I’m not someone who could be called religious
Why I say so is because I’m not legalistic about holidays even if they have a Christian backing
I have my reasons
So anyway here I was this Easter, not having gone for camp with everyone else at church
The guys who stayed behind knew we still had to stand in prayer together as ‘left behind’s
So we had morning prayers early each morning in one of any chosen homes
This we did till Sunday when we knew the campers were coming back and Christ had risen
Then as we’re used to a church service on Sunday, the question came up almost automatically where we’d attend service
I volunteered the United Methodist Church as that’s where I always go if for any reason I cannot fellowship at my church
Service begins at 10:30am
So we went as a group and when we get there we notice the place is so quiet and not lively
Unlike a church on Sunday
Nevertheless we approach and as we near we see the resident Pastor having his breakfast outside the house
We approach and introductions are done
He chides us for not coming all the other days as apparently our fellow brethren from the locality were coming and they were known to be ‘left behind’s from MCZ
No excuses and we have to find a place to attend service
Opposite is the Zimbabwe Assemblies of god church (ZAOGA) but it’s not first choice as we’re not that close
We ask each other, what about the churches we fraternise with?
The nearest and first to come to mind is The Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe
So we able to the church and service is just beginning
We introduce ourselves when the part of visitors comes up and we feel welcome
Now into the service
As we sind we’re clapping probably the loudest and swaying to the music
When prayer comes, it’s one person who prays as the rest bow their heads and at the end when the person says ‘amen’, we affirm’ amen’ in unison
It just could be noticed the loud ‘amen’s came from our bench
It cannot be helped and all the other prayers we ‘amen’ed a bit softly
Now comes Holy communion
Of course it’s going to be different from how we do it
1 Corinthians 11 was read from verse 23 to the end
Then instead of people going to receive bread and wine, ushers came with it
Of course not having prepared ourselves for communion and having listened to first Corinthians, there was no doubt that we would not partake communion at this point in time
Let alone the fact that we did not know what their ‘rules’ for communion are
As the bread passed we just looked at each other and passed it across
Then came the ……….wine
Altar wine
I don’t know why but we don’t do wine at my church
All parishes that I know don’t do wine
We do raspberry syrup!
That was a great change
Great change number two
Soon after communion we left as the service wasn’t just auguring well with all of us
Now, I’ll not be judgemental
The whole point is just to appreciate how things are done differently in our churches, what brings us together, what sets us apart and what makes us stay with our churches
The two great changes are that at my church we go and receive communion
It doesn’t come to us
No matter how large the congregation when communion has to be had, we go and receive it
In cases where we’re in our thousands like at a stadium for whatever celebration or event we’ll be having, we queue for it and that’s the only time we won’t kneel to receive communion, but we bow or courtesy as we receive it
When we go back to our seats, we individually pray in silence
Number two is the raspberry
This is my take- I guess somewhere along the lines wine was just taken off due to the alcoholic factor and abuse
Our members are not supposed to take alcohol
So what if we were to give it to them each month in a small cup?
Would not some of them just want to taste it a bit more and buy a bottle and see what happens?
Totally my take and I’m good with that
Why this bothered me in this instance is that children were taking it
I guess someone gets my point and issue somewhere along the lines.
I encourage you to just visit other parishes or churches when you have the opportunity
That way you’ll see how others get to communicate with god and what makes them different from you
You’ll also have a reason to stay where you are or even change when you understand what true worship and communion with God is really about.
Treasured youth
I’ve been busy and I can feel I’m burnt out
Yesterday I went back home from work to sleep
Yes, so that I could sleep as that’s what my body needed
I took quite a big responsibility unawares and it’s a bit too late to retract
I realised it as I stood up to introduce myself
(I couldn't relish the thought of being referred to as that one in a blue top when news got round that I'd quit)
I’ll have to carry the burden for as long as I can
Knowing me,
That could be for at least half of this year
Anyways, that’s my burden for the gospel this year
Sunday we had to feed circa 200 youths at church as we had a get together
Now the events that transpired prior to the Sunday had made me almost bet I’d resign my post
But as the day went by, I calmed down and I accepted the burden for this year
I pray it won’t be harder than it has been
I pray it won’t be as personal as it has been
I pray it won’t be as frustrating as it has been
I pray it won’t be as intimidating as it has been
I pray the road will be there as I’ve seen
I asked myself, if not me then who?
And why not me?
What have I done for the gospel lately?
And so I trudge on as treasurer for both the local parish and the local circuit
It’s quite an experience working with all age groups you can put into that category
The upside cap is 35 years
You can imagine all you want.
I will remember and treasure the days of my youth.
Yesterday I went back home from work to sleep
Yes, so that I could sleep as that’s what my body needed
I took quite a big responsibility unawares and it’s a bit too late to retract
I realised it as I stood up to introduce myself
(I couldn't relish the thought of being referred to as that one in a blue top when news got round that I'd quit)
I’ll have to carry the burden for as long as I can
Knowing me,
That could be for at least half of this year
Anyways, that’s my burden for the gospel this year
Sunday we had to feed circa 200 youths at church as we had a get together
Now the events that transpired prior to the Sunday had made me almost bet I’d resign my post
But as the day went by, I calmed down and I accepted the burden for this year
I pray it won’t be harder than it has been
I pray it won’t be as personal as it has been
I pray it won’t be as frustrating as it has been
I pray it won’t be as intimidating as it has been
I pray the road will be there as I’ve seen
I asked myself, if not me then who?
And why not me?
What have I done for the gospel lately?
And so I trudge on as treasurer for both the local parish and the local circuit
It’s quite an experience working with all age groups you can put into that category
The upside cap is 35 years
You can imagine all you want.
I will remember and treasure the days of my youth.
I will not be mocked.
My thesaurus couldn’t get another word for alcohol.
For beer, there were some words; I chose ‘alcoholic drink’.
For wine, there are.....adjectives... for colour .
I’m sorry I never said anything to the person who walked out of this office about wine with some colleagues. They say their church allows wine drinking and does not allow beer drinking.
Now, when I go to Wikipedia I find that there are three general classes that alcoholic beverages are put into; beer, wine and spirits.
I wasn’t talking to this person but I heard their conversation. The persons they talked to didn’t sound any alarm at what they said. I wonder why
Maybe they also believe wine is ok and beer is not ok
My contention is- do these people know the basic facts about wine and beer?
Beer generally has a lower alcoholic content than wine, hence people drink less of the latter.
There’s this article I quite liked when it comes to explaining about Jesus and wine
Now, my simple understanding is that if something is good, you’ll like it
If something is bad, you should hate it
Simple, no borderline
When I read that wine is a mocker, automatically it signals to me that this is something to be avoided at all costs
Society has through the ages openly stated to all that wine is a lesser evil than beer, yet the two are in the same class, the latter more potent but very subtle
And some Christians have been caught up in this deception
Read with me Proverbs 23:29-35
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. ”
The truth is openly there. The short and long term effects of the alcohol called wine.
When people talk alcohol abuse, they talk of beer. Rarely does wine feature
And so, silently, it erodes our morals and values and goes by unnoticed
Many people profess to not drinking beer but take wine
I leave the decision to yourselves and enlightenment from the Bible
By any other name alcohol is alcohol no matter how nicely dressed and presented.
For beer, there were some words; I chose ‘alcoholic drink’.
For wine, there are.....adjectives... for colour .
I’m sorry I never said anything to the person who walked out of this office about wine with some colleagues. They say their church allows wine drinking and does not allow beer drinking.
Now, when I go to Wikipedia I find that there are three general classes that alcoholic beverages are put into; beer, wine and spirits.
I wasn’t talking to this person but I heard their conversation. The persons they talked to didn’t sound any alarm at what they said. I wonder why
Maybe they also believe wine is ok and beer is not ok
My contention is- do these people know the basic facts about wine and beer?
Beer generally has a lower alcoholic content than wine, hence people drink less of the latter.
There’s this article I quite liked when it comes to explaining about Jesus and wine
Now, my simple understanding is that if something is good, you’ll like it
If something is bad, you should hate it
Simple, no borderline
When I read that wine is a mocker, automatically it signals to me that this is something to be avoided at all costs
Society has through the ages openly stated to all that wine is a lesser evil than beer, yet the two are in the same class, the latter more potent but very subtle
And some Christians have been caught up in this deception
Read with me Proverbs 23:29-35
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. ”
The truth is openly there. The short and long term effects of the alcohol called wine.
When people talk alcohol abuse, they talk of beer. Rarely does wine feature
And so, silently, it erodes our morals and values and goes by unnoticed
Many people profess to not drinking beer but take wine
I leave the decision to yourselves and enlightenment from the Bible
By any other name alcohol is alcohol no matter how nicely dressed and presented.
My fast so far
So I started fasting after the rest of the people did. There was no way I could start on the 1st with me being the cook at home. When I started I prayed that I be able to fast even just one day. I had lost the will power to not think about food when I’m fasting. I’d always find excuses on why I couldn’t and when you look for an excuse, you get a bagful of them. I sorry to say I kept that bag through 2009 and all I managed were half day fasts. So here I am in 2010 and I said this is a personal fast and it’ll take as long as necessary. There’s no definite stopping point. Why? I’ve been selfish in the past and all I’d think of was me. This time I’m doing this for others first then me. Now that’s going to take some time coz I love people. I truly do and when I’m burdened to pray for something for someone, I cannot heap on my requests there. It’s a love task I need to do before I look at my own issues. So here I am and I haven’t started on myself as yet. I’m not too demanding - just “not yet there” me :)
Day one
My resolution on keeping fitter- I go for a morning jog. I feel great. I’m asking myself if I’ll be able to get through this one. This is practically the first full fats in a year. I sail through
Day two
It’s raining so I won’t jog. I decide I’ll do three days a week, so I sleep on. Spanners start flying into the works. I ignore them and manage the day.
Day three
It’s raining again. Again, there’s this one spanner which just wants attention. I explore and dig a bit deep. I see the origin and pray that it’ll just disappear. I almost confronted the issue head on but I get a grip of reality on time and I let it pass. It was a most difficult day. Even the evening was not that calm.
Day four
Do I really need to jog seeing that I’m fasting? I feel drained a bit and wonder if I’ll carry on.
Day five
Still no jog. I’ve shelved it for later. After the fast. I smile when I see that I can fit into my black jeans without asking if they’re not tighter than when I first wore them.
Day six
This is two days after day five. (I just could not do it as I had to prepare food over the weekend. I’ll have to say I didn’t dine and fill up as I thought I would. I just enjoyed some of the things I don’t normally take for dinner.) The big question in the morning- will I last since I’ve been off for two full days? A week that started with a spanner dampens one’s spirit in some sort of way but I pulled through. I lasted and am on day seven.
Many more days to go
Just my take right now
This is going to be a quick post of a quick reflection
It’s 2010 and I’m still looking forward to a great year
I started fasting on Monday coz I couldn’t start on the 1st due to the simple fact that I was up till the wee hours of dawn on the 1st and I had to cook for visitors
Bottom line, when I cook I struggle with keeping a fast
I also started jogging on Monday
It’s something I hadn’t done in the past two years
Last year was worse coz I had no sort to even talk about
So I’m basically back on track as far as life is concerned
I’m looking at doing more this year compared to the last two years
Last year was the worst coz it somehow just passed by me and I awoke and here’s 2010
So, why the post?
It’s the quick reflection that’s spurred this post
On fasting, yesterday someone close just gave in coz of a mango and some issues on their plate
On my side I’ve just had the biggest attack mentally on record since like three years ago
It’s just one of those things that when you close your eyes you just about give up on the female gender
Yeah, yeah, I’m one of them but hey, sometimes we’re just the worst species on earth
We tend to hate more than anything that I know
For real
What we get up to when we’re angry or when we just want to spite someone
So I’ve been on the receiving side
Believe you me, at some point I almost gave in but THANK GOD!
My senses are back in full swing and I’ll take it as just one of the things the devil throws my way when I clean myself up spiritually
Indeed, this war that I fight daily is not carnal, it’s spiritual
To those in the flesh,
Watch out!
Time
Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.
-- Thomas Mann
As we start yet another year with His blessings
Lord, behold us with Thy blessing
Once again assembled here;
Onward be our footsteps pressing
In Thy love, and faith, and fear;
Still protect us, still protect us
By Thy presence ever near.
For Thy mercy we adore Thee,
For this rest upon our way;
Lord, again we bow before Thee,
Speed our labours day by day;
Mind and spirit, mind and spirit
With Thy choicest gifts array.
Keep the spell of home affection
Still alive in every heart;
May its power, with mild direction,
Draw our love from self apart,
Till Thy children, till Thy children
Feel that Thou their Father art.
Break temptation’s fatal power,
Shielding all with guardian care,
Safe in every careless hour,
Safe from sloth and sensual snare;
Thou, our Saviour, Thou,our Saviour
Still our failing strength repair.
