Psalm 100: 1-2 : Juig tot eer van die Here, almal op aarde! Dien die Here met blydskap! Kom voor Hom met gejubel!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

On death and dying (3)

Probably the most reassuring words for Christians regarding death, is found in John 11, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Verse 25 and 26 says: "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, even though he dies like everyone else, shall live again, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die". How wonderful to know that in life hereafter, we who believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, will be together.

Paul uses other words to say almost the same: 1 Corinthians 15: 54-55: "Death is swallowed up in vicctory... Death where is your sting? " HALLELUJAH!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

On death and dying (2)

Everybody IS going to die, sooner or later ... that's a fact! Some know beforehand, like Ruben Kruger of whom I wrote in a previous posting, for others, death come suddenly, like my late husband and 13-year old son, who died in an aeroplane crash. It is us who are left behind, that have "problems" with the issue of death and dying... funny, isn't it ;)))

I have often wondered, if I had a choice, would I like to know, like Ruben, or would I prefer to be taken suddenly?

Thank heaven for friends!

Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.' Thank YOU for being my friend!


Vir hierdie oudtjie is Afrikaans BAIE belangrik, daar in verre London....

Taal is ook belangrik...

Daar woed 'n hewige taaldebat oor Afrikaans in SA op die oomblik. Is taal belangrik? Ek dink beslis so.

Met die uitstorting van die Heilige Gees word gepraat van ‘n “tale wonder” . Nadat die dissipels in tale begin praat het, was mense uit ander lande verwonderd daaroor dat hulle die dissipels in hul eie taal kon hoor praat (Hand. 2:8).

Wat ek nog altyd oor gewonder is, waarom het God nie 'n "hoor-wonder" gedoen, en maar net vir die hoorders dit moontlik gemaak om te verstaan wat gesê word nie?

Ek dink dit was omdat God tog ook die God van verskeidenheid is . Openb 5:9 sê ook duidelik: “ Toe sing hulle ‘n nuwe lied en sê: U is waardig om die boek te neem en sy seëls oop te maak, want U is geslag en het ons vir God met u bloed gekoop uit elke stam en taal en volk en nasie.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Triumphing over adversity...

My previous posting on Ruben is one example of many, where Christians' faith helped them to be triumphant in the most adverse circumstances, just like Job and Joseph in the Bible. Here is another example :

http://bobwieland.com/new_site/index.php

Thursday, January 28, 2010

On death and dying

Former Free State, Northern Transvaal and Springbok flanker Ruben Kruger passed away on the evening of Wednesday 27 January after losing his long running battle with brain cancer. (Read more here: http://www.sarugby.com/news/News/article/sid=12930.html )
Ruben’s death raises questions with some people. He was an outspoken Christian, and after being diagnosed with cancer about 10 years ago, he visited a prophet with healing powers. Ruben and his family firmly believed that he had been healed. The question now is, did God not answer his prayers? Was he healed indeed or not? I believe that he wás healed. 10 years is a long to live, if the prognosis at the outset was a year.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Bible may have been written centuries earlier ......

Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing — an inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of King David's reign.

The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. (The Bible's Old Testament is thought to have been first written down in an ancient form of Hebrew.)

Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month.

"It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text.

BCE stands for "before common era," and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ.

The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel's Elah valley. The excavations were carried out by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At first, scientists could not tell if the writing was Hebrew or some other local language.

Read here:
http://holycoast.blogspot.com/2010/01/bible-may-have-been-written-centuries.html

and here:
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/15544-Bible_Possibly_Written_Centuries_Earlier__Text_Suggests

Thursday, January 21, 2010

"Omstrede" Trojaanse perd in VOLKSBLAD...

Omstrede boek oor kerk bekend gestel
2010-12-02 00:27

K aren Ebersohn
’n Omstrede boek oor teologiese veranderinge in die kerk en die ingrypende implikasies wat dit het op sake soos die gesag en die gebruik van die Bybel, homoseksualiteit, saambly en die huwelik, het pas verskyn.
Die boek, Die Trojaanse Perd in die NG Kerk – die kanker van evolusie en liberalisme, is deur ’n groep besorgde lidmate en predikante uit die NG Kerk saamgestel.
En ja, die boek is dalk omstrede en sal mense skok, waarsku die skrywers.
Drs. Henrietta Klaasing, met ’n doktorsgraad in teologie, en Hennie Mouton, ’n ingenieur van Pretoria, is die samestellers en medeskrywers.
Mouton sê die boek is om NG lidmate te kry om na Bybelse waarhede terug te keer.
“Daar word gekyk na hoe die ommekeer in Skrifbeskouing ook nie Skrifkritiek en Skrifgebruik onaangetas gelaat het nie. Dit het tot gevolg dat Bybelwaarhede soos die opstanding van Christus, Sy maagdelike geboorte, Sy Godheid en selfs Sy plaasvervangende sterwe, verloën word.”
Hy sê die vrae kan gevra word of die hart van die evangelie nie uitgeruk is nie.
“Die liberale aanslag het verdoemende gevolge op vele terreine. Die hantering van homoseksualiteit word in die boek bespreek as voorbeeld van die gevolge van verkeerde besluite aangaande Skrifbeskouing.”
Mouton sê met postmodernistiese liberalisme bedoel hy dit is die verskynsel dat die Bybel nie meer as die Woord van God beskou word nie. Ook dat daar predikers in die kerk is wat vrae het oor Jesus as Verlosser.
“Die boek kan dalk sommige mense skok. Ons bespreek voorbeelde soos evolusie en homoseksualiteit en noem die name van mense wat dit verkondig. Maar ons doel is nie om mense sleg te sê nie, ons heg ook verwysings aan en staaf ons motiverings.”
Hy sê hulle glo ook nie die hele NG Kerk hou hom met dwaalleer op nie.
“Maar daar is beslis sommige leraars en professors wat daarmee besig is, soos dié wat twyfel of Jesus werklik opgestaan het. Ons glo hulle is besig met dwaalleer.”
Oor hoe die boek ontstaan het, sê Mouton, die skrywers is almal mense wat gereeld deelneem aan gesprekke oor kerksake.
“Ons het reeds soveel inligting oor ’n verskeidenheid onderwerpe versamel en het besluit om dit in boekvorm uit te bring.”
Die ander skrywers is ds. Gideon Aggenbag, ’n emeritus-predikant, mnr. Daniel Louw, ’n ingenieur, ds. Jan Louw, NG predikant op Secunda, dr. Koos Visser, ’n mediese spesialis, en ds. Hanan Viljoen, emeritus-predikant.
Vir meer inligting of bestellings besoek die webtuiste, http://www.glodiebybel.co.za/.
- Volksblad

She sees and draws heaven from the age of four...

Drawing Heaven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmm-0-Rdxo8

Akaine Kramarik.A God given talent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNV0vV5vBWA

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Trojaanse perd "omstrede" genoem in Volksblad...

Omstrede boek oor kerk bekend gestel
2010-12-02 00:27

K aren Ebersohn
’n Omstrede boek oor teologiese veranderinge in die kerk en die ingrypende implikasies wat dit het op sake soos die gesag en die gebruik van die Bybel, homoseksualiteit, saambly en die huwelik, het pas verskyn.
Die boek, Die Trojaanse Perd in die NG Kerk – die kanker van evolusie en liberalisme, is deur ’n groep besorgde lidmate en predikante uit die NG Kerk saamgestel.
En ja, die boek is dalk omstrede en sal mense skok, waarsku die skrywers.
Drs. Henrietta Klaasing, met ’n doktorsgraad in teologie, en Hennie Mouton, ’n ingenieur van Pretoria, is die samestellers en medeskrywers.
Mouton sê die boek is om NG lidmate te kry om na Bybelse waarhede terug te keer.
“Daar word gekyk na hoe die ommekeer in Skrifbeskouing ook nie Skrifkritiek en Skrifgebruik onaangetas gelaat het nie. Dit het tot gevolg dat Bybelwaarhede soos die opstanding van Christus, Sy maagdelike geboorte, Sy Godheid en selfs Sy plaasvervangende sterwe, verloën word.”
Hy sê die vrae kan gevra word of die hart van die evangelie nie uitgeruk is nie.
“Die liberale aanslag het verdoemende gevolge op vele terreine. Die hantering van homoseksualiteit word in die boek bespreek as voorbeeld van die gevolge van verkeerde besluite aangaande Skrifbeskouing.”
Mouton sê met postmodernistiese liberalisme bedoel hy dit is die verskynsel dat die Bybel nie meer as die Woord van God beskou word nie. Ook dat daar predikers in die kerk is wat vrae het oor Jesus as Verlosser.
“Die boek kan dalk sommige mense skok. Ons bespreek voorbeelde soos evolusie en homoseksualiteit en noem die name van mense wat dit verkondig. Maar ons doel is nie om mense sleg te sê nie, ons heg ook verwysings aan en staaf ons motiverings.”
Hy sê hulle glo ook nie die hele NG Kerk hou hom met dwaalleer op nie.
“Maar daar is beslis sommige leraars en professors wat daarmee besig is, soos dié wat twyfel of Jesus werklik opgestaan het. Ons glo hulle is besig met dwaalleer.”
Oor hoe die boek ontstaan het, sê Mouton, die skrywers is almal mense wat gereeld deelneem aan gesprekke oor kerksake.
“Ons het reeds soveel inligting oor ’n verskeidenheid onderwerpe versamel en het besluit om dit in boekvorm uit te bring.”
Die ander skrywers is ds. Gideon Aggenbag, ’n emeritus-predikant, mnr. Daniel Louw, ’n ingenieur, ds. Jan Louw, NG predikant op Secunda, dr. Koos Visser, ’n mediese spesialis, en ds. Hanan Viljoen, emeritus-predikant.
Vir meer inligting of bestellings besoek die webtuiste, http://www.glodiebybel.co.za/.
- Volksblad

"Evolution a rotten apple..."

Read a striking sentence the other day: " Evolution is a rotten apple that soils the thouggts of a believer..." Food for thought, isn't it?

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"Theistic evolionism" - an oxymoron...

Many Christians call themselves "theistic evolutionists" while it is impossible to be both at the same time. The Bible cannot be reconciled with evolution.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Amnesty...

Granting amnesty to Eugene de Kock (the so-called "appartheid murderer") is currently the talk of the town here in SA , mostly in connection with the pending amnesty to Shabir Shaik. We as Christians should be familiar with it, being pardoned ourselves by the grace of God on the grounds of Christ's death on the cross.

Other instances come to mind: the baker and the cup-bearer in the story of Joseph, but particularly the story of Barabas, who was pardoned by Pilate in the place of Jesus ......

Sunday, January 17, 2010

“Something is in nothing”

An empty room is deceptive: it only SEEMS empty. Actually, it is filled with music, images, noises. This only becomes evident when a “receiver” is turned on: something like a TV, radio or even cell phone. When this is done, nothingness turns into something. In the same way we must be spiritually receptive for God’s revelation knowledge.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

"The possiblility of unperceived existence"

A well-known philosophical question goes like this: "If a tree fell in a forest, and no one heard it, did it fall?" That is where the exression: "The possibility of unperceived existence" comes from. From Grey's Ellegy : "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air"

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Where does my help come from?

In Ps 121 the psalmist asks where his help comes from and then answers his own question : that his help comes from the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth. Ons has the utmost sympathy with the stricken people of Haiti, because of the massive earth quake, but one wonders where they pray for help : according to Operation World, Haiti was dedicated to satan in the year 1791.....

Monday, January 11, 2010

Can evolutionists be Christians?

Or: Can Christians be evolutionists? I know there are debates about defining evolution, so I will stick to "Darwinistic evolution". How does one's belief in this fundamentalistic evolution influence one's views of the Bible?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

What an amazing promise!

"I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax my hold on you) - [Assuredly not!]" - Hebr 13 vers 6 , laaste deel, Amplified Bible.


Do we need anything more than such a promise at the beginning of an unknown "Twenty Ten" ?