The Moment (What the Tour has taught me: Switzerland) Tinus

Finally, the next post on what this tour has taught me. Now is the time for Switzerland:

Allow me to start this post, which was written in stages at various locations, over numerous gallons of coffee and at a host of separate times, by stating my dilemma: I am on a world tour and realize how special it is. Therefore, I want to make each and every moment count. Often though, I catch myself focusing so much on ensuring the moment carries value in the future that I forget to enjoy it in the present. Or, I feel bad about time that has past that seems to have been wasted and therefore spend a lot of time trying to attach worth to it: trying to prove to myself that it was not a waste. In the process, the current moment is wasted. Or, so desperately do I try to learn from the past and plan for the future…that I miss the now.

And, alas, this problem is not new to me. Long before the start of this tour I have been having trouble in making each moment count: both now and for eternity.

I know, this seems incredibly stupid and I might be the only person with this problem. But, allow me still to share what I have learned regarding this point, even if it is just for my own benefit…

In 1 Corinthians 15:52 Paul writes the word moment; or the Greek word atomos, to be more precise. Atomos literally means an indivisible slice of time…a moment! I quote Paul, starting midway verse 51 as he is referring to the day at the end of the ages when heaven comes in all its fullness and glory: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Now, I do encourage all to go and read the entire 1 Corinthians 15. The chapter escalates in suspense (if suspense is the right word) from the beginning up to this point and with this verse just explodes. It's kind o' like a piece of classical music (and I must admit, if it hasn't been deduced already, that I am no authority on such music…I probably even muffed the name. But, stick with me.) You know, when the music start slow and gradually it increases in speed and impact and at some point you realize you are no longer just being soothed. Something is busy happening. And then suddenly, nearly every instrument in the orchestra breaks loose in a glorious anthem. I was told that a Russian composer (please forgive me for not being able to quote either the name of the composer or of his work…I would appreciate it if someone could tell me) once reached this stage in one of his works and no instrument could be found to accurately portray the height of joy, exuberance and total victory he wished convey. His final solution was to fire a multitude of military canons at this point!

Anyway, this is the idea I get when Paul speaks of the resurrection (and transformation into the incorruptible) at the end of the age, dealing with several misconceptions and false beliefs and then suddenly when he mentions the actual moment of it happening, he looses composure and burst forth in song! Oh, how wonderful will that resurrection and the eternity thereafter be!!!

Back to the moment Paul referred to. Here God, in a moment, transforms every human being, living and already dead that belongs to Him, into beings fit to enter eternity. If you ask me, that is a pretty mighty work to accomplish in but a single moment!

Five truths do I wish to highlight concerning the moment and eventually come to one simple, apply-able conclusion.

Firstly, it is of worth to note that this is the only place in Scripture where the word atomos is used. I believe this indicates that God and God alone is capable of fully utilizing every single moment. For me to ponder the correct usage of each and every moment for a human is thus utterly upsurd!

This realization, bears tremendous liberation. No longer do I have to strive to make each moment count. No longer have I to ensure I am enjoying each moment to the full (a concept which, in itself is dull, since in no way can the full measure of joy available to a mortal man be reached this side of The Moment, the one Paul referred to).

Can I therefore abandon all attempts to make my moments carry value, if any such attempt seems Biblically futile? By all means no!

I continue with truth number two: the fact that God does use moments. In fact, the entire fabric of time is woven with atomos. By raising up one person here or dropping a single truth there, He changes the entire course of History. You see, He simultaneously exists yesterday, today and forever. He knows exactly what was, is and will be. By introducing small, seemingly insignificant pebbles at the exact precise points, He can change the course of flow of the river of time. By drilling tiny holes at the correct places in a solid concrete wall, the wall can be brought down. (And yes, both these illustrations do come from television.) A wonderful example of His use of moments can be seen in a video created for Hillsong's Easter Film and Art festival (which we had the privilege of attending!!!) Check it out at http://vimeo.com/4353484. I'll get back to this point when I write on what I learned on the Alaskan Cruise.

Truth number three I already alluded to: all of History and all our lives are composed of moments. Our timeline is built with atomos. Now, some of these moments are better that others. Some you wish will never end and some just don't want to end. I know my life thus far has had high- and low-lights and everything in between. And, I know that is how it will be in the future.

Before I continue, a quick story: On Saturday the 11th of July my brothers and I undertook the pilgrimage to the AMC Imax a fair distance south of our home in Atlanta. The entire family (including our sponsor, my grandmother) squeezed into the car and we headed off. Our goal: Transformers...the Imax experience. The outcome: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Words exist not to describe it!

It was that morning, before we hit the road, that I started working on this post. By then, I must admit, I had little to write. After the movie (which, have I mentioned, was absolutely awesome!?) we cooled down in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore closeby. Walking through the millions of books, I was just struck by the immensity of human knowledge and history. I wanted to matter in the greater scheme of it all and realised there was only one way to be sure of that. I simply needed to be obedient to the One that knows every single story of every single human being and every single other creature that roamed this planet in every single moment of its existence! The Lord really blessed me in that bookstore and spoke to me in clarity unmatched for a long time in my life. That was a highlight in my life.

In the store's Starbucks coffee shop, a number of coffee mugs were for sale. Being a fan of coffee (I don't know if you have noticed) I went to check it out. One series of mugs each was adorned with some welknown quotes. One of them struck me: "A life is not measured by the number of breaths it contains, but by the number of moments that take your breath away!"

Right then and there my perspective on the whole concept of the moment changed.

Which brings me to truth number three. The value of my life –both the degree to which I enjoy it and the eternal value it carries- is determined by the sum of the moments it contains. A greater amount of Great moments, or moments that take your breath away, will elevate the overall value of my life.

Truth number four expands on this idea. Not only does a Great Moment increase the overall value of a life, but also the value of the lesser moments around it. The opposite is also true: the lesser moments affect the magnitude of the Great Moments.

Thinking about life in this way has helped me. For now, increasing the value of my life is simplified. I can either increase the average value of the sea of lesser moments, or increase the frequency of the Great moments. According to truth number one (and the personal experience from which it was partially derived) I cannot ensure that every single moment is of Great value, but I can to some degree increase the number of Great Moments. I know, for example that sitting on the lakeshore gazing at the Chicago skyline with a bible in my hand and the Lord by my side is more likely to be a Great moment than watching television. But, even this I cannot really control. In my life, a large number of moments in front of movies that ripped my heart have been far Greater than many other moment with Bible in hand and the best scenery imaginable abounding. And besides, by merely trying to increase the frequency of Great Moments, I'm doing nothing to increase the average value of lesser moments.

Truth number five and my conclusion: Though I can to some degree control the occurrence of Great moments, they very often happen at times when I did not expect. There are, however, certain paths of life that hold a greater number of Great moments. The path on which I find myself, will also affect the average magnitude of all my lesser moments. Bottom line: Instead of concentrating on the current moment and making it count, make sure that you are on the right path and the moment will take care of itself!

Since this realisation hit me, I have applied this concept and have enjoyed the fruit. To me this has been liberating. Thank you Jesus!

Now, concerning the correct path to take several things can be said, but say it now I shan't.The topic of another post it might be.

This then...to make the moment count by ensuring you are on the right path is what this tour had begun teaching me in Switzerland.

Living on the Atlanta side of life! (28 June – 12 July 2009) Charlie

I think I am finally getting the hang of blogging. Currently I have the least amount of blogs in the family, but I have a two month handicap. Hopefully I will be able to work my self up in the rankings. So, here goes Charlie's Atlanta version. It is easy to write about a place that was great , but then again at the same time very difficult because there was so much that was enjoyable. For the first time in a long while I actually have the time to write a few blogs. The Mountain cabin is great by the way, but I'll try to write a blog on it too. I'm on a roll here!

The first thing you realize when you land in Atlanta is not the heat(Only because you haven't been outside yet!) but the large, I mean huge amount of Delta planes! I nearly got scared to death. Left, right, all around there is one Delta plane right behind another. Small planes, large planes and weird planes, but they all have something in common... Delta. That made me a little bit nervous, being in an American Airlines plane!

We docked at a gate on the far end of the airport, after going by hundreds of Delta gates. Okay, that's enough about Delta. We got off the plane and found a taxi. It cost us just shy of 50 dollars to get from the airport to our lovely home away from home. Our home in Atlanta is situated near down town in a very nice neighborhood. We fell in love with the pretty houses the first time we saw them. Come to think of it. The houses in that neighborhood looks just like the houses in the American Christmas movies. Now I know why Santa chooses the lovely brick chimney. Its like a front door, everyone has one.

When we arrived, our host gave us a royal Georgian welcome! He showed us all the ropes and made me love Atlanta before an hour had past since we landed. It's always the friendly people that make me love a place. The other stuff are nice, but good people reflect God's character and make you feel loved by Him! As soon as the completed tour of the house ended, we just loved it. Tinus had his own private suite on the upper story with a bathroom the TV and everything! We were amazed at the amount of books, CD's and DVD's they have. He has the whole Lord of the rings and Narnia series and I think he has all books by Clive Cussler and Robert Ludlum.

Ultimately it is a great house and we knew from the moment we walked in that we would enjoy it.

On the 30^th of June, as you all ready know, I got baptized and we had a wonderful day with Dr. Bruce.

After that memorable day we were working full steam again. The great thing was that this time we did not need to work on the dinning table. All of us had our own desk and own personal space. The time in Atlanta was very fruitful, everyone of us learned a lot from alot of different things. Although we all had our own desk, we didn't nearly finish all our working goals in Atlanta because of all the interesting things to see. Luckily the mountain cabin proved to have more solitude, thus we finished up everything there.

The first week and a half were still the normal five, waiting for my granny to arrive. We decided to do the Coke museum and Martin Luther King Jr exhibit during that time.

The next thing to write about is obviously the World of Coke and the wonders it had in store for us. My mother and father decide to bail beforehand because it cost a lot of money. Personnally I don't think that was the reason, I think they planned a little alone time... ; )

Forgetting about those that stayed behind, we went straight in and immediately looked up with mouths wide open looking at all Coke had to offer, or so we thought. You see we were waiting in the welcome hall and haven't even gone in ! When we were finally taken in we were first greeted by a wonderful 5 minute cokelicious movie and then we got to go explore the World of Coke!

We were again amazed by all the different manufacturing history and interesting facts. Did you know that 6 billion Cokes are consumed every day?! My eyes were wide open everytime I saw something new, and that was the whole time! I felt like such a tourist but I didn't care. We got grave respect for the businessman who bought Coke at a very early stage. He wasn't the man who invented Coke, but saw potential in the product and took it global. Needless to say, he is a millionaire. It taught me that we should be able to spot potential even though the surface or cover has no indication.

Next in line we saw Coke advertisments from all around the globe! They were all very funny and entertainning. We came to the conclusion that the South African Brrrrrrr advertisment still holds the funny crown. Another success factor of Coke is that they apeal to the common man across any boundries set by civilisation and thus reap the reward.

After that, our time was drawing to a close. We then headed to my favourite part of the world of Coke, the free tasting room. Think about it, if you go to a Coke museum, it's not about what you see but what you have tasted. The tasting room had 60 different Coke products from all around the World! Needless to say we tasted all of them and felt pretty sick afterwards.

After the Coke museum, we still visited some amazing things. We went to the CNN building(world headquarters) and got new respect for news braodcasting. On the way there we walked throught the centenial Olympic park which was also very beautiful. When we went home I felt full with excitement and amazement. During the next few days we went to several Best Buys (Electronic shop) in order to fill Tinus' tech budget. When he was busy looking at merchandise, I played the trial video games. From Playstation 3 right through to Wii. I didn't even feel threatened of being kicked out, because we visited a different Best Buy every day. I saw myself as a professional Best Buy hopper! Enjoying all the free perks without buying anything!

During the week before my Granny came we also visited the Martin Luther King Jr exhibit. This was not only amazing and awesome, but it was inspiring and challenging as well. Walking through the exhibit and reading all the famous quotes, I realised a few important things. We can accomplish any thing through God who gives us strength. Violence can never solve anything and leads to pain and suffering. Segregation takes away our ability to work together which is our most valuable strength. When I saw that the children were secretly crossing segregation boundaries, I understood once more what it is to believe as a child. I could also relate this to my own life. I live, laugh and interact with many friends that are from other cultures and races and we never let that come between us. Take my Rugby team for example. We are a perfect mix, but we are successful because we are able to work together and respect each other even though we have differences. We even joke about our differences and hold nothing against each other based on Skin colour.

Believe me segregation is still a problem all over the world, not only in Namibia. I dare all the adults, with respect, to believe once more like children and look past all these boundaries that set us apart, because we are all God's beloved children. I pray that there would be unity among all people because out of unity there is strength.

After the day at the King Jr exhibit the days to our Granny's arival were few. We were growing more anxious with every day that goes by. Finally we went to the airport to greet our Grandmother whom we love so much. We waited, and waited, and waited. After an hour we sent my dad to the Delta office to report a missing person. They said that they begin searches only after three hours. So we waited and after 30 more minutes she walked through the door. We were so happy to see her and asked her what took her so long. She then told us that she was the first one to go through customs from her flight. US customs - a nightmare for tourists.

We then took her home and started an exciting second week in Atlanta. During this week my Granny treated us to a lot of things. First in line was the Georgia Aquarium, the biggest in the world. Only me and Dawie went and we had the priviledge to explore a whole new world!

I don't remember all the stats, but this Aquarium certainly fits the bill of biggest and most amazing. We could see everything from huge Whale sharks, Manta Ray, Beluga whale to the smallest reef fish and dragon fish(looks like a plant that wanted to be an animal). Out of everything in this huge place we loved the Manta ray the most. Her name is Nandi and she is beautiful. This wasn't our favourite because of it's size, but because of it's personality. It was a free spirit even though held in a tank. It did barrel rolls every two minutes and looked like it didn't have any worries. I think we all strive to that sence of peace. I know, this can only be aquired if we live inside God's will.

Every day in Atlanta we could expereince something totally new and beautiful! Next in line, the day before we went to the mountain cabin we got to see something we were looking forward to for six and a half months. The New Transformers movie! The best thing was that we went to see it on IMAX and my Granny paid for us. I didnt think it would be possible to improve on the first Transformers, but it was even better! All that action, suspense and heroism and Huge High Definition and ULTRA surround sound. We were literally blown away.

Atlanta was closed off with the best possible way. A buffet dinner just before leaving. Definitely one of my highlights!!

So, was it possible to write this blog without the words amazing, awesome, wonderful, inspiring, great, Coke, Manta ray, Delta, Transformers and buffet? No, no it wasn't!

Revealing some unknown facts - 2 Aug 2009 (Chrisna)

It is possible to love a person at a 100% level.

It is possible to love 3 people at a 100% level each - no one is loved less or more than the others.
It is the miracle of love.

It is possible that 1 mother and 1 father can have 3 sons and they are all different.
It is possible that 3 boys can grow up under the same circumstances and are all different.
It is the miracle of diversity and uniqueness.

Over the past 7 months, sharing each day's 24 hours with all my men, I just love them more, appreciate them more and value them more. It is possible that love that is on 100%, can grow more.
It happened to me. What is even more amazing to me, is that they still love me, although I make so many mistakes during every 24 hrs of every day. That is true forgiveness and true love...

Here is 3 pictures demonstrating their uniqueness and diversity and a reason why I love them so much. These are inside info, info that is not well known, info that is part of the being of our family, part of our story and part of our fun.

Dawie J has an ever increasing collection of soft friends (almost 1 for every place we visited). He named them, plays with them, sleeps with them (sometimes we each get 1 to sleep with for 1 night), and carries them around the world. This picture he took all by himself during 1 of their play sessions. This is my Dawie child, the small boy touring the world with 4 adults and making a big succes of it.

Charlie has developed into quite a cook during this trip. He has taken the BBQ responsibility over from his dad and is doing a great job (he was taught by an expert). We have decided that the men is responsible for the evening meals and most of the time, Charlie is in charge of what we eat for supper. This is my Charlie child, who is not just a boy anymore, who is fun to be around and also acts seriously responsible.

Tinus has so many responsibilities, so many things on his "to do" list, that I almost feel guilty. The thing is just that he, and he alone, can do so many things, that I put the guilt aside and pile up on his "to-do" list. The wonderful thing is that he does what is asked for and even more than what we ask for without moaning. He continues to serve us in a way that I do not think many 18yr olds serve their families. I appreciate him so much. But do not worry or feel we overload him. He, being very clever and creative, has developed a self protective device. This T-shirt explains it all:

So I want to inform you: Tinus is off-line for a while...

I am not writing about "the big man" now - this must be a short blog!

Not too shabby – The first 30 weeks (Dawie – 27 July 2009)

Our blog producer, Dr. Chrisna von Gericke-Fourie, instructed me to do a blog on our world tour with the theme: " Not too shabby". She said I may not preach or thank the "soldiers back home" ...again. I should do an ordinary blog: like a normal person...

On this very special world tour we use the term "Not too shabby" when we really enjoy something. When we feel spoiled or blessed!

I always thought I was as normal as can be -but according to my wife, apparently I am not - so let me try to write a "normal" blog this time.

Unspeakable, precious memories of London, Paris, Orcierres (France), Switzerland, Germany, Phuket, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Seattle, Vancouver, Alaskan Cruise, Whitefish (Montana), Toronto, Red Stone Lake (in Canada), Atlanta, Blue Ridge (mountain cabin in Georgia) and a Southern-Lake-Michigan-region-roudtrip are behind our backs. Chicago, New York, Southern France, Mediteranean Cruise and Italy to follow. Of the 40 weeks-trip, 30 have already passed. We do not want to go home yet! Our relationship with our Lord Jesus and with each other have been strengthened. To God all honor and glory for this unique opportunity.

We saw some of the most beautiful God created places, we experienced some of the most thriving churches, we met some of the most precious people on earth, we visited some of the most effective cities and institutions, we attended specific selected training seminars, we flew on numerous airlines, we went on a cruise, we rode on ferries, trains, buses, drove 10 different cars, stayed in more than 10 different houses, ate all kinds of food...

We talked a lot with other people, with one another, with God...we followed the news back home, local news and international news. We read newspapers, visited websites, watched CNN and local news channels. We have met with godly world leaders and closely followed President Obama's first 200 days in the White house.

We spent time planning the rest of our tour, kept communication channels open through Skype and about 30 emails per day. (I am hands on ALL the time...let me just add...it's easy to be hands on if there are capable and passionate people back home who are called and committed to lead in an agreed upon direction). We read books, hundreds of pages in the Bible and various documents on other religions. We wrote blogs, wrote various chapters of books to be published in the future, adjusted the curriculum of African Leadership Institute ("ALI"), developed new material for ALI , did presentations for various board meetings and actively manage the financial performances of all the ministries/businesses we represent (including the world tour finances) very closely and timely on a monthly basis.

We helped our children with their school work, upgraded their educational electronic equipment, visited various points of educational interest and played with them (board games, hiking, skiing, bicycle rides, gym, river rafting, golf, tennis, shuffle board, chess, table tennis, cricket, soccer, wrestling, base ball, etc.). We took them to some of the worlds most spectacular natural wonderss, to museums, science institutions, aquariums, buildings, Imax, base ball games, businesses, churches ( all kinds!), zoos, wilderness parks, water parks and lots more. And we enjoyed it very much. We continued with our regular "house meetings" and we took communion several times.

We prayed...a lot...for ourselves, for our trip, for the "soldiers back home", for ALI, for all our interests in Namibia, for the political process in our country and for individual leaders who we knew need to play an important role. We prayed for our president, his leadership, oposition leaders and for the transformation process in our country. We prayed for the leadership of the countries we visited, we pray for former president Bush' legacy, for wisdom for President Obama for the situations in Irak, Iran, Afganistan, North Korea, for Israel, etc.

Throughout the trip I was very aware of the of the Chrisna von Gericke Family Trust, which partially paid for our trip, trustees' instructions: we therefore stayed focused on new opportunities for ALI, the trust and the other interests we represent. We realized that these investments should not only be for the short term benefit of the country and the beneficiaries but also for the financial sustainability of the trust and those ministries we represent. To make sure we all stayed on course we had to list our goals and evaluated them every fourteen days...during a family meeting.

What a unique opportunity to see, to experience, to learn, to observe, to be stimulated the whole time and to make new investments - and all of that at a slower pace - with those who you love the most at your side ALL the time...not too shabby! Or what do you think?

Let me conclude with a passage in Scripture which summarized it the best for me:

( you need to reflect deeply to understand why I have chosen this passage)

2 Timothy 2 (NIV)
¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. ³ Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. ⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. ¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; ¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; ¹³ if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. ^14...19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." ²⁰ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. ²¹ If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ²² Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Faith, Family, Friends...a true story ( Dawie, Atlanta, 26 July 2009)

This is a true story following my two previous blogs on Faith, Family and Friends...

Another miracle story on our tour around the world!

We bought a projector and an extra bulb while we were in the mountain cabin in Georgia over the internet. It was to be delivered to Peter's home ( Peter is our very friendly home exchange host in Atlanta). The bulb was delivered and his Australian guests (who stayed in his Atlanta home and was so kind and helpful through out!) put it in the BBQ where we collected it on our way from the cabin to the airport. Unfortunately the projector was not there yet. We connected to Peter's Internet from his backyard. UPS' tracking system reflected it as "in transit". We called the whole family together and we prayed. We decided that we had an hour to spare and we should try and trace it.

First we phoned...unsuccessfully: only a computer voice. We then left Charlie and Dawie J at Peter's front door and drove via our GPS instructions to the nearest UPS outlet. Unsuccessful once more...they're only a retail store and had nothing to do with the delivery. Then back to Peter's home. Nothing delivered. Again we prayed! Peter's neighbor was in her garden, so we gave her our telephone number and asked her to phone us if they deliver within the next 45 minutes. Then we drove to the airport while everyone was on the lookout for a UPS delivery van. Within 7 minutes we spotted one and stopped it.

The friendly driver looked in his computer. No such delivery in his van, but he will phone his colleague. Phone...not available. He phoned his head office to "sent an urgent message" to his colleague to call him. Call came within 3 minutes, the projector was in that van. We slotted that van's next delivery address into our GPS and collected the projector at that delivery point after presenting the invoice and my passport. We were still in time for our flight to Chicago...just in time... (Chrisna did not walk to the closing gates...she ran!)

The whole month of July I had it in the back of my mind that I should still write a blog on faith. It was only just last week that I completed a new presentation for the leadership school on "God's part vs My part in life". What a true story to tell! God is so good! He still performs miracles today for ordinary people like you and me!

Is there possibly a lesson to be learned on faith? It is more than a cheap confession of our lips...it's about a walk of faith... Remember we said it's a walk with God. Only He could have helped us to find that projector in a delivery van between 5 million people in less than an hour... It pleased Him that we as a family wholeheartedly trusted Him.

O Heavenly Father, please help us all, in Jesus Name, to trust You more!

Faith, Family and Friends...Forever (Dawie, 23 July 2009)

As promised here is the follow up on my blog of 22 June 2009.

I tried to cover the family and friends part...so now is the time to share one or two things on Faith.

My palm dictionary explains it as: " loyalty to a cause or person" or "complete confidence in a person or plan".

The most prominent chapter in the Bible on this subject is possibly Hebrew 11. The first verse sets the tone of the whole chapter:

¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(NIV)

My Libronix Digital Library uses English words like believe, trust, rely, confident, feel sure, etc. Interesting to note that the word "faithfulness" is used most of the times. At the Haggai Institute a lecturer told us that there is no word like "faith" or "believe" in the Hebrew language. Remember that the first language of Jesus' disciples, who wrote most of the New Testament, was Hebrew, although they wrote the Bible in their second language namely Greek. In Hebrew apparently the only word they use is "faithfulness".

Every time we are in the car traveling somewhere Tinus will make us listen to a sermon or speech (podcasts of one of the world's best, or should I say one of his favorite teachers). In one of them Louie Giglio made a strong case that we all worship something or somebody. We were made to be worshippers. The same is true of faith...we all believe in someone or something. We all are loyal to someone or something. We all rely on someone or something. We all put our trust, confidence or assurance in someone or something.

The point I'm trying to make is this: whether we say we believe or not, is not the point, because we all have faith in something or somebody. The real question is who is "faithful"?

This is where, in my opinion, God proved Himself all over and over again through who He really is as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the only one who proved Himself as being 100% faithful, ALL the time! The Father as Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of it all, Jesus our Savior who died on the cross and conquered death, and the Holy Spirit who comforts us on a daily basis.

Once this question has been answered I think the next one should be: "What about you and me...are we faithful?" Can others rely on us, put their trust/confidence/assurance in us? An even more difficult question will be: can God trust us?

I think this is where grace and mercy come. Again...God was faithful in His plan to save the world through His only son, Jesus Christ. Question: Do we trust Him completely?

It seems to me that when we talk about "faith in Jesus" or " believe in Jesus" we should talk of a "walk with Jesus".

To walk with Jesus, hand in hand, wholeheartedly trusting Him alone. Because He is faithful we should not be afraid that He will let our hand go, we should just keep on walking with Him in confidence that He knows the way...such a walk will please Him.

The Hebrew writer later continues: "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebr. 11:6).

A walk on our own will never make it. As Paul puts it in Romans 3:10-12 (NIV)
¹⁰ As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

But a walk with Jesus is something different:

Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Faith, believe, faithfulness...we all are walking with something or someone...with whom do you share your walk?

John 3:15-17 (NIV)
¹⁵ [T]hat everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
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.
¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Give Thanks (27/07/2009) Tinus

These few words - typed from our temporary home in Chicago - are officially the first to flow from my new laptop!

Great was my excitement (though you probably would not have noticed it by my "happy face") when we arrived at this house and just inside the door stood my package from Dell. We ordered the computer - after the lengthy kind of research only a high "C" is capable of - from Atlanta and had it delivered here. Now, while my brothers are busy with schoolwork, I get to do my maiden blog from my new machine!

Allow me therefore, to use this blog to give thanks! For truly, I have a great deal to be thankful for...

A few days ago, by the dinner table at Crackle Barrel, I had an illuminated moment. You see, I usually eat a lot faster than the rest of the family and I can't honestly say that I am proud of it (unless of course, it is as part of a buffet). I reasoned, while enjoying the second meal we had at that specific restaurant chain (the other was two days before), that the only remedy for my speed-problem, would be to start a conversation in which I do most of the talking. The problem with this brilliant idea, however was the simple fact that I usually do not do most, if indeed any, of the talking in whatever conversation. Then, it hit me! Why not recall all the memories from our tour, starting with London?

Needless to say, this inspired plan paid off. Before we even got through Paris (with everyone filling in detail here and there, while I do most of the talking) all the other plates were nearly finished, while mine was barely halfeaten. I then even had the privilege of sharing the remainder of my food with the vultures and still being totally satisfied!

Anyway, recalling all those wonderful memories elevated my level of thankfulness once more. Not that each waking moment is not a celebration of all I have to be thankful for. My point is that it is good to sit and count your blessings every once in a while. While we were talking by that dinner table, this is a point that was practically illustrated. My mother recalled that her memory of Germany was not so pleasant and neither was my recollection of Phuket. We came to the conclusion, however, that this was due to the fact that each of us only remembered the bad parts of those times. When we just started throwing around all the memories, both of us realised how wonderful both those times actually were. We needed to stop and count our blessings.

So, I want to exclaim my thanksgiving to everyone and to the Lord. But, my list of thank you's I will not write here (though in my mind, even as I type, it is endlessly populated). Instead, I encourage every one to sit down and list at least 10 specific things you are thankful for that happened during the past 24 hours. (A practice my mother drilled into us even as little children.) Although I doubt not your sincerity when you include things like "my mother" or "this day" or "my life" or even "my job" in your list, that is not allowed. You have to be specific. "Thank You for the GPS and the ease with which we found the house." "Thank you for the 3 types of cereal I had to choose from this morning." "Thank you for letting me sleep til 9." After reaching 10 specific thank you's, why stop there. List all the general things you can think of you can be thanful for. Remember all the highlights of the past month or even year. Give thanks!

Now, I must conclude. My battery is almost drained (and before you critisize my new computer, we did play around with it before I started typing) and I'll surely burst from excitement if I remember any more thank you's right now.

Blessings!