A Lesson from the Manchester United's Air Crash

At the end of this blogg the lesson will be learned...it is a lesson we prefer not to learn, if we are honest. It is not one we would choose to learn. The lessons Jesus taught His disciples were often of this nature.

Jesus of Nazareth made statements that were totally out of this world. No one on earth could perform what He required. For instance: if you but look on a woman to desire her you have already committed adultery with her in your heart. How on earth can any man survive just walking down the street? Then he comes with this one, 'pray for your enemies!'
David in the Old Testament did that one all right! But he prayed, kill my enemies, wipe out the remembrance of their name on earth, let nothing they possess remain! Destroy! Wipe Out! Erase!
Well, I don't think that is what Jesus had in mind, do you?
Why does Jesus make things so terribly hard for us? Why does he add impossibility to each New Covenant command? He comes up with things like, ' Be perfect!' and right there most of us bow out of the arena of faith, because we know who we really are deep inside and none of us dare claim perfection of any kind, if we are painfully honest.
But I have discovered that truth is only known in the excercise of it. In other words, first do the commandment and then you will find out how it works, or if it works!
It takes faith to do something that you don't have a clue about doing.
So, I started praying for my enemies. First of all, I had to make it clear in my own mind who my enemies were. Were they really my enemies, or only people I don't like? Did they harm me on purpose? Did I ever try to forgive them? Was I too sensitive? Was I unforgiving?
In the Clint Eastwood movie The Unforgiven Clint has this real cowboy moment when he is about to step out of the bar where he has just dealt with the bully sheriff of the town and tells anyone who dares to shoot at him in the street that he would kill them, kill their wives, kill their children and kill their horses and burn down their houses! That about summarises how most feel about their enemies!
Here's Christ, hanging bleeding and dying on a rugged cross, dripping blood and convulsing as his body tries to get away from the source of pain of the nails through the hands and the feet but is not able to, and listen to what He says: 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!'
Of course they knew what they were doing: they were crucifying him and they were past masters at such cruelty which the Romans learned from the Phoenicians, but just perfected the art and making it a public display of horror.
Why on earth would he say such a thing? So that the Father's will in heaven could be done here. The kingdom had to come down from heaven to earth and His bleeding body, torn apart for our sins and wrongdoing, became the entry point. Will we ever understand the price he paid? I don't think so. It boggles the mind. Yet He showed us how to pray for our enemies and what to pray.
Dr. Gray, my mentor at Miracle Valley, Arizona, used to repeatedly tell us: prayer changes things and the thing it changes most is you!
Most people think prayer is a magic wand that you can used to get what you want and get your will on earth done in a jiffy - as if God is the genie in the lamp that we must just rub up in the right way with our faith confessions and then he appears to do our will. This false teaching crept in through teachers who wanted to sell books and tapes and appealed to the ego of men and women who never understood the message of the cross: that of denying yourself and taking up one's cross before even starting to follow the Messiah.
Perhaps we need to rethink our motives for praying. Perhaps we have been given the wrong perspective. That is why we cannot pray for our enemies.
When you pray for someone that is your enemy (real or imagined) it changes your thoughts about that person. You begin to intercede for someone and the effort begins to work inwardly, on you, changing you from the inside, until you no longer see the enemy but only another human being, maybe at fault with you, but maybe ignorantly so, being misinformed, hurting, find ways to express the hurt towards you in order to still their own pain and misfortune...
The mind boggles...but somewhere in this mind-field of emotions there is a glimmer of hope that we may just grasp the bit of truth that was at the basis of Christ's commandment to love one's enemies...
So, in spite of how impossible it may seem, in spite of how difficult it may be, just mention the names of those whom you regard as enemies, whom your children at school regard as enemies, whom your family regard as enemies and say the Christ words: 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!' And see what happens if you do this regularly...
If a man's ways please the Lord, He even makes his enemies to become his friends...eventually!
If all mankind could make this effort in Iraq, in Palestine, in Kenya in South Africa would it not bring about a change that nothing else could?
Nice pipe dream! Well, so is Old Trafford, a field of dreams for Manchester United fans - but remember that Sir Matt Busby's Babes paid with their lives in the air disaster on 6th February 1958 when the plane crashed as it took off in Munich. That pain and suffering aroused the sympathy and admiration from United fans across the globe that is still the Legacy of the team 50 years later, wherever they arrive at an airport, people have an awe, a respect that is different than their reaction to any other sports team. All those young players lost their lives before they could really enjoy their game. The mystique of just how good they could have been will always remain a mystery but helps to establish an affection for the club in the hearts of people everywhere. Those who died will never be forgotten.
The way Jesus died for us, innocently, creates even a greater sense of awe and respect for the Son of God, who gave his life to make us champions in the game of life - to help us do the impossible, to overcome the unsurmountable and to pass the uncrossable, all by faith in His Name that gives us strength in our weakness to be more than conquerors in this world.

Heath Ledger dies

Heath Ledger dies. I wrote those words in my pocket sized notebook that I habitually carry around with me. A Portuguese pastor in Benfica referred to my notebook as my 'camera', because he constantly saw me jot down details wherever he took me.
As I drove to fetch my son at school I saw the Cape Argus headlines on the telephone pole posters: Heath Ledger dies.
When I wrote those words, I thought at first to write, Heath Ledger died. But it was too past tense, too distant, too long ago. The present tense sounded better. The newspaper editor obviously agreed with my way of thinking.
But how sad, how utterly sad, whether it was an accident or suicide we will never know. The 28 year old actor, understudy of Mel Gibson, found dead in his NY apartment. He was nominated for an Oscar in Brokeback Mountain.
It is a flashback to James Dean's youthful tragedy.
Just the other day, we agreed that if anyone ever could play the part of Jonny Wilkinson, it would be Heath Ledger. They look like twins. Jonny kicked over a last minute drop kick in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final vs. Australia and won the cup for England.
Few people know what actors and actress have to go through in their daily routines and the stress levels they handle in order to entertain the public. Tragedies are common among celebrities. Think of Marily, Elvis, Jimmy Hendrix...
People are not made to be worshipped. Only God can handle that kind of adoration.
Some people make little gods out of their own children. Some make idols of their pastors. People love to create idols. Americans are past masters at it. The rest of us can probably learn to be a bit more lavish with praise.
But, I'm off to the beach to surf in the sunset with Hilton and Mac the border collie!
Tomorrow is another day...
By the Grace of God we are still alive...God rest Heath's soul and comfort his family and friends.

God speaks German

God speaks German

Wow! I forgot that God created all the nations of the world and scattered them by confusion their languages. So He does speak German as well. I learned German at school, at Cape Town university and through correspondence with Unisa. I remember the first few lessons at university so well - I didn't understand a word the professor was saying, but eventually got used to the sound of the foreign language and passed reasonably well.
When I went to Germany the first time I could help myself in the street and in restaurants. We helped with some ministry all over Germany and then helped a couple in Berlin that spent three years in our church. But after that I never returned.
One day I had a dream. I dreamt I was with the elders in heaven. They said, 'you are known up here!' The one said, 'I see you are reading your French bible?' The other added, 'dont' stop reading your German bible either.' This was proof enough that they knew me, because no one knows that I have both those bibles next to my bed, permanently. Then another one told me it was about time I started playing piano again.
So I have been diligently reading bit by bit in those bibles for almost a year now.
When we were on holiday with some friends I heard the Spirit tell me in German to return to Zurich, Switzerland, where I made my vow to serve God and humanity. I should go to the church where Frau Fleischmann worshipped and build a memorial in the spirit for her. She was the least in that assembly and the only one willing to take me in. When she sent me to climb the mountain after 4 days of heavy snow fall, I had my supernatural encounter with the Lord on a snowy mountain side and made my vow.


I should go and tell that church that as a result of the least of their members showing kindness to a stranger, that body of believers have a share in the 40 odd nations I have been to as a missionary. They should be encouraged that the least of their members have a major share in a ministry that has touched so many nations. This should stimulate more good works amongst them to realise what they do to the least of the disciples of Christ Jesus, they do to Him and there will be a definite reward.
I believe God speaks to you in the language you read in the bible and are prepared to offer prayers. If you do King James, He will speak King James to you. If you do Portuguese, He will respond accordingly.
But this message in German surprised me, because I have never considered going back to Zurich to that church...I only thought of Fray Fleischmann, the poor old widow who had mercy on a stranger...
Nothing we do for God goes unnoticed and unrewarded. May this encourage all of us to do what we can when we can - even for strangers at our door...

The Greatness of Fairness

How fair is fair? Who could decide what is fair for everyone involved? Who could possible be fair to all parties? Only God our creator could be considerate to everyone and make sure we all get a fair deal - eventually. There are those who have all they want right now; there are those who wait a life time and never seem to get it. There is a promise of an after life where those who gave up things for the Gospel's sake will get 100 fold rewards: those who gave up houses and lands, mothers and fathers, sister and brothers, possessions and wealth will receive 100 fold in this life and in the life to come plus some persecution in this life.
Isn't so that when you get, others want? Gary Player said after winning a golf tournament all the charity organizations wanted his winnings! If someone is known to be rich he is envied and people curse him behind his back. Envy, jealousy and hatred go with the package!
Reinhard Bonnke a German missionary to Africa received a brand new BMW as a gift from a friend and suddenly his sponsorships diminished for his missions! Only after he got rid of the new car did people start giving again.
There seems to be a balance in the universe: some get it now, some later, but the good Lord sees to it that we all get our fair share of love and hatred; abundance and lack; praise and criticism; acceptance and rejection. For how would one appreciate acceptance if you have never tasted rejection?
A mother was worried about the ego's of her two boys when she baked the first pancake and introduced the subject with the line, 'if Jesus was here he would certainly take the second pancake!' So the one boy said to the other:' Ok, Jake, you be Jesus today!'
In our home we had a situation that seemed impossible to solve: Nola has to go to UK and Scotland to minister about praise and worship and she and Mimi one of her friends from Pretoria is going along with her. They want to visit Holland and Italy on the same trip. Initially I thought it was a bit long, but they insisted, so Graham in Birmingham helped me set up the tour.
But a few nights before Nola's departure Hilton our 12 year old turning 13 voiced his opinion: 'I don't want you to go away for such a long time, Mom!' Nola is the mainstay in his preparations for his Music Scholarship for College and he also talks a lot to her before going to bed. I'm his sports coach and buddy at this age! (Surfing, golf, cricket!) So I understood his tearful plea for her to cancel the trip.
I was thinking, 'how will I ever be able to set all this ministry up for Nola again? Will they ever believe me if I say, this time she is really coming to you?' I made peace with the fact that she would not go. Nola cried in bed and said, 'why must things be so hard?' She has given herself to her children for a life time and went without many things for the sake of raising children and being in the ministry with me. It's not been easy!
The following day Eben our travel agent suggested, 'why don't they go for a shorter period?' I approached Hilton with the suggestion. 'Last year Mom went to France for two weeks and I handled it well. But three weeks is too long!' So I asked Nola if she would cut out the week in Holland. Mimi could still go. She consented. So we did not have to cut out any ministry appointments and Mimi could spend some time alone, something she always wanted to do and everyone concerned received a fair treatment in the end.
The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of counsel. He leads us and guides us into all truth and shows us things to come!
There is a balance in nature, in life, in sport, in relationships - we just have to learn to trust. Look at Nelson Mandela: 27 years in prison and then President in our nation and an International person of the Century! Joseph sold as a slave and thrown into prison and then becomes the Prime Minister of Egypt and eventually feeds his entire family! Saul persecutes the church and then suffers greatly for the sake of the Gospel but writes more than half of the New Testament: the glory outweighs the suffering.
There is a balance: a fairness in everything, in the end, if we can learn to put our trust in our Maker who alone is wise enough to give everyone a fair deal!

They shoot presidents, don't they?

'They shoot presidents, don't they?' my little boy asked. It reminded me of the '70's movie, 'They shoot horses, don't they?' starring Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin, having to endure a dance marathon till the last couple that remains standing on the dance floor wins the prize!
Butho got assasinated in December and everyone knew she was going to get it - from Al Quaida.
I saw a programme on Carte Blanche on Sunday night about an Economic Hitman. Who on earth knew there were such jobs up for grabs? It was the confessions of a Hitman. He explained how he used to get money, power and women for corrupting the minds of African and Asian leaders to secure the investment of Trillion and Billion dollar American companies to build airports, develop mines and export oil from these nations by vowing to keep the leader in power as long as he plays along with them.
Thus Saddam Hussein got nailed when he no longer played into the hands of the American Money Muscle Men. So did many others. They die in strange ways: air crashes, accidents, shootouts...
The Hitman got his revelation on a mountain overlooking a sugar plantation when he realised how slaves built the plantation and then got angry at slave traders. Then he came to the sobering conclusion that he himself was a Slaver (as he put it) and decided to resign from his highly compensated job and began to expose the dealings of these giant corporations that rule the finances of the world.
But nothing much will come of it...if they take him out it will be proof that he was right. So they will just sit it out.
'There's trillions to be made during war situations, like Vietnam and Iraq,' he said. 'Africa is a Hitman's paradise! We corrupt the leaders and they corrupt their nation! And I got paid to do it!'
Suddenly every news cast, every movie, every novel took on a new dimension after hearing the confessions of the Hitman! All the King's Men with Sean Penn and Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins suddenly looked different when we hired the video to watch it for the second time. Politicians using people to further their causes, digging for dirt in people's lives to blackmail them and to set them up as targets!
But I found a lot of these things in the church world where I came from: the trappings of man's organizations are all the same, everywhere!
I used to be starry eyed about the church world until I went through the mill several times and learned the hard way how corrupt the so-called 'men of God' are - still just as human as the next man in their congregations. Power mad, ambitious pastors use the same systems the worldly organizations use to build their ' fast-growing' churches. They bully people into submission to the Lord' without letting the people know that they are the actual 'lord' the people are bowing to!
How often have a heard disillusioned pastors tell me when they resigned from another pastor's church that they were threatened with the words, 'I'll open up a church opposite your church and close you down!'
Yet, in all this power-mad, greed-festering, cess pool of organized religion, there are the souls who have been tempered by the fire and have come out purer, not without weakness, but a more humble, meek soul, with a real desire to know God in truth. These souls are the salt of the earth.
Business people tend to call the ones they make money out of as the salt of the earth - those simple individuals who do not know how to make money!
But there is a kingdom, an invisible one, there is a reality beyond the one we can measure in earthly standards, a heavenly domain that responds to an upright heart, a sincere plea: it is the kingdom of heaven. The true Gospel of the kingdom of heaven produces a quality in a soul that none of the forced religions can imitate! Blessed are the poor in spirit.
There is a drum beat in the spirit realm that the soldiers of the cross march to. That beat is heard by people all over the globe and in every denomination and network where the heart is turned towards truth. Slowly but surely, these souls are being drawn together, and there is a recognition of kindred spirits when they meet...like: 'It feels like I've known you all my life!'
But there is a price to pay: it is free but not cheap to enter that dimension of relationship.
Perhaps that is the narrow road that Jesus spoke about, that few will find?
Religion and Politics and Business make people dance until they drop. Presidents are appointed and assasinated. Nothing has changed. These things will go on and on and nothing will stop it until the final day when the kingdoms of this world will be become the kingdom of our Lord and He shall reign forever more and in His kingdom righteousness shall reign and those who did business otherwise will no longer be able to operate but will weep, for Babylonian systems will no longer be applicable, in politics, religion or business...
Then presidents and horses will no longer be shot!

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds...a little drawing the late John Lennon's child brought home from school that became a Lennon/MacCartney hit and which religious spirits interpreted as the LSD drug anthem! From and innocent picture to a banned substance! How proposterous.
Yesterday I returned home from a lovely holiday with friends at Eersterivier, felt rested, and ready to face the new year, when I opened the emails and found messages such as ' Barbara passed away in Portland...' and Stephen Stills is being operated on for prostate cancer on his birthday'...on today the 03 of January 08.
Emails have opened up a whole new world of communications. The IT world is ever expanding like the universe, so in a sense it is writing in the sky again...
Here's an amazing picture, which my friend Jako in Houston sent me: while the Aussies were frantically celeberating the New Year (they get it first because it is the most Eastern country) a skywriter was scribbling the letters J-E-S-U-S across the dawnlit sky.
Luke Skywalker became Luke Skywriter! The Gospel of Luke was actually written for the audience of one man! One man! All that trouble! Who on earth would do a thing like that? Luke did. And he was a physician and an historian. He wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts to Theophilus, a dear friend!
Would you show your love to a friend like that? To take on the task of researching the life of an amazing man until you can write a book about it, but not try to make any money out of your effort, but simply dedicate it to your friend? Luke never thought his work would be taken up in the volume called the Bible! He had no materialistic goals set for his serious task. He simply did it for a friend.
Yet, today, 2000 years later we are still reading it...Now that is famous is ever there was any fame attached to a letter to a friend! And so many kids around the world are called 'Luke' - even in Star Wars they chose the name Luke Skywalker!
There is something in the sky that makes you look up, not down. When you are downcast, look up, and suddenly you feel so much better! Hills and Mountains have a way to draw your eyes ever upward!
Aje's school song at Kenton Primary in Alberton had the logo: 'Ever Upward!' It stayed with me since that time. (I was on that school committee, you know, and helped with coaching cricket...somethings I did at most schools my kids attended, except of course Herschel the girls school Yvette went to).
So Lucy in the Sky, Luke Skywalker, and the Skywriter in Sydney all have something in common: they make you look up...into the blue yonder, into the future, into the possibilities of the year that lie ahead.
Jesus is the lifter of your head...in the Jerusalem days, people with debts they could not pay would sit at the entrance to the city with their heads bowed their eyes downcast, because they could not look anyone in the eye, because of their debt! Then if a beneficiary would approach them that decided to pay their debt, he would touch their chin with his walking stick or rod and lift up their heads to look him in the eye. That was his way of saying, your debt is my debt now, you are a free man! You can rise up and look people in the eye again!
This act of kindness was rare, but it did happen frequently enough to make the Psalmist write about it that his Lord is the lifter of his head!
Today the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to touch you and say, 'I have paid your debt of sin on Calvary! You no longer have to be bowed over and downcast: you can look people straight in the eye again! Your self-worth is worth something again! I give you your dignity back again! You are debt free and you may go on from here! Your debt has been cleared! Look up! I am your Saviour!'
Here is a tone of victory, a tone of hope, a tone of glorious forgiveness and joy of salvation! To all who would respond, it becomes a reality! Accept him now and say a prayer for healing for Stephen Stills on his birthday that his operation will be a success and that there will be a speedy recovery. He has blessed the world with such beautiful songs and music. And say a prayer for the comfort of those in Portland who will miss Barabara...
Help to pay the debt of someone else, a son, a daughter, a friend or associate, you will lift their heads and improve their self-worth tremendously! Jesus did it for us. Lets do it for others.

Smile, Jesus loves you!

At the end of a year people think about a lot of things: what happened and what is going to happen next year? There is a lot of sadness and a lot of unfulfilled things, but also some sense of accomplishment and achievement as well as hope for the future. We are creatures of hope, otherwise we won't carry on.
A great secret is thanksgiving. The root word of thanks in Greek, is 'think' - so if we think a bit we have a lot to give thanks for! Out of thanksgiving the new goals and objectives should arise naturally. The most important thing is to think of others as well, not just yourself.
I once asked Hilton, my youngest son, at the end of the U/11 rugby season, 'what was your greatest moment on the rugby field this season?' Without hesitation he said, 'when I beat the Sacs flyhalf and gave that pass to Ty to score his try!' I must admit I was somewhat surprised. I would have thought that his greatest moment was when he kicked the winning conversion in the last minute to win the game for his team! But he was not thinking of his own achievement but of his involvement in the team!
Jesus said we can learn much from little children and so I learned!
In this time of Christmas people are thinking about buying presents for others. It is a good thing, although we should have learned by now that we ought to have good will throughout the year and not only at the end!
A thank you here and there, a kind word to people who do dull, routine work such as cashiers and people at toll gates, could just brighten up someone's day. A word of cheer, a joke shared, a piece of encouragement at the right time, a smile - these things cost us nothing and sometimes they are the greatest gifts!
Let your friendliness be known, Christ is at hand. This apostolic command has much substance in it. When we let our friendliness be known, people will experience Christ, close at hand.
Well, sometimes we have to be friendly to ourselves as well. We all do stupid things and even things we are ashamed of and wonder why on earth did I do it? It is painful to be reminded just how human we are at times. But I think these things are allowed to happen so that we do not think of ourselves more highly as we ought to think. Pride is an over estimation of oneself and under estimation of others. Inferiority is just the opposite. Humility is therefore a balanced, truthful estimation of one's self.
But the problem is that most people do not know who they are! Especially christians who go to seminars to discover their purpose in life! I am amazed how gullible believers are! They try so hard to believe that they are easily deceived! Faith is not an effort - it is a gift! But because preachers make merchandise out of people believers are led astray by cunniningly devised schemes and programmes that eventually make slaves out of the redeemed of the lord!
Oh, we simply have to learn to be thankful and to trust the Lord for tomorrow.
The old adage is still true today: I don't know about tomorrow, but I know who holds tomorrow!
So, saint, think for a while what is there to be thankful about during the past year and begin to place your trust in God for what lies ahead. This should round the year off and you will find that He always crowns the year with goodness!
Smile, Jesus loves you!