He Crowns the Year with His Goodness…

Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout, yea, they sing.

~Psalm 65

Joy to the World the Lord is Come!

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

~Psalm 98

Blessed Is She

Editors’ note: this week we have a song suggested by Anne. A lovely piece about the Annuciation to Mary, we hope you enjoy this as a part of your lead up to Christmas

Blessed is she who believes
That what was spoken to her would be fulfilled
From this day on all will call her blessed
Because she gave her yes to God
Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord

Lead me on 
Lead me on
That my life might reveal the glory of God
Lead me on
That my love might reveal the glory of God
Of God
The glory of God

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
Allelu Alleluia 
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour 
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour

On The Eve of Something New

There is often an indescribable feeling of hope and joy when one is on the eve of something new. Change is the most uncomfortable process to adjust to; yet very inevitable. The charismatic Christian movement has mastered the art of selling the eve of something new: a brand new discovery of Christ. This ceremonious event, though practiced and expected every Sunday, where unbelievers are called to the front of the church to receive Christ as their Lord and saviour; is the brink of change at a deeply personal level. It is the eve of the discovery of Christ; the discovery of something New…

The researcher in me struggled to understand for a long while why the research element of our MBA program kept so many of my peers from completing their degrees and graduating? After a couple of conversations with these very bright and intelligent peers of mine, I remembered the innate power of teaching and coaching that lay deep inside of me–forgotten.

More than a decade ago I assisted high school learners to discover the love for learning science and to find the desire to rise beyond their own expectations in academics. My two year stint of teaching was a great success and the most rewarding job ever. Teaching came so effortlessly to me that I dismissed it as non-challenging career choice. And yet again in 2019, a full MBA graduate, I find myself loving to motivate, elevate and awaken the little boys and girls inside these adult MBA students of mine to rise beyond their own expectations and graduate.

I’m on the eve of something new here; something great! I am pleasantly surprised by their belief and trust in me to pull them through. So much so, that I need to be very close to the one that pulls me through. I read the other day on the new church vine yard website that “While the Lord is the source of all that is good, our response can also be blessing.” I know and understand very well that everything good that comes through me; is directly from the Lord blessing His children. And for that, I am grateful! Being in the midst of people discovering the God inside of them has fulfilled my life to the brink.

I’ve been recruited for over a year now into the ‘strategic advisor’ to the MMC for Finance position in the city of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. I love my boss, he is as challenging as South African politics could have ever defined; yet very kind, ambitious and completely loyal to his calling. He’s quickly ascended in the ranks of political power and it’s been an amazing journey seeing him rise beyond his own expectations.

As I lay these words on this page right now, he is on the eve of becoming the next Mayor of the City of Johannesburg. Twenty four hours into the announcement I find myself reaching out to my own God, within me, to pull him out of the nerves that are consuming him as the minutes slowly go by. I don’t know if he will be voted in as the new mayor of Johannesburg tomorrow -he is, one of the three candidates in the running. At this time, he’s done everything he knows how to do, we have worked very hard to even receive his own party’s nomination.

The race is about to end, he is on the eve of something new. Change is coming. No matter what that will be; I must remind him of the hope that is God; I believe that it was decided a long time ago who the next mayor of Johannesburg will be; the reveal will be discovered tomorrow. Faith must accompany his Charity now. He’s done well. Those of us who live by God’s will are not afraid. We are hopeful that the best candidate will take the seat tomorrow. In my own article, I have already declared him the mayor. Let His Will Be Done; not my own!