Run With Christ

Jesus defeated death by rising up after three days. This is marked as the final day of Easter. Final... the word bothers me. Final usually marks the end of something or the completion of something. Jesus' death made us new and therefore it is the beginning of new life. What does the word of God say? Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV) Jesus Has Risen 28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly...

Lays Lightly Salted...   I remember my post about "Sharing" and "Forgiveness". Sharing connects you to someone else on an emotional, intellectual , physical or spiritual way. Forgiveness is a journey of healing and finding freedom. So I'm of the opinion that "Speaking" gives you both. Saying what you need to say can cleanse you in whatever way it may be. Matthews 5:13-16 (ESV) Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth, k but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 l “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 m Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so n that 2 they may see your good works and o give glory to your Father who is in heaven. How about - Li...

Mirror Mirror on the wall... What experience should I recall...? Reflection... standing in front of the mirror, seeing yourself, analysing who you have become... looking back at everything you have done up to this moment, seeing everything that has happened until now ... Who is that person staring back at you? Imagine you could see it all? Imagine that the time line in your mind was as clear as your time line on Facebook - what would you see? Good memories? Bad memories? Sad happenings? Happy moments? Great opportunities. Disappointing decisions? Which one will be the greater? The good or the bad? The word of God says the following about time: Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (NIV) A Time for Everything 3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to buil...

Lately there is a new craze with many people joining it and just following the trend- the "no make-up selfie" for cancer awareness. I got nominated to share my "no make-up selfie" on Facebook and so I did. Personally I think it is great to raise awareness about cancer but what I couldn't figure out was the link between 'no make-up' and cancer awareness.   I thought about it for a while. I looked at the photos of my other friends who shared their photo and saw their natural beauty.   I also read some of my friends'   views on this trend. Some are totally for it and other think that it is foolish and doesn't make a difference. It really made me think about it. Why ladies,   do we wear make up? What are we trying to hide? And what is the link between no make-up and cancer awareness? The skin of people with cancer usually become so irritated and sensitive that the "make-up" routine is skipped... Some still wear it, others d...

  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV) I thought that starting with this verse is very appropriate. Peace... if only we can have more of it. Everyone dreams of a peaceful land and a peaceful world. We dream of peace at work and peace at home but we are never quite satisfied. We always dream of more and why not? To be peaceful is a great feeling. To know that there is peace in our world will be absolutely wonderful. But how do we start? Peace begins with yourself. Think about it... can you truly say that your heart is at peace with everything happening in your life? Are you truly happy in your relationship? Are you happy at work? Is everything okay between you and your family members. Is everything okay mentally? I know it might sound like silly questions but if we want peace we have to start making peace with the things in our lives that bother us....

“Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing" it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.” ― Fulton J. Sheen Patience - it is a gift that allows you to accept or tolerate problems without becoming irritated or angry. Patience is also a fruit... Mmmm fruit is not usually the first thing to come to mind when we think of patience but I like the idea of thinking patience as a fruit. The fruit can either be bitter or so very sweet depending on how much you have - the more "patient fruit" the better. Have you ever felt that growling pain on your tummy when you are hungry? Some people get very irritated or whiny when they are hungry but if you have something to eat for example - fruit - the chances of becoming irritated are decreased. Psalm 37:7-9 (NIV) 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they ca...

Have you ever noticed how some people just have an extra glow bursting from them? Have you ever noticed how some people's eyes have a luminous light shining through? I have... 1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. If we love one another God is in us and His love is perfected in us because He is love. Who loves you enough to have the love of God shine through like a burning fire? I am sure that everyone can think of someone who loves you like no other person will ever be able to... I am lucky enough to have four people I can think of who loves me like crazy and I am lucky enough to still have them around - My grandparents! I have experienced the love of God through them. They have taught me about the word of God and His love. Whenever I would go to visit my grand parents they will teach me and tell me about God. I have one specific memory of my "Oumie" - one of my grandmothers. As a little gi...

I don't go outside much but when I do I become very much aware of what I am experiencing - the sun on my skin, the wind softly caressing my face, the musical melody of the jingling leaves, the dancing flowers and the tjirping of the birds in my ears and the fragrance of nature filling my lungs as I inhale the air. Absolute bliss...     In nature I experience the amazing wonders of God. I often forget that He created it for me - for us to live in. Why then do so many people prefer to rather stay indoors? There are many reasons for example safety and pollution. Who wants to go outside and look over their shoulder the whole time? Who wants to go outside if the air is polluted and there is rubbish all around? How can the beauty of nature be experienced when there is so much breaking down the beauty? I found a few verses in the word of God that gave the feeling of hundreds of butterflies softly sitting on me: Psalm 8:4-5 (ESV) 4 what is man that you are mi...

I am sure that to almost everyone, the line - "forgive and forget" has a familiar ring to it. I have written about "Letting Go" but I never mentioned that it goes hand in hand with forgiveness. In the "Letting Go" post I wrote about how we form memories, some good and some bad and because of the memories, it is harder to let go. I also wrote about letting go of the "bad things from the past".... which sounds a lot like letting go of grudges and bitterness towards either someone or something.    Click here to see the source of this Image Everyone has a past. Everyone has a story. A story of how they got to the point where they are today. The story is your time line for everything that you have done and everything that has happened to you that helped shape the person you are today. Jesus has His own story that He shares with us in His word and a part of His story includes the following line: Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive...

.... a circumstance or moment that causes difficulty or hesitation. ... hurdle , barrier , bar , hindrance , impediment , handicap , disadvantage , restriction , limitation My kind of temptation - stumbling blocks Words that are all different but have the same basic meaning - something that causes difficulty. It makes me think of chocolate or cookies or Frozen Yogurt or any kind of sweet thing for that matter. When I am not supposed to have something sweet, it constantly feels like the world is tempting me with its delicious sweet things and it is so difficult to resist. How do you keep yourself from stumbling over that block? How do you keep yourself from giving into temptation? The word of God says the following: Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) 4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [ a ] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these ...

Most of the time what I am afraid of... is the unknown. Not being sure of what comes next or how everything will work out is a feeling that I am all to familiar with. The words of John Lennon intrigued me: “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” According to "Psychology Today" fear is a "vital response to physical and emotional danger" ( http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear ). It happens often that our fears hold us back. A traumatic experience can trigger the feeling of fear and sometimes it i...

JOY - a word that can be described as delight or bliss, a feeling that can be described as great pleasure or happiness, but can you feel joyful all the time? Is it possible to be happy every moment in life? Is it possible to feel great pleasure in everything we do? I do not believe so.   Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man (Available Online from: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A9-13&version=ESV  ). I believe that we should at least try to e...

When I was still a little girl I was never really fond about the idea of sharing especially my sweets. I always wanted the most of everything and I wanted to play with the other kids' toys as long as they do not play with my toys. As a child this was very selfish of me but as I grew older I was taught that sharing is a way of connecting. Whatever it is that you may be sharing, there is a connection. The connection can be psychological, emotional or physical. The word of God talks about sharing in 2 Cor 9:7-12 - Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, w not reluctantly or under compulsion, for x God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And y God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency 5 in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, z “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;  his righteousness endures forever.”  10 He who supplies a seed to the sower and bread for food will sup...

Something we all, (especially me) struggle with is to let go. It happens so easily that an attachment towards something or someone is formed. According to Ainsworth (1973) and Bowlby (1969) attachment is a "deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space" (Quote found Online available from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html ). Memories are linked to certain things and certain people. Memory is a process where information and ideas are collected and recalled. "The ability to create new memories, store them for periods of time and recall them when they are needed allows us to learn and interact with the world around us" (Cherry, 2014: Online available from: http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/memory.htm ). Humans are emotional beings and therefore we attach (at least I do) emotions to the memories we make making it harder to let go when we need to. Mark 1:17-20: 17   And Jesus said to t...

First Time for Everything   Never have I ever written a blog post before. I thought about it many times but never really came around to actually start typing. Recently a feeling dwelled in me, urging me to share the things I think about specifically concerning my believes around faith and Christianity. I thought... "Blogging... really, but I have never done it before" - oh well, there is a first time for everything.   Doing things for the first time opens up a door of new experiences - first time experiences. I have found that with doing things for the first time, many people feel a sense of fear, a fear for the unknown perhaps? What ever it may be, you will never know how things could be if you do not take the first step or make the first move.   When something is done for the first time, it is a form of excitement. An exhilarating feeling which you might feel like sharing which is exactly what I want to do. My idea of sharing my thoughts is a path that ...