tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22053375182865869192024-03-14T05:01:22.053+02:00Heartwordssometimes it takes me a while to find the wordsdarylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-21637986688776295652011-05-16T10:38:00.000+02:002011-05-16T10:38:49.231+02:00darylhb.com<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">For my latest Heartwords, check out <a href="http://darylhb.com/" title="darylhb | Words From Another World">darylhb.com</a>. :)</div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-84606102110516225162010-11-14T11:00:00.004+02:002010-11-14T11:00:04.269+02:00For every problem you face, God has already created the solutionOur pastor, <a href="http://twitter.com/antonhomann" target="_blank" title="Anton Homann on Twitter">Anton Homann</a>, was preaching such an anointed message last night! The title of this post is a statement from his sermon:<br />
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<em>For every problem you face, God has already created the solution.</em><br />
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It really struck me and Anton drew a great analogy for it from the book of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201:9-25&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="Genesis 1:9-25"><strong>Genesis</strong></a>:<br />
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When God created the world, He <strong><em>first</em></strong> made the ocean and <strong><em>then</em></strong> the fish, who would need the sea water to swim in. Just so He created the earth and the plants <strong><em>before</em></strong> He created the creatures who would need to live on the earth and eat the plants.<br />
<br />
<strong>In this way God created the <em>solution</em> to the need before He created the <em>situation for the need</em>.</strong><br />
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Whatever you're facing, whatever your need, know that God has the answer and the solution ready for just the moment you ask Him.darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-6984720856938086682010-11-09T09:04:00.000+02:002010-11-09T09:04:40.238+02:00The Temple Together<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%203:13&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="1 Corinthians 3:13">value</a> in the church.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%203:17&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="1 Corinthians 3:17">protection</a> in the church.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%203:14&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="1 Corinthians 3:14">reward</a> in the church.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%203:16&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="1 Corinthians 3:16">We</a> are the church.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%203:10-17&version=NLT" target="_blank" title="1 Corinthians 3:10-17">1 Corinthians 3:10-17</a></span></div><blockquote style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have — Jesus Christ.<br />
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Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials — gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. <i>The fire will show if a person’s work has any <b>value</b>. If the work survives, that builder will receive a <b>reward</b>.</i> But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.<br />
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<b>Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in (among) you? <i>God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple.</i> For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.</b></span></blockquote><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What value do <b> you</b> place on the church?</span></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-56144816240990222492010-10-15T08:26:00.002+02:002010-10-15T08:26:42.866+02:00Living Water<blockquote>"I said 'Water', expecting the word would satisfy my thirst."<br />
- mewithoutYou, <i>My Exit, Unfair</i></blockquote><br />
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We all need God, but just talking about Him or ticking the "Christian" box on forms isn't going to satisfy our hunger for Him.<br />
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We need to seek Him in His Word and in prayer. <br />
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Prayer is like turning on the tap to the only water that will satisfy your thirst for God.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”<br />
- John 7:38<br />
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<br />
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."<br />
- John 4:10<br />
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<br />
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.<br />
- Luke 11:10</blockquote>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-36035124155248497282010-10-11T21:46:00.001+02:002010-10-11T23:38:13.386+02:00I can't get Tyler Clementi off my mind<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In case you don't know, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old university student committed suicide on 22 September. This was after his roommate posted footage on the internet of him making out with another man, resulting in great mockery.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la54vnhBeh1qb5w6t.jpg" target="_blank" title="Photo of Tyler Clementi" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What gets me is how hopeless and isolated Tyler must have felt - to jump off a bridge to his death. And even worse is some of the hate messages left on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tyler-Clementi-Memorial/151969961509412?ref=ts" target="_blank" title="Tyler Clementi Memorial Facebook page">Tyler Clementi Memorial Facebook page</a>. A sample:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"God says very clearly that homosexuality and suicide are mortal sins. TONIGHT TYLER DINES IN HELL."</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When there are many other things God defines as "mortal sins" as well and Jesus said no-one can judge another unless that person is blameless themself. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The point is that God loves us inspite of our sin. That He offers a life of freedom from sin. And that is the only hope any of us have.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What makes it worse is the episode of Glee that (coincidentally) aired a few days later, with Kurt Hummel declaring, "<em>God’s kind of a jerk, isn’t he? I mean, he makes me gay, then has his followers going around telling me it’s something that I chose. As if someone would choose to be mocked every single day of their life.</em>"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la54qdiWGs1qb5w6t.png" target="_blank" title="Kurt Hummel's God speech" /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">People need to get an understanding of God's goodness.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't know how or why anyone is who they are and why we feel the things we do. But I do know that God's dreams for you are greater even than your own. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I know that He wants you to live a fulfilled life and that that comes from knowing Him.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">God's followers disappoint Him all the time - probably more than those who don't follow Him. But He still loves us. Just like He loves you, no matter </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">who</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> you are, what you've </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">done</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> or what you </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">feel</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you're gay and think that God might be real, but don't know how to get the two to match up, <a href="http://www.exodusinternational.org/content/view/381/170/" target="_blank" title="Exodus International Contact page">talk to someone who's been there</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Trust me: </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">God is good. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And He made you for Him to love you.</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la54wnpUvj1qb5w6t.jpg" target="_blank" title="Billboard: God loves gay people" /></span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-37578252640961163642010-06-15T06:51:00.001+02:002010-06-15T07:05:00.705+02:00Promises, Promises<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What does it mean to respond to God's promises?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is it building your life as though God's promises are just facts? Rather than hoping that God might one day be in a good enough mood to maybe keep His word?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read <a href="http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2010/06/yep-theres-one-for-that.html" target="_blank" title="Yep, There's One For That | The Blazing Center">Yep, There’s One For That</a>, a blog post by Mark Altrogge of The Blazing Center, which explains why God's promises are better than iPhone apps.</span></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-58396373411239479622010-06-01T08:00:00.000+02:002010-06-01T08:00:14.966+02:00Growing RestlessA sure sign that I'm becoming restless is the need to change the CD every time I get into the car.<br />
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What do you do when you get restive?darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-89519330092904339702010-05-26T08:10:00.000+02:002010-05-26T08:10:59.820+02:00The Life Worth Living<span style="font-size: small;">"Don't tell me you need a life as well as/in addition to/away from this. <b>This is a life!</b>"<br />
<br />
This is what Donovan Coetzee, the South African national leader of the Assembly of God church group, once said about church. I love it. <br />
<br />
So often we say we can't serve at a church event or can't commit to a certain role at the church, because it will take up to much time and, "I do have a life too, you know!"<br />
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But you don't think it's acceptable to have a life away from your spouse, do you? <br />
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So how can it be that we need a life away from the most important relationship we'll ever have and the only relationship that will last into eternity?<br />
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This is a life. The only life worth living.</span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-53708634576694046672010-05-24T09:12:00.000+02:002010-05-24T09:12:28.037+02:00Merely God<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"It is at her centre, where her truest children dwell, that each communion is closest to every other in spirit, if not in doctrine. And this suggests that at the centre of each there is a something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks with the same voice."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;">- C.S. Lewis, <i>Mere Christianity</i></span></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-77215345595197496592010-05-20T07:46:00.000+02:002010-05-20T07:46:20.064+02:00No Debate (Part Four) - Just Choice<span style="font-size: small;">In giving us free will, God even allows us to choose whether to love Him or not. To return His love or not.<br />
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<b>Because He loved us first.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Wow.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
(1 John 4:19)</span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-84381345645986406872010-05-19T09:06:00.001+02:002010-05-19T10:59:54.911+02:00A Debate (Part Three) - God or God?<span style="font-size: small;">I had some difficulty deciding whether to publish this post or not; I realise it may come across as unsympathetic and offensive to some. So if you're going to read it, please read it through to the end before giving your final verdict. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">On Monday I spoke about Jesus healing a man born blind and how the disciples (and many of us) were blind to the point of the story – which was not the man's blindness, but rather Jesus' healing of him. <br />
<br />
Yesterday's post dealt with the question of God's fairness.<br />
<br />
Now if you're still not satisfied – if you still think, "Yes, but there are actual Biblical instances of God being unfair," then this post is for you. <br />
</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Exodus 20:4–6</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
"How is that fair to the poor, innocent children?" you may ask, "Why should they be punished for the sins of their parents?"<br />
<br />
Now I would point out that before God put this into action, He <i>warned </i>the people about it. This is, in fact, included in the Ten Commandments given to the Israelites. It was a direct consequence to their sin. If their children ended up cursed, it would be because of <i>their </i>disobedience, not because of God's unfairness. In this way, the parents were accountable for the lives of their children.<br />
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Let's also not forget the other side of the coin – the rewards promised to the descendants of the faithful in verse 6.<br />
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What else would you suggest God do to encourage obedience, after rescuing the people from slavery in Egypt and then watching them bow down to a golden farm animal? Perhaps God made this law to teach the Israelites about legacy – what had they been leaving for their children. After all, the generations to come would surely be more responsive, having suffered for their parents' sins and not want the same for <i>their</i> children to come.<br />
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And perhaps God knew that some, even if it were only a few, would respond <i>because </i>of their children. <b>If they wouldn't do it for themselves, they would it for their children. </b><br />
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And is it not true that most people today, whether they believe in God or not, still believe that <b>parents are and should be responsible for their children</b>?<br />
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Thank the Lord that Jesus abolished this law when he died in atonement for our sins. <br />
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And with that God turned the whole law on its head – instead of punishing the sinners' children, He sent <i>His</i> <b>only </b>Son to be punished for the sins of every single person ever to have breathed the air of this earth.<br />
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If you still have doubts or questions, feel free to ask/comment. I don't have all the answers, but maybe we can figure them out together.</span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-89383159352621519702010-05-18T07:57:00.000+02:002010-05-18T07:57:59.900+02:00A Debate (Part Two) - Justice or Fairness?<span style="font-size: small;">You may remember that in my last post I mentioned an attempt was made at distinguishing justice from fairness. <br />
<br />
Now, when it comes to justice and fairness, I don't believe there is a difference. And there doesn't seem to be a distinction between the two in God's Word: different versions of the Bible translate the same Aramaic word as either "just" or "fair", implying that these words mean the same and are interchangeable. Similarly, the Oxford Thesaurus* list "just" and "fair" as synonyms for each other and the Oxford Dictionary* defines the word "just" as "right or fair; deserved".<br />
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Case closed. Yet there is still doubt as to God's true justice.<br />
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An example used in our Life Group session to explain God's justice was as follows:<br />
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"If you picture God as a parent (which He in fact is, in a supernatural, heavenly sense – something to ponder), at dinnertime He will stand with a big bowl of dessert and dish up equal amounts for each of His children."<br />
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Now, while I fully believe that God loves each of us equally, I do not agree with this analogy.<br />
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I know that we live in an imperfect world and we are not all going to get the same opportunities, talents or rewards. For that matter, we are not all going to experience the same challenges, setbacks or heartaches either.<br />
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But God does promise that we will never get more than we can handle (good – Matthew 25:29 & Luke 12:48 – or bad – 1 Corinthians 10:13).<br />
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God also gave us free will for us to make our own decisions and so much of what we experience is due to the choices made by ourselves and others.<br />
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God does not micro-manage our lives. He does not tell us where to work, who to be friends with or who to marry.<br />
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Going back to the example of earlier, God as a parent at dinnertime will hand the whole bowl of dessert over to His children and say, "Here you go, divide this up amongst yourselves and make sure you all get an equal amount". <br />
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<b>Whether we listen to Him and share equally is up to us.</b> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Oxford University Press. 2007. Oxford Paperback Dictionary & Thesaurus. Oxford, Great Britain. 331, 502.</i></span></span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-66118515822980375132010-05-17T08:07:00.004+02:002010-05-17T14:07:43.246+02:00A Debate (Part One) - Blind or Blind?<span style="font-size: small;">So here's that post on the phenomenal Life Group discussion</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: small;">*</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I mentioned in my last post.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We started out with John 9:1-5, the account of Jesus healing a man who'd been born blind. The focus was supposed to be on the difference between the disciples' reaction to meeting the blind man and Jesus' reaction. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The disciples immediately assumed that the blind man was being punished for sin - his parents or his own - but Jesus, who for obvious reasons had a better understanding of God's true nature, said that "this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">At this point we all got side-tracked with a debate over the fairness of God. How can God be fair if He made this blind just so that His glory could be revealed?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(An assertion was made that there is a difference between fairness and justice – so that God could be just, but not fair, which is a whole other discussion about one's understanding of language and one's definition of "fairness" and "justice".) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">But I believe that the crux of this debate boils down to a misinterpretation of Scripture: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After Jesus said that this had happened so that God's glory could be revealed, he began speaking about his own role, and the disciples' roles (indeed our roles, if we are followers of Christ), in doing what they'd been called to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This would suggest that when Jesus said, "this happened so that God's glory might be displayed," the "this" he was referring to was not, in fact, the man's blindness, but Jesus' actual encounter with the man.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The man was not made blind so that he could be healed and so reveal God's glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Jesus meeting and healing the blind man happened so that God's glory might be displayed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The man being blind was merely a result of living in a fallen world that is imperfect and flawed. How many other blind people have there been on this earth that never got healed? Does that mean that God "made" them blind for nothing? Of all the blind people in this world, Jesus met this man and healed him. It was not his blindness that glorified God, but his healing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*On a side note: using Twitter and Facebook gets you so addicted to certain things. I find myself wanting to "Like" or "ReTweet" every comment I see on the Web, and I totally wanted to #hashtag the #phenomenalLifeGroupDiscussion!</i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">A Debate (Part Two)</span><span style="color: black;"> coming tomorrow. </span></span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-47875984069205450042010-05-13T07:31:00.002+02:002010-05-18T08:00:25.779+02:00Fill Up<span style="font-size: small;">I went to Life Group for the first time in AGES on Tuesday night. Very unspiritual of me, I know. And after Tuesday's session I just wanted to kick myself. I'd forgotten how much I was missing out on!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">On the drive home, I ended up apologising profusely – and unexpectedly – to God. Out of nowhere this instinctive remorse came flooding out, "I'm sorry, Lord, for skipping Life Group! I'm so, so sorry, because I know that I would never gotten up to all that rubbish that I did if I had been filling myself up with You more often!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>And only once the words had left my mouth did I realise how true they were. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">James Murray, a youth pastor from C3 Church in Australia, was the guest speaker at our church conference recently. I remember him saying in one of the sessions that sometimes we attempt giving God our lives, but we hold on to certain areas that we either don't want to give up or that we don't trust God to handle it as well as we might (we can really be dim sometimes). We wonder why particular areas of our lives are continually hampered by sin that we can't seem to shake off.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">What really stood out to me – now <b>listen carefully</b> – is what he said next:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"Sin will have no way of filling your life if it's <b>already filled with God</b>. That's why it is so important to be filling yourself constantly through prayer, church, reading God's Word and meeting up with other Christians." </span></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Okay, that is slightly paraphrased, but the gist is spot on. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And I can tell you from first-hand experience how true it is. There will be no room for sin in your life if all the space is taken up by the things of God. I can also now tell how true the opposite is: how quickly sin pervades your life when you stop seeking the right things. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Believe me, the struggle and the guilt and the heartache of having to overcome that (all over again), is not worth a few days' worth of rebellion.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Draw near to God – every day – and He <i>will </i>draw near to you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">That's a promise. From Him in James 4:8. And unlike us, He <b>always </b>keeps His promises. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I had meant to tell you about our discussion in that phenomenal Life Group session and here this post has turned out totally different. Guess I'll have to right another one. Watch this space.</span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-38533970436048010922010-05-11T13:31:00.001+02:002010-05-18T08:00:42.615+02:00What Happened To Our Souls?<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"Does it ever give thee pause that men used to have a soul – not by hearsay alone, or as a figure of speech; but as a truth they knew, and acted upon! Verily it was another world then … but yet it is a pity we have lost the tidings of our souls … we shall have to go in search of them again, or worse in all ways shall befall us."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Thomas Carlyle, <i>Past and Present</i>; cited by Mary Ann Shaffer in <i>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society </i></span></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-84702855672551589952010-05-10T07:58:00.001+02:002010-05-18T08:01:16.230+02:00Sorry<span style="font-size: small;">Have you ever said or done something to someone that you wholeheartedly apologised for? But all they'll say in return is, "Sorry's not good enough". And because you're so hard on yourself, you mostly agree with them. What can you ever do to make up for it?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Well, guess what, folks:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Your sorry is good enough for God.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"If we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;">- 1 John 1:9 </span></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-64377324948714476672010-04-08T15:56:00.000+02:002010-04-08T15:56:41.297+02:00Make The Studio Bigger<blockquote>You guys hear what happened in Ventersdorp the day the court case started?<br />
<br />
Apparently the cops had to separate everyone with barbed wire - all the whites were singing <i>Die Stem</i>, all the blacks were singing <i>Kill the Boer</i> … and the 6 coloureds there were in the middle singing <i>Make the Circle Beega</i>!!</blockquote><br />
Don't know who came up with this joke, but they deserve an award!darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-60131577382571069722010-04-08T08:14:00.003+02:002010-04-08T10:25:19.021+02:00The Twitter CrusadeOne thing that's a little creepy and sucks much is when you seem to be the only person on Twitter - IN THE WORLD!!!<br />
<br />
I'm having one of these moments this morning. For the past 10 (ten) minutes, my updates are the ONLY ones showing in my news feed - even though i'm following 210 people!!<br />
<br />
<i>Where is everyone?</i><br />
<br />
The lame thing about this predicament is that i end up feeling like a total random babbler.<br />
<br />
One of those people who just NEVER stop talking and they ramble on and on without even pausing to take a breath and nobody else ever has a the slightest chance of getting something in even edge-ways and they end up being a loser with no friends.<br />
<br />
<b>So what am i going to do about it?</b><br />
<br />
i am going to start a Twitter Crusade (<a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23TwitterCrusade" target="_blank" title="The Twitter Crusade">#TwitterCrusade</a> ftw!).<br />
<br />
Over the next few days everyone on Twitter must Tweet me the name of ONE person they are going to recruit to Twitter. And when that person joins, i will PERSONALLY send a shoutout of their username and YOU, the person who recruited them, getting them (and you) a GAZILLION followers. Well, i'll try. In the words of Shayne Ward: no promises. Just remember, keeping the followers is up to you and your Tweets.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc_-pvF8Mz-wMhdijzqh9cu0BsPNR6V9JR4whEtAo1FTZeXzdi6A8VTDyzg0tsDPqvpiGnLie7K6uMfSb71HttaLwIsVk6k7S3ub9LvruJJssVSwLGH3nPursoBIo6WZIEWP5lodEXrRQ/s1600-h/twittercrusade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc_-pvF8Mz-wMhdijzqh9cu0BsPNR6V9JR4whEtAo1FTZeXzdi6A8VTDyzg0tsDPqvpiGnLie7K6uMfSb71HttaLwIsVk6k7S3ub9LvruJJssVSwLGH3nPursoBIo6WZIEWP5lodEXrRQ/s320/twittercrusade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-91019000993805790282010-03-17T08:03:00.001+02:002010-03-17T09:23:15.962+02:00Moodswings and Other Things<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Do you ever get into weird moods? So that you don't know whether to laugh or get angry?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like sometimes when i'm driving i drive purposely on the shoulder, so that people will flash their hazards at me as they pass. Just because i love hearing people say thank you. It makes me feel accomplished, but then i think about it and i realise i must be mad ("<a href="http://heartflicks.blogspot.com/2010/03/alice-in-wonderland-review.html" target="_blank" title="Alice In Wonderland Review">but then all the best people are</a>"). </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Or when i go to the supermarket to buy something small, like a chocolate or one bottle of juice. I stand at the express till, that only handles customers with ten items or less, and then there's someone in front of me with a fully loaded trolley. Or a basket that looks suspiciously full. "That surely can't be just ten items!"</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So as they're unpacking their items onto the counter i count them, one by one. I always catch myself doing this and i have to laugh. Or even just smile ruefully at myself. (Sometimes i do laugh out loud and then people look at me like i'm the loon. <i>He</i>'s the one standing in the wrong queue!)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But on a really bad day, when the person has precisely ten items and then they ask the cashier to add a packet, i want to point an accusing finger, "<b>Aha</b>! That's <b><i>eleven</i></b> items! Please move; you're in my <i>way</i>! Can't you see this is an <b><i>express queue</i></b>???!!!" </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course i never do that. Because it's rude. And because it actually doesn't matter. For every one person who disobeys the express checkout rule, there are nine others who obey it. (Or maybe more than that. I don't know. Someone should research it.)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most days i don't even notice their overburdened baskets. Other days i'm just in a mood that wants to attack unsuspecting supermarket offenders. (Even though i've personally done much worse. Although not in a supermarket.)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">What situation gets you so riled up that you don't know whether to laugh or cry?</span></b></div><div id="seolinx-tooltip" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); display: none; margin: 0pt; opacity: 0.9; padding: 0pt; position: absolute; width: auto; z-index: 99999;"><table style="border-collapse: separate; border: 0pt none; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; width: auto;"><tbody>
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<tr><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://toolbarqueries.google.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> PR: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="0" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Google pagerank">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.google.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> I: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="1" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Google index">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.google.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> L: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="2" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Google links">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> LD: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="12" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Yahoo linkdomain">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.bing.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> I: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="20" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Bing index">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="40" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Sitemap.xml">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.semrush.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> Rank: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="41" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="SEMRush Rank">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.semrush.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> Traffic: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="42" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="SEMRush SE Traffic">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://www.semrush.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> Price: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="43" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="SEMRush SE Traffic price">wait...</a></td><td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(240, 240, 240); border: 1px solid gray; color: darkgreen; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><img height="12px" src="http://siteanalytics.compete.com/favicon.ico" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="12px" /> C: <a href="javascript:{}" seolinx-param-index="108" seolinx-type="param" style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" title="Compete Rank">wait...</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></td><td id="seolinx-tooltip-close" style="border: 0pt none; cursor: pointer; margin: 0pt; padding: 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" title="close"><img src="chrome://seoquake/content/skin/close.gif" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-5552740179269009072010-03-12T06:49:00.004+02:002010-03-15T16:31:18.172+02:00Art or Porn?<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What distinguishes one book, film or picture as art from another that's merely pornography?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some friends and i are going to watch the Oscar-nominated movie, <a href="http://nine-movie.com/" target="_blank" title="Nine Film"><i>Nine</i></a>, this weekend (</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a title="Nine Movie Review | Heartflicks Blog" href="http://heartflicks.blogspot.com/2010/03/nine-review.html" target="_blank">my review of <i>Nine</i></a> will be up on my <a href="http://heartflicks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Heartflicks Film Review Blog">Heartflicks Film Review Blog</a> on Monday</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">), despite some people's reservations that it's "just soft porn" and "a bit dodgy". These misgivings were countered with comments that it's actually art that inspires and demands serious talent. While you can't really judge much from the previews, in some ways it does seem like a musical excuse to be smutty. But you can't really tell until you've seen it – and if it's been made by some seriously gifted people and has been nominated for awards, it surely can't be just bad?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Which makes me wonder: <b>what determines the difference between art and pornography?</b> What makes one film a cultured flick and another a blue movie? What makes one nude portrait an artwork and another a dirty picture?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Is it the motivation of the producer for creating it? Is it the quality/skill/technique of the execution? Or is it the intentions of the audience in watching it?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So what do you think makes it art or porn?</span></b></span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-9547301589752662912010-03-09T14:08:00.001+02:002010-03-09T14:27:32.325+02:00How Do You Plead?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Innocent until proven guilty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This principle assumes that the average person is naturally innocent. But in fact, anyone that's ever been put on trial is undeniably guilty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Perhaps not guilty of the crime they're accused of, but certainly guilty of something.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Guilty of kicking the neighbour's dog. Or of stealing the boss's pen. Or of having naughty thoughts about the girl across the road.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was listening to Sarah McLachlan's song, <i>Adia</i>, the other day. The lyrics go, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"...we were born innocent;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> believe me, Adia, we are still innocent"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A beautiful song with beautiful sentiments, but it troubled me, because it got me thinking about babies.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A baby is surely the most innocent being on the planet – yet are babies really born innocent when we are all born into sin? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For "by the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners" (Romans 5:12–21, vs19). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Does that mean a baby is guilty at birth even before his first 'personal' sin?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I guess that's where God's grace comes in. A grace that is even greater than the sin. A grace that makes us all alive, even though we were dead. (1 Corinthians 15:22)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A grace that makes us innocent, regardless of the evidence.</span><br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVhgV5d9DesPgwbzVMbMw1FulUKsZiF4jKLcTxi0SQl66Q6DU0vFsAjdpGu0vuGef6skOs-fM9DtMGGldypnv2YUunH8PBmmjDVwz0yg7Ix6JBpjHRVE7qP8vBqfax7n7oxLdTQcM6MyM/s1600-h/Guilty+Grace+Heartwords+Blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVhgV5d9DesPgwbzVMbMw1FulUKsZiF4jKLcTxi0SQl66Q6DU0vFsAjdpGu0vuGef6skOs-fM9DtMGGldypnv2YUunH8PBmmjDVwz0yg7Ix6JBpjHRVE7qP8vBqfax7n7oxLdTQcM6MyM/s400/Guilty+Grace+Heartwords+Blog.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-69841014197338119942010-03-04T08:21:00.001+02:002010-03-04T09:01:00.421+02:00You Get More Than What You See<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Like millions of others i saw the movie Avatar. And like millions of others i loved it.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One of my favourite things about Avatar is that expression the Na'vi people have: "i see you".</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To them it means much more than just seeing one's outward physical appearance. To the Na'vi it means seeing into a person's heart. It is recognition and acknowledgement of one's worth and one's potential. It is affirmation not just of who you are, but of all that you can be.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How often do we "see" the people around us?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Really</i> see them?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Do you see the gifts and talents of your friends? Do you take note of your employees' potential? Are you aware of your boss's leadership skills? Do you appreciate your partner's true value?</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI96msZTh40cCjVVlprwlM0z8ovcqVQarJGYIUDgU8ICcUu1XV0IVkL_SCbQnCJ6fSFDWTqHbm9rFlU-ejER_HyO-sXAVszLWGXgEJOS0ZAgCt00BzL3yhJpOrPBQxQzqCnitGptKdLEtg/s1600-h/You+Get+More+Than+What+You+See+Heartwords+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI96msZTh40cCjVVlprwlM0z8ovcqVQarJGYIUDgU8ICcUu1XV0IVkL_SCbQnCJ6fSFDWTqHbm9rFlU-ejER_HyO-sXAVszLWGXgEJOS0ZAgCt00BzL3yhJpOrPBQxQzqCnitGptKdLEtg/s320/You+Get+More+Than+What+You+See+Heartwords+Blog.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Even in searching for that one person to share your life with, do you really see what is right in front of you? We meet so many people, but no-one seems to measure up to our standards, so we keep looking. There must be something better out there.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But is it really that everyone we've met has fallen short – or is it just that we haven't really seen them for all that they are?</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And if we can't see a person for who they're created to be, can we really appreciate them as we should? </span></span>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-76061783459130348742010-03-02T08:13:00.001+02:002010-03-02T08:13:43.718+02:00Crime and Punishment<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Often times have i heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But i say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each one of you, </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all...</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ay, and he falls for those ahead of him, who, though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone."</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">-Kahlil Gibran, <i>The Prophet</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0eVQhgggFg3plUsYxtl6EgEbbHzuagVkY0QD4_ctmRxEhy96r8GIUmDU7NJRXhA_xfE_YQTh2-tzxZK9sE4GjToGiuhiDKGu_HueczEsKHlLOf552RLIcEheXbVx9UGMFlHFdYZX855i/s1600-h/Crime+and+Punishment+Heartwords+Blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0eVQhgggFg3plUsYxtl6EgEbbHzuagVkY0QD4_ctmRxEhy96r8GIUmDU7NJRXhA_xfE_YQTh2-tzxZK9sE4GjToGiuhiDKGu_HueczEsKHlLOf552RLIcEheXbVx9UGMFlHFdYZX855i/s400/Crime+and+Punishment+Heartwords+Blog.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-84434916769686963692010-03-01T07:12:00.002+02:002010-03-01T07:28:43.853+02:00Mightier Than The Sword<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I love pencils. The smell of them. Their smooth roughness. The way you can really see when one's been working hard, because a stub is all that's left of it.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When i sit down to write i usually write in pencil first. A pencil makes me feel creative. A pencil gets my mind rolling and wandering. I can doodle in pencil. I can draw in pencil. I can scribble and scratch and sketch in pencil.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And it's not about the flexibility – i don't user erasers. There's nothing more gratifying than seeing a pencil-filled page with scratched out lines and circled lines and lines with arrows directing them to a different paragraph. It's the mark of a job well done.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I love pencils so much, even my <i>name</i> is daryl<u><b><i>hb</i></b></u>!</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some of the wisest advice i've ever heard is that if you want to have a day of rest, do only what you love and nothing that riles you up. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I love writing, but the minute i switch a laptop on, my mind shifts to work mode. Pens induce exam stress. But pencils. Pencils get me in touch with my inner child. My alter artiste. My hidden bard. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And a sharp-pointed pencil is the clearest metaphor for the power and frailty of words.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3XfxQFH8aTldOHOt6nXl2XLCvQtqimszDkI-bvhetpwua5NoK_haXZjqdOSDg20jYUaq7baXqJdpwzMm1x2HMDH_e8I8wmzSJuzGKRxzhSFXxEmBHHOXrLD3WScvXA3hU5UV29gEV6mR/s1600-h/The+Pencil+Is+Mightier+Than+The+Sword+Heartwords+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3XfxQFH8aTldOHOt6nXl2XLCvQtqimszDkI-bvhetpwua5NoK_haXZjqdOSDg20jYUaq7baXqJdpwzMm1x2HMDH_e8I8wmzSJuzGKRxzhSFXxEmBHHOXrLD3WScvXA3hU5UV29gEV6mR/s400/The+Pencil+Is+Mightier+Than+The+Sword+Heartwords+Blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>darylhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09378311817878276948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205337518286586919.post-72011777734771450892010-02-25T09:14:00.000+02:002010-02-25T09:14:41.996+02:00Heartverse<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Yes, i know. <i>Another </i>blog. But it's really not doing you or me any good to have everything jumbled here on one poor, over-burdened blog page. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, as of today, my poems will now be published on my <a href="http://heartverse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Heartverse Poetry Blog">Heartverse Poetry Blog</a>. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What's more, i've gone back to (half) my roots and tried my hand at an Afrikaans poem. Ironically, it has an English title – it's called <a href="http://heartverse.blogspot.com/2010/02/roadtrippin.html" target="_blank" title="Roadtrippin' | Heartverse Poetry Blog">Roadtrippin'</a>.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can still stay tuned in here for my rantings and ramblings and musings and outpourings of stuff that is in my head and in my heart. </span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thanks for reading. </span></span><br />
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