Aptiva

The follower of the carpenter called Paul tells us, in his letter to the Phillippians Phil 4:11-13 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  13 For I can do everything through Christ, c  who gives me strength.  Ancient followers of Jesus understood long ago the need for Spiritual disciplines to train the body, mind and spirit. These disciplines are now becoming more understood and applied to the generation of Christ followers. Gone is the format of acting in a certain way due to duty or history. Replaced by the call, to comprehend and apply the relationship with the Holy Spirt as He always desires us to. This call to contentment can only be acted upon if we as followers truly believe this a goal able to be reached. We need to conside...

The Carpenter tells us that with his resurrection the comforter can come, in fact, it is recorded that in John 20:19  "That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Yet despite this event, we also acknowledge that the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in power during the day of Pentecost. From here we see that He reveals Himself to the Samaritans (Acts 8), and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10).It can be argued this staged process was necessary to convince a people (the Jewish nation and ...

A popular website encourages you to find a new career, or upgrade the one you have, it exists for this purpose (and to make a profit from you doing so),  it's desire is to make you put your energies towards this goal. The Jewish carpenter has a more profound purpose, for you to "seek first the Kingdom of God." The Carpenter is smart, for those who embark on this journey will come to realise it's not a "been there, done that" sort of adventure, one in which you find the "Kingdom of God" then move on. The Kingdom of God is all absorbing, it's pursuit is life changing, and it's realm ever expanding. To truly find one part of it, only begs the question, "what's around the next corner?" We move towards deeper understanding and deeper experience. To quote C.S. Lewis, "Further up and Further in" There is no other pursuit, there is no other seeking, for all else pales by comparison. This is the secret that those who take Jes...

Dear Reader, we can often confuse what forgiveness looks like. I am not talking about forgiving others in this post. I am talking about those who ask for forgiveness. Is it genuine, how can you tell? The world has long learnt that saying "sorry" is a required expression for extrapolating oneself from consequence, and it has been employed many times. In the media, this has become a chosen profession with "Spin Doctors" hired by celebrities who have made unpopular actions. Barely a week goes by without some high profile person apologising, promising to change, and then running off to some clinic or other to clean themselves up. Do not misunderstand me, those who have erred, particularly about drugs and alcohol need help. Yet we need to look deeper than the world would go. A follower of the Christ has come to understand two truths. First, that their life and their failings of sin bring about a sense of sorrow. This is a deep heartfelt understanding of what ...

Romans 12:13 says, "Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. There are many places in this world that we could consider inhospitable, and that given a choice, we would prefer not to visit or reside within. Most that spring to mind have extremes of temperature, Deserts, or Ice flows. Some are downright lethal, such as areas where deadly gases exist, or contrary to our ongoing welfare, being found in the middle of a shark infest ocean might fulfil these criteria. All these examples are natural phenomena, but we invent plenty of our own. War zones aplenty exist, and persecution based on creed, colour, sex is rife. To find a place where one can reside in freedom and peace becomes a goal for many. To find a place where one feel welcome, to find a place where one can know, and be known is a blessing. To fully understand the depths of the heart of God we need to look at the deepest practice of Hospitality as understood from a biblical perspective. ...

Many seek sanctuary in the world. Most will fail to realise the word stems from "Sanctus" meaning Holy. Sanctuary conjures images of peaceful rainforests, with water drifting down. The perfect amount of heat at the right time of day. A place where the worries of this world are gone. Where threat is non-existent. None who seek harm are allowed into a sanctuary. Its inhabitants are those who sought and found peace. Who have chosen the path to leave the cares of the world behind. Yet this image can be misleading, for true peace is only found within the freedom of Jesus. The carpenter, by his sacrifice offers freedom from our sins. This acceptance by ourselves of the saving act, provides the sanctuary we so crave in our normal lives, it shows it is found in the life of the Christ. In turn we come to comprehend who we are "In Christ" Sanctuary can only exists when the inside of the person is at peace, and once attained, the outside matters little.

As I write, a Dam in America is under threat of bursting. Years of drought, followed by heavy rainfall has made use of the "spill lane" necessary for the first time in years, and it has failed. Authorities are warning residents in the potential flood zone and then helping them to evacuate to safer ground. The residents are taking what they can, but leaving their most expensive (not necessarily most valuable) assets, their houses, behind. I cannot comprehend what they are going through, but I admire they are taking the warning seriously and doing something about it. It must be hard for those carrying this warning to find their words are ignored by those who simply won't believe.I don't know the legal laws in the country, but I wonder when the authorities have the ability to force relocation.  As one who has chosen to follow the Carpenter, I know the fate I have now avoided. Where once my life was heading towards a place without God (Hell), now my eternity is to b...