Jutsum showed us how simple it can be to help pray for people to be released from the fear and bondage that can sap the strength out of their lives. By encouraging them to speak with Father God, they find a new way to have a relationship with the one who cares for us more than all others. They can be ‘Sozo’-ed – saved, healed and delivered, to enjoy the full presence of God in their lives.

Some take home one-liners I will remember:

  • The Coathanger of Mystery: We can’t afford our experiences to water down the truth of who God is!
  • We have to believe through the circumstances and believe God can do it!
  • We can get ‘slimed’ by coming under an atmosphere in a place and that can stay with us, e.g. in Islamic nations we can get ‘slimed’ by the atmosphere of martyrdom.
  • God can turn negatives around so profoundly that you might be tempted to think He put the stumbling block in front of you in the first place – He didn’t!
  • The enemy can sow a lie into the ruts of our wounds!

And what does Snooze have to do with SOZO? Well, adjust the letters and you will get “en sozo”. I spent alot of time in prayer today – well that was my excuse. In fact, I had such a busy week, I snoozed off a couple of times listening today!!! Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because candles can only burn at two ends for a short while before they burn out. I was burned out after late nights working, and busy days with school visits this week at my new job at Kelly Tarlton’s.

So, if you want some transformation in your life – find out more about the SOZO transformational training.

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Restoration and Prophecy

HydrangeasProphet Kris Valloton prophesied the restoration of marriages over those who had a broken heart. He followed with a message about what happens when God has given you a prophetic word and the brook dries up!

1 Kings 17: 1 – 7

You may be doing exactly what God has called you to do, but for some reason time has passed and what you expected to happen just doesn’t and you feel like God has left you hanging with regards to His prophecy. Kris explained that some prophecies have an expiration date. It can be our own fault they ran out. You may have been disobedient to God’s intention! You might say you’ll keep standing on your prophetic claim until hell freezes over. Well, Hell has frozen over, so you might as well do something about it.

In Exodus 32 Moses hears from God that He is so angry with his people that He is ready to destroy them. Moses reminds God of the promise He had made to Israel and God relents. He tells us that sometimes we receive words from God like an obedient slave rather than a close friend. Often times He is testing our heart rather than determining our destiny. A friend of God is someone who interacts with Him, not just one who obeys. Moses tells God that unless He goes with them into the promised land, they did not want to go. They felt compelled to be in relationship with Him which also showed their influence with Him. What is the purpose of all this, God?

In 1 Kings 17: 8, God tells Elijah to go down to Zarephath in Sidon, to a widow who was to provide for him. When Elijah arrives, the widow is about to eat her last meal with her son and prepare to die, because they have so little. Elijah says to her in faith, just bake me a loaf of bread first. He told her God promises that her jar will not run out, and it doesn’t. Kris reminds us that when all around looks hopeless, and yet you have had multiple confirmations for what you are doing, stop feeling sorry for yourself and start prophesying into your own situation.

Kris also warns however, that there is a spirit of entitlement brooding over the body of Christ. We are sons and daughters of the king – the Bible tells us so! He makes it clear that we don’t become a king until we have been a good slave. He put it this way – some people are so busy working all their way down from the top! Sometimes our head gets too big to wear the crown designed for us.

In 2 Kings 4: 1 – 7, when there was a famine in the land, Elisha helped a poor widow. She thought all she had was a small jar of oil, but Elisha used this and her faith to multiply what she had and she was able to earn enough to repay her husband’s creditors.* So many times we compare what we have or don’t have to meet our needs with the size of the need. This shouldn’t be the case in God’s kingdom. With Him, all things are possible. Jesus fed 5000 with just a small lunchbox.

In 2 Corinthians 12: 9 we are reminded that God’s grace is all we need, and that our weakness can combine with God’s strength to accomplish all. We are not just our strengths – we are also our weaknesses. But, God has divinely designed us to be flawed in areas so we have to depend on Him or others around us to function properly. If we have weaknesses, when we divinely accomplish something, we certainly know God has had to be there for it to happen. We are to give to others, and our standard of measure will return to us in the same standard. Give abundantly and reap abundantly. The measure itself is not of amount, but of sacrifice. God expects equal sacrifice, not equal giving.

Hebrews 11 reminds us that it is faith that pleases God. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. If we stop hoping, our heart can get sick. In verse 13, the heroes of faith all died before their promises had been received. Hope feels; Faith sees; Lover never fails. There is no such thing as blind faith! To do the impossible you have to see the invisible.

 

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Halfway House

pink ribbon girlNo! I am not in rehab, if that’s what you were thinking. But I have shifted and I am halfway back home to my house on the Shore! Actually just waiting for the last flatmate to shift out and then I’ll be back with my precious grandson as we all prepare for the arrival of his baby sister later in September. He will be such a good big brother. He already looks after himself and his mummy like a good young man should.

It only seems like yesterday when I had two youngsters packing their own lunch boxes into their bags in the morning and getting their shoes ready at the front door. They also had to eat their breakfast, clean their teeth and put their pjs under their pillows, from three onwards! Those were their daily chores, and they got a little surprise each week they managed to do them. Made things much easier for a quick getaway to work in the mornings.

Tyrell started basketball training again tonight. All of 5 years old, playing on the Breakers’ own court. So proud of him when he took the shot at goal that would either earn them all a drinks break, if he got it in, or five pushups for everyone if he didn’t. He did a few bounces and then shot the ball way above his head and straight through the hoop! He’s been practising shooting the hoop since he could just walk and I bent a wire coat hanger into a ring for him and mounted it on the retaining wall outside. Four years and about ten different height hoops later, and he can shoot with the best! He is not even daunted by the full size hoop at the local park – giving it a go with great gusto – and nearly sinking it much to everyone’s amazement! He is still a little shorty like his Mum, but he is reaching the heights of his Dad!

For many parents with a gifted child, they can be erroneously given the name “pushy” when they make opportunities for their children to excel in their given field. Just as we have given Tyrell the opportunity to excel in his sports, and encouraged him to do his reading homework every night, parents of the gifted mathematician, or acrobat, or social justice promoter are keen to give their children opportunities to excel at what they love to do, too. They want to expose them to all things so as not to prematurely cut off their potential. But as the title of a recent thesis I read on gifted education said,

“If you talk, you are just talking. If I talk, is that bragging?”

So sad, and yet, so true in many unfortunate cases. Parents of gifted children too often have to enjoy the pleasures with their children quietly, so as not to seem like they are bragging. Yes, we have all heard those that speak far too much about what their kids can do – and that is why this situation exists. But, deep down, we are just cutting off their flower heads, (poppies are often used here), the most beautiful aspect of the flower. But, in doing so, we kill the stem and support of these kids – both that of their parents and their self-esteem. These people end up living to limbo – another sort of halfway house – where they are not so sure they have a permanent place where they can be happy for their kids or not.

In the Bible, Jesus wouldn’t let the little children be stopped from coming to Him. He embraced them all with open arms. Advocates in gifted education are ever hopeful that our children will be embraced with open arms – and their parents, too.

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He made beauty from ashes

I am living in a cold house this winter. Noticeably colder than where I have lived before, even discounting my recent tropical escapade to Samoa. One thing I have come to enjoy is the fire at nights. And, more than the warmth as I stoke it up before I go to bed, I love to see the glow of hot embers still there in the morning. It is so much easier to fan it again into flames if there are still hot embers.

Since my weekend with Helen Calder I have had the words of a song stuck in my mind. Oh-h-h the frustration when this happens with a song you don’t particularly like! But in my case, the words of this song are incredible.

He made beauty from ashes, turned sorrow into dancing,

Only You, Jesus son of God.

When I get up on a cold morning and see cold, dead, grey ashes in the fireplace, I know there will be a much greater effort needed to get the fire started, than when there is even just a small glowing ember. Those ashes don’t look very beautiful to me … from a visual perspective or a functional perspective.

But God can make beauty from ashes! Miraculously. He can make lives that are full of pain and remorse wiped clean and we can be forgiven in an instant. We only need to declare that we believe in Him and want to walk with Him. He says it in the Bible, and I believe it as He has outworked it in my life.

Even when I had only the faintest glimmer of hope that life could get better; even when I could only just distinguish a small glow in the furthest ember, God has helped me fan that hope into faith and showered me with blessings as a result. It doesn’t mean my life is now immune from hardship. But, then I don’t expect it to be. But, what it does mean is I have restored the reason for my hope and an assurance that I am loved and cared for at all times, no matter what my circumstances.

Helen Calder helped me to see the tower walls that needed to be broken down, and this little Rapunzel is ready to fire again! So watch this space … I don’t know where my now ‘uncovered’ enthusiasm will take me, but I know where it won’t take me. And that is probably the best thing of all!

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When the battle is at your door

Technophobic grandmaHelen Calder finished the conference with another message involving a man who fell short, and allowed a woman to overcome on the day of battle. Men do have responsibilities in life … serious, important responsibilities … but when a man falls short of these, God is quite willing to use a woman to stand in his place. Deborah, the prophetess from Judges 4 gave Barack a word from God, to take 10,000 men and conquer Sisera the oppressor. He would not go unless Deborah went with them. She did, but told him the honour of the battle would instead be given to a woman.

Long story short, the woman to whom Deborah was referring, Jael, went against her husband, and while the wicked Sisera slept, Jael stabbed him dead with a tent-peg, and showed him to Barack when he finally caught up with them. The battle honour was certainly due to this Bedouin housewife. In Old Testament times, her role was that of an enforcer of the Law. But, today, in New Testament times, we must be enforcers of Grace.

In a crisis, when a miracle is needed, we are not supposed to just go with the status quo, we must be dispensers of grace. Helen taught 5 truths to remember when the battle comes to your door:

  1. With God in your life you are powerful. Even one woman, Jael, with God, was the majority and overcame the battle. We may look like we are nothing of value to others, but with God on our side we become mighty victors.
  2. You are significant. It is not about our position, our personality, our part, or about the others around us. Jael was not a thermometer that rose and fell as she went up and down. She was a thermostat – she set the temperature. She wasn’t going to entertain this evil oppressor even though her husband wanted to.
  3. You have everything at hand you need to succeed. And if the battle seems to be overwhelming, you only need to call out to God and praise Him. He will be with you.
  4. Your place is significant. You don’t need to be anywhere else. God has put you in the exact places He wants you to be, to fulfil His desires.
  5. You have options. Are we going to flee at the first sign of difficulty? Or will we be the grace enforcers God wants us to be? We get to choose. Impact others’ lives with the message of good news, or say it’s too hard and leave it for someone else?

Women who find themselves ‘by themselves’ don’t have to fear that they will not cope with life’s tragedies alone. We have a kind and loving Father in Heaven who is ready and willing to stand beside us and support us through the trial. He has placed in us from conception, the seed of significance that no-one can take from us. Choose to rise up today, and claim your rightful place, not in the worldview of ‘feminism’ but in God’s view of equality and joint heirship with His son.

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Rapunzel’s Story

Beautiful young woman looking in the mirrorWe know the story and the line … “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your golden hair.” The handsome prince climbs up – I used to cringe at the thought of his weight pulling on her hair! But do you remember why she was in the tower in the first place?

She was there because she had been tricked into believing it was not safe for her outside the tower. She was a self-imposed hostage. Have you ever put yourself in a safe place where you dare not venture out from, lest you get hurt? Have you kept your distance from people because you were scared of intimacy in relationships? Have you not put yourself forward for a promotion because you couldn’t bear the shame if you missed out?

It is not a good place to be, with a “mark down” label. Other people seem to love it at sale time, when they get the benefit from someone else’s “mark down”. But if you are the owner, you definitely feel the pinch each time you sell an item under cost!

So, how is it that some people can bounce back from hard knocks in life, while others feel permanently scarred from them? The simple answer comes in the knowledge of knowing who you are, and knowing how valuable you are. Your value is not at the whim of the market place. Your value is tied up in your whole being; you were valued as an heir right from birth.

Helen Calder spoke more wisdom this morning at Harbourside’s “Free To Live” Women’s Conference. Speaking from Judges 1:12, when Caleb offered his daughter Aksah to the man who could capture a named enemy, his younger brother took up the challenge, and Aksah was given over to him like a chattel. But later, when she asked her husband to ask more from his brother, Caleb, he hesitated. But God does not want us to be affected by others around us who may hesitate in their spiritual walk. Caleb himself asked Aksah what she wanted, and it was given to her – in a double portion. She stepped out of the limiting mindset of the tower, and was able to get the springs to water her inheritance.

Can we look at limiting factors in our lives today, and step out of the limiting mindset we have, to gain a fresh perspective?

I know for myself, I had been held in a limiting mindset for too long, and Helen’s message this morning encouraged me that my decision to break free was a wise call, and in God’s will for my life. Be blessed and walk free, like Aksah.

NB Helen also explained that ‘Aksah’ meant shackles and bondage. A woman with this name could have taken on the attitude of a victim, but instead, she took on the true attitude of an heir.

 

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Forgive them and move on

In life we can come up against people who hurt us. Maybe unintentionally, by not realising the depth to which they drag us down with them to places we don’t want to go. When life throws you a curved ball you may have to pick yourself up and move on. One thing to make sure of is to not hold bitterness in your heart about the situation. It will only cause you grief.

Be on the lookout for good things that come your way. Be expectant. Don’t pine for what you once had but allow your spirit to be refreshed and made beautiful again. At the point just before forgiveness you are at a crossroads. Don’t let your anger stop you from taking the road to freedom. Remember what road you were once headed on and again head towards your destination.

You might feel like you are just picking up the leftovers for a while but you will be positioning yourself for a blessing. Just put one step in front of the other and keep moving.

These words of wisdom were shared at a women’s conference tonight at Harbourside Church. Thank you for relating the story of Ruth to us so eloquently Helen Calder. When Ruth chose obedience, not because it appealed to her, but because God wanted her to, she was blessed. God said to her, “Rise up daughter. Receive the fresh anointing for the new day.” What an encouragement for me, especially as I had decided some time back this was the best choice for me to move forward.