Colossians 3:2 MSG So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Colossians 3:2 MSG
TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense. Proverbs 18:1 “A man who isolates Himself seeks his own desire.” Proverbs 18:1 My loving wife told me: “Honey, you are cutting yourself off from the Holy Spirit’s comfort and healing hands. Our friends at church miss you and want to hug you and share their love with you.” I thought, “Look at me, I should be by myself.” Tears came to my eyes because I was different. But, my gentle, tender wife still looked at me through the eyes of love. I had been home from the hospital for a few weeks after a two-month sequence that included: blood spitting pneumonia, a massive stroke and then extensive pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. Two of my attending physicians told me that I had been given: “a Divine reprieve to a death sentence, enjoy it”; “a miracle”. I wasn’t doing much enjoying. I felt more like a damaged vegetable and looked like something you wouldn’t take home from the market. My wife felt I was isolating myself too much as I felt better being alone and just passively watching T.V. Without knowing it, I was falling into one of the devil’s schemes, but my angel wouldn’t give up. She came to me and laid my head on her lap. Then, I felt Jesus’ warm presence as I had in the Valley of Death. I felt Him say: “It is alright my son, I cried too.” As my wife kissed my face, His love filled my broken heart with peace and gratitude. The story behind this tender moment between my wife, myself and my Lord happened after she had watched me for several weeks after coming home from the hospital. It is a surprisingly new experience when your heart, lungs, and hearing stop and you discover how quiet things really are without your heart and lung sounds anymore. I discovered a beauty, silence, and peace that I didn’t want to leave. I’m glad my Shepherd brought me back from the Valley of Death where I went blank. He brought me back so that my dear wife and my children didn’t have to grieve yet. I feel another reason He brought me back is so I can tell His children what it is like to die. In death we are blank and can’t think, pray, quote verses, or move a muscle. We only feel the presence of our Shepherd and that’s enough. I began to lose my blankness after a few days in the hospital. Miraculously, I’m back to my writing ministry, which is a miracle in itself, as after my stroke I couldn’t put two sentences together. I learned that death is nothing to fear as He has conquered death. “Oh, death where is your sting? O grave where is your victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55) God’s injured children need different degrees of isolation as a part of recovering from trauma. Whether it be divorce, death, or disease — time to heal is necessary. However, I learned that isolation that cuts a person off from our Lord’s healing hands is a scheme of the devil. Jesus told His sheep to “Come unto Me you who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28. We need the Holy Spirit’s healing love that flows through the touch and prayers of God’s children and the words found in the bread of life. Bring your broken and lonely heart to Jesus and His children and allow them to touch you, as I did. You will find the love and confidence you have lost. Thankfully, pro-active Love imparts the cure to desiring “isolation” and “seeking our own desire.” Copyright © 2018 Bob Segress, Ph.D., used with permission.
TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Proverbs 14:12 I love mornings. One of my favorite pastimes is sitting in the backyard with a steaming cup of coffee, listening to the delightful chorus of singing birds. Recently, a persistent knocking caught my attention. A wooden utility pole is situated near the corner of my yard. On top, a woodpecker was pounding on the dead wood for all it was worth. Woodpeckers primarily eat bugs in living trees. I was curious why it was wasting time banging its head on dead wood, so I did some research. I discovered that, while there are various reasons, the best explanation is that they simply don’t know any better. To them, a tree is a tree is a tree. Have you ever watched someone (or been someone) looking for fulfillment in the same old, dead places? Some poor choices are obvious. Such as drugs, alcohol, promiscuous sex, gambling, being a workaholic, etc. I am ashamed to admit I’ve traveled many of these roads. They all lure us with the same bait: the possibility of reward. It might be hitting the jackpot, chasing a drug high, or another career achievement. However, in the end, the satisfaction, if any, is short-lived. And the price we pay is often too high. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Proverbs 14:12 NLT But before we judge, even the “do-gooders” can be susceptible. Many turn to “religion” – which is just another dead tree. Religion in and of itself, with its “good deeds and religious works,” also leads to empty promises. Personal self-fulfillment simply cannot be satisfied with external activities, no matter how noble. Without transformation on the inside, these efforts quickly become exhausting. What about you? What dead wood have you been beating your head against? Have you taken a close look at what’s really on the other side? I can assure you there is nothing but lies, empty promises, death, and dust. Deep down, most of us desire the same things. We all long for purpose, unconditional love, and acceptance. These desires are healthy and good. We know this because God placed them within each of us. But He did this so that we would reach out to Him. He is the only One who can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. So let’s stop chasing the world with its lies and empty promises. Let us run to our heavenly Father and surrender our hopes and dreams to Him. In turn, He will begin to transform us on the inside, satisfying our hearts to overflowing with His peace, presence, and love. Then, we can finally stop pounding our head against the wall. “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 NASB Copyright © August 2017 Shadia Hrichi, used with permission.
Calling all Sodwana Bay lovers!!! Love Sodwana Bay? Wanna get a few souveniers without having to travel all the way to Sodwana Bay? Well we have some great news for you! CNC IT and Cheri Tree are both teaming up to bring those great Souveniers to you where ever you are in the country! The great thing about CNC IT and Cheri Tree teaming up is that you don’t need to stick to the normal things that you always see in Sodwana Bay, you can get your own great designs or ideas come to life. So get creative, send us your ideas and designs and see your dreams come to life! Here is an example of one of our great products in the making: Here we are making Sodwana Bay Coasters? Still playing around and figuring out what the best way will be to make them! NB! Shipping prices will be added to normal price of product. Please contact us @ 0813920467 or info@cheritree.co.za with any wood related projects which you might like us to build for you. Orders can be placed via email (with photos or examples please): info@flyingrocker.co.za, or to check that theres a real person on the other side you can give us a call on: 081 392 0467;). All quotes will be given via Email only. Please Note that CNC IT and Cheri Tree are both online shops only!
We recently had the privilege of taking a trip down to Sodwana Bay (South Africa). Our journey started in Pretoria, and took us (roughly/about) 8 hours to reach our destination – Emoyeni Dive Lodge, although the trip was long and most of the way kinda boring we were still holding out with excitement to see the ocean once again and to have an exciting adventure in Sodwana Bay! Our first day, we settled in our “new Chalet” which we would be calling home for the next 10 days. Packed all our clothes away, got comfortable with our new layout of things and went for a quick drive down to the beach (+- 15 min from our location). It was really awesome to take in the ocean after such a long drive – worth every penny spent. Quick tip if you are planing on going to the beach in Sodwana Bay, get yourself a Rhino Card which will set you back R250 per person. Its a once a year subscription fee that gives you access to any of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park gates for a measly R5 p/p per day – Community fee. You will be paying a hell of a lot more per day without this card. Trust me we did that once! Heres the link to the website – sodwanabayinformation.co.za/rhino-card Sodwana Bay is a great place for snorkelling in the rock pools, and Scuba diving on the many reefs in the protected marine area, some dive charters cater for those who cannot dive and offer offshore snorkelling expeditions as well. Although this time round we stuck to the rock pools we still had massive amounts of awesome fun. There is plenty more Activities to do in Sodwana Bay but that is a topic for another time… We had an amazing experience with Snorkelling in the rock pools on the days that were not so windy and the seas were a bit calmer. We got amazing video footage of the mesmerizing underwater world, and even caught a small Manta Ray on video swimming around in the rock pools near the ”preek stoel”. Luckily we never stepped on it as we only noticed it on our video when we got back home. Here is another tip: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see any fish on the surface above the water ‘cause most of the time they are keeping a safe distance from you, but are really close by, the moment you stick your head under the water you will get to realize how many fish truly are all around you. Also make sure to get yourself a pair of booties from your local dive shop. You will seriously need them walking in those rock pools. They are relentlessly sharp. Scuba diving is the most popular thing to do in Sodwana Bay. Although I do not have my Scuba Diving certificate yet, from what I have heard it is an amazing experience. Almost every Camp/Lodge I have heard of and seen all cater for scuba divers. Whilst we were in Sodwana Bay we took a day trip out to Mkuze Game Reserve, which is also part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. (You can also use youre Rhino Card to gain access there). It is situated about 30 min drive from Sodwana Bay driving to Hluhluwe. Although we never saw the Big Five, we were able to see a few hippos in the hideout area and lots of bucks. We will at least try again next time we go. Remember there is picnic areas around the Pan, so take a “tjoppie” with to Braai. The park also caters for board and Lodge where you can stay over night in a Chalet or in a tent. There is a gift shop + take away area as well. So come join the Community of Sodwana Bay, Zulu land and experience all the great stuff this great land has to offer! A special Thanks to Emoyeni Dive Lodge for accommodating us during our amazing Holiday!
iSimangaliso: Strengthening environmental awareness and sustainable partnerships through sport The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority teamed up with local SMME and environmentalist Raymond Langa on 16 December for a community youth sports event at Khula Village, which borders the southern part of the World Heritage Site. The iSimangaliso and Dukuduku Sports Tournament event was hosted at the Nyamazaneni sports ground in Khula and was the finale in a round of games played in the month of November, organised by Raymond. He felt this would be an ideal vehicle to aid the message of conservation and environmental care which is so important to him. Raymond received training through one of iSimangaliso’s capacity building programmes and is an accredited Environmental Education facilitator working in the Park with dozens of school groups each year. According to Langa, “I am always frustrated by the environmental degradation activities taking place in areas of conservation significance. My area has many wetlands with an abundance of wildlife, seasonal birds and waterfowl. I have identified one area which is very significant to the entire village, but households living next to it dump all types of filthy items into it.” “To raise awareness, I approached the local school and conducted a workshop on the sustainable use of natural resources. Learners are studying Tourism in Grade 10, but they have little background of responsible tourism in their syllabus. I further invited locals to participate and promote environmental health to curb diseases as most of the litter is hazardous to both human beings and wildlife.” Following the clean-up activities, Langa was thrilled to notice that beautiful birds which had left the area started coming back to these rehabilitated wetlands. It was his drive and initiative that drove him to request a partnership with iSimangaliso in a sports event, and he opened the event with a talk on his environmental education activities, wetlands and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. An introduction on iSimangaliso was also given by the Park’s Environmental Planner, Siboniso Mbense. He engaged with the youth by first asking questions to spectators for which he offered an iSimangaliso t-shirt or cap for the correct answer. These questions included identifying major problems faced by South African parks and the detrimental human impact on nature. iSimangaliso’s Slindile Msweli, Marketing Co-ordinator in charge of the logistics and a former bursary student supported by iSimangaliso, said that “the event gave iSimangaliso a platform to interact with the neighbouring communities, strengthen relationships and create awareness. The presentations were well received by the community present. You could see in other people’s faces the excitement of being part of this event; that made it special and it showed that even though thousands were not reached instantly an impact has been made on a few in one way or another, whether it’s a t-shirt they took away, bursary information or a few answered questions about the Park- that to me is an accomplishment.” Following the event it was gratifying to receive several letters of appreciation including from TM Mdletshe of Khula, who wrote to iSimangaliso to say: “We really appreciate what you did today at Nyamazaneni stadium. It’s given us the opportunity to learn and do something in life. I have gained more than I was expecting during today’s game. You taught me the importance of iSimangaliso and why we should protect our environment as youth.” Langa, on behalf of the Dukuduku communities and participants, said: “iSimangaliso showed a strong commitment to revive sustainable partnership with locals. Please pass my gratitude and best wishes to the entire staff, and management. From an environmental conservation perspective we need more similar gatherings, in order to achieve general support from the entire communities neighbouring the prestigious World Heritage Site.”
