The Eight O’Clock
News November 2018
Follow the Light Sunflowers turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they ‘chase the light’. You might already know this, but there is another fact that you probably do not know! Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds? This is an interesting question, isn’t it? Perhaps you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground. Is this what crossed your mind? Well, that’s incorrect! This is what happens: They turn towards each other to share their energy. Nature’s perfection is amazing; now let’s apply this reflection to our lives. We all want this light and seek it in different ways: in our family, friends, religion, work and so on. But there are always going to be cloudy days, gloomy days, because there is no escaping them! When this happens, most people become overwhelmed, low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, sometimes, become depressed. How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers supporting and empowering each other. God has so much to teach us through nature. Scientists have answered a burning question central to the charm of sunflowers: Why do young flowers move their blooms to always face the sun over the course of a day? A young flower faces east at dawn and greets the sun, then slowly turns west as the sun moves across the sky. During the night, it slowly turns back east to begin the cycle again. Researchers tied plants up so they couldn't move or turned them away from the sun—and they found those flowers eventually had decreased biomass and less leaf area than flowers that could move with the sun. They also compared mature flowers facing east with those they turned to face west, and found that the eastfacing blooms attracted five times as many helpful November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
8 am Service, Christ Church, Kenilworth 021-797-6332
pollinators. That's because the east-facing flowers heat up faster. And, bees like warm flowers. ‘Just like people, plants rely on the daily rhythms of day and night to function’: Anne Sylvester, director of the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program, said in a press release. ‘Sunflowers, like solar panel arrays, follow the sun from east to west’. - Sent in by Belle Divaris
* Psalm 89:15 New Living Translation: Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, LORD. * John 8:12 English Standard Version: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” * 1 John 1:7 English Standard Version: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
2
A Visit to Coventry Cathedral I recently participated in the International Gathering of the
Community of the Cross of Nails, where I serve as the International Representative of the South African Committee. The committee operates as an informal association, although other regions such as the United States and Germany have formalised boards. In 1940, the Anglican Cathedral in Coventry was bombed by the German Air Force and 500 local citizens were killed. In the rubble several large nails were found melted together in the shape of a cross. When the Cathedral was rebuilt, the ruins of the bombedout structure were left as a reminder of the horrors of war. Vowing to respond to the devastation as Jesus would, the cathedral community created what has become a world-wide network to promote peace, known as the Community of the Cross of Nails (CCN). There are currently 14 Centres and 5 ICONS (International Cross of Nails Schools) in South Africa at present. I currently work at HOPE Africa—which has been a CCN centre since 2004 and am a Trustee for the GOAL Trust, which has been a CCN centre since 2015. There are many more centres and churches in South Africa who could benefit from being part of this network, and so I hope to share my experience and provide opportunities for others to participate in such an experience as well. We had five young persons participate in the Youth Gathering earlier this year. As part of the gathering we participated in the pilgrimage around Hill Top and we also experienced the Cathedral by candlelight— which allowed an almost silent space for meditation and reflection. This was one of the most poignant times for me and gave me the space to lament for South Africa and our women and children in particular. We are a worldwide network of over 200 churches, charities, peace-building centres, and educational and training oganisations inspired by the Coventry story of destruction, rebuilding and renewal, and active in reconciliation in our own ways. 40 of these members are ICONS, an initiative which provides a resource for children and young people to creatively explore issues of truth, justice, peace and mercy. All members adhere to the three guiding principles of the CCN: Healing the wounds of history, Learning to live with difference and celebrate diversity, and Building a culture of peace. We are guided by the words ‘Father Forgive’, and we pray the Litany of Reconciliation on a regular basis. Today, our greatest numbers of members are in Germany, the UK and the USA, but we also have sizeable numbers in South Africa, the Netherlands and Central and Eastern Europe; overall, we have members in 45 countries across all continents. Different members may focus on political, racial, religious, social or economic reconciliation; they may address war and violent conflict, post-conflict restoration or healing; their work can have broad and far-reaching, national or regional consequences, or it can make a significant difference to local communities and individual people’s lives. Members support one another, pray for one another and share with one another. Have a look at our membership! Organisations apply to join as Partners, and are formally presented with a Cross of Nails as a recognition of their commitment to reconciliation projects. Schools join as ‘ICONS’. Friends have a less formal involvement with the Community or have not yet completed the process of joining. The Litany of Reconciliation was written by Canon Joseph November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
Poole in 1958 and today is prayed regularly by CCN members around the world, and by many others on an occasional basis. While framed around the seven deadly sins, it serves as a reminder that when we pray about the problems of the world around us, we need to begin by acknowledging the roots of those problems in our own hearts. The Litany is prayed, in a short ceremony taking at most ten minutes, at noon each weekday in Coventry Cathedral and in the Cathedral ruins on Fridays, and absolutely anyone is very welcome to join us. The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class, * Response: Father Forgive. The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own, * The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth, * Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others, * Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee, * The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children, * The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God, * Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
- Bronwyn Damons
God’s Fences The Ten Words or Ten Commandments ... ‘were given after God
dramatically delivered His people from Egypt into a new-found freedom and they were given primarily as instruction on how best to live and grow in relationship with God and each other. God, we should remember, is a good Father. If He places fences and boundaries around us they are for our wellbeing and protection, and not to spoil our misguided ideas of fun. A leading Family Law judge said, ‘Without being over-dramatic or alarmist, my prediction would be that the effects of family breakdown on the life of the nation, and ordinary people in this country, will, within the next 20 years, be as marked and as destructive as … global warming. We are experiencing a period of family meltdown whose effects will be a catastrophic as the meltdown of the icecaps.’ Indeed, the scholarly articles and research of decades overwhelmingly demonstrate that children living with their married, biological parents consistently have better physical, emotional and academic wellbeing. Once again, social sciences are beginning to catch up with the maker’s instructions for life and living. How thankful I am that God not only instructs us how to live, but also provides means to find a way back when we lose our way. But how much better it would be to guard our families. These Ten Words given to us on Sinai, not least the seventh, are not to be dismissed, and we need to pray, teach in our churches, pressurise governments and let the world know that when they leap God’s fences they endanger not only their own lives, but the lives of many others as well.’ - Every Day with Jesus ©CWR 2018 Used with permission - Sent in by John & Jan D’Arcy Evans
3
Breakfast with Jenny, Rene & Dante A special time was spent getting better acquainted with now familiar family trio attending the 8 am service. Mother and grandmother, Jenny Bailey. grew up in a Christian family in Crawford and has known God for as long as she can remember. The middle child in a family of three and having three children of her own, she is always surrounded by family and friends. Jenny also has five grandchildren, Dante claiming to be her favourite and with good reason. Jenny has helped Rene ‘parent Dante' after Rene’s marriage ended when he was 18 months old. They have recently moved to Harfield where Rene has bought an apartment—and they consider Christ Church to be their new spiritual home. Conversation with Jenny belies a troubled past but her love of God is reflected in her peaceful nature and the joy she gets from caring not only for Dante but Rene, her extended family and many friends. Dante is so named because Jenny loved the name of the famous poet. He is a matriculant at SACS and hopes to move on to UCT next year to study accounting. It is unusual to see a soon-to-be 18-year old at the 8 am service but Dante loves the poetry of sacred music, ancient hymns, and the traditional liturgy . A bass In the SACS choir, he hopes to continue singing in a choir after school. He is a keen hockey player and also does karate. Dante' s father has always been part of his life and the two spend time together every weekend. Rene Stevens, 46-year old mother of Dante, has worked at Liberty Life for the past 20 years. Juggling motherhood and a high-powered career has not been easy . Jenny recalls the many sleepless nights she and Rene spent driving a wide-awake baby Dante around the suburbs. Rene, blessed with enormous energy was still able to get up, and do a full day’s work. She started out in asset management and is now assistant to Liberty's regional head for the Western Cape in marketing, sales and distribution. She loves her work, claiming she is a victim of her own performance, but counts herself lucky to come home to a cooked dinner with Jenny and Dante each evening. Henry and I loved interviewing this open and friendly family and look forward to getting to know them better. - Gill Stubbings November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
HAPPY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY Lynne Keggie (2 November) Ed McCarter (30 November) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The South African Braai Routine Woman buys food Woman makes salad Woman collects utensils and takes food to man Man puts food on braai Woman goes inside: organises plates, etc Woman tells man the meat is burning Man deals with burning meat while having another beer Man takes meat off the braai to give to woman Woman serves food, clears and cleans dishes Everyone praises man for a great braai and thanks him Man comments on how he gave woman the night off cooking Man is confused by woman’s look of frustration
Pippa Adds It is so important to start reading and learning the Bible from as
young an age as possible. It is never too early to start, even if at first, like our grandson did, they just eat the pages ! [2 Timothy 3:15] - Pippa Gumbel, 24/10/18
4
More Than Peace and Coventry Cathedral In 1970 I read a book about Coventry Cathedral which started me
thinking about the role of the Church in the City. It led me on a journey that first explored God's purposes for those who work downtown, and then sought to minister in practical ways to some of the millions in our country who battle to survive 'outside the city walls' in the slums known as hostels, informal settlements and, more recently, backyard shacks. This year, at last, I found myself in Coventry Cathedral but with something different on my heart. A few months earlier I had been invited to join the Cape Town-based More Than Peace team, which proposed offering collaborative development as a practical means of restoring justice to our society. My role as development facilitator would be to invite diverse stakeholders who had advanced from conflict to conversation to now begin collaborating in identifying needs, prioritising them, choosing projects—and then planning, resourcing and implementing them. They would be tangible, living expressions of reconciliation and restoration. Coventry Cathedral, through its Community of the Cross of Nails, has become a renowned centre for promoting and encouraging reconciliation across the world. I was there to learn about the Community and explore the possibility of More Than Peace becoming a member. I quickly discovered that More Than Peace certainly qualifies and our application for membership is underway. The more challenging part of my four-day visit, structured as a Community 'pilgrimage' was to invest time in meditating within both the ruins of the stark, bombed-out medieval cathedral and the glorious colours, artistry and symbolism of its successor which stands adjacent. The new cathedral does its very best to respond to the symbolism of the huge price paid in the old—e.g. the magnificent tapestry depicting Christ In Glory that hangs on the wall behind the altar is the size of a tennis court. The whole combination is aweinspiring and unforgettable. What stopped me in my tracks, however, was a life-size statue of a man and a woman facing each other, on their knees, supporting each other with their arms around their shoulders, and weeping in prayer. It is called 'Reconciliation', and stands in the gaunt, windswept, colourless nave of what was for centuries a vibrant place of worship and life. I can't escape from that picture. It seems to represent something very costly—more than peace.
Annie Kirke would like to have a small group of committed folk who will pray about confidential needs which arise in her work. If God is asking you to be one of these, kindly speak to me, Gerry Adlard or to Ev Els (contact details on p8) who will email topics as they arise.
How God Speaks to You
He did. in prison, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the great Fyodor was a wild young man. His life revolved around While Russian novelist, read the New Testament from cover eating, drinking, talking, music, theatre and the to cover and learnt much of it by heart. He wrote, ‘I company of women. He dreamt of fame. He was caught believe that there is no one lovelier, deeper, more up in a movement for political and social reform in sympathetic and more perfect than Jesus. I say to Russia during the repressive reign of Tsar Nicholas I. myself with jealous love not only is there no one else He was arrested, tried and condemned to be executed. like Him, but there never could be anyone like Him.’ On a bitterly cold morning, the prisoners were taken out It was through the Bible that he had encountered to be shot. The prison guards raised their muskets to Jesus Christ. their shoulders and took aim. At the last moment, a The apostle Paul describes all Scripture as ‘Godwhite flag was raised to announce that the Tsar had breathed’ (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is not just commuted their sentence to life imprisonment in Siberia. inspired in the way that artists, poets, composers and On his arrival in Siberia on Christmas Eve 1849, at the musical performers can be said to be inspired. age of twenty-eight, two women slipped him a New It actually has God’s breath, His Spirit, in it. Through Testament. When the guard turned away momentarily, the Bible, God speaks to you. they suggested he should search the pages thoroughly. November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
- Nicky Gumbel, Bible in One Year 24/10/18
5
My Trip to Munich And Prague In late September I was really excited to be visiting my daughter, Ash, for the first time since she left for Munich (January) to start her PhD in Neurobiology. Despite forewarning, I wasn’t quite prepared for the whirlwind of activity that lay ahead! A day after my arrival we walked the full extent of the Oktoberfest, and witnessed the amazing parade of floats and the official opening of the festival, among throngs of traditionally clad Germans (and lots of beer). The next day saw us run a half marathon together in the beautiful town of Tegernsee, towards the Austrian border. This was followed by three wonderful days visiting Prague with a friend from
Seniors’ Movie 2 pm, Monday, 10 December in Church. RSVP on list in church by Wednesday 5 December November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
the UK. The history and staggering architecture of this beautiful city calls for a return visit: three days was simply not enough, but we had to return to embark on a four-day cycle trip that Ash had planned for us. Four of us followed the course of Altmühl River north of Munich, cycling through beautiful countryside and numerous charming towns, and covered more than 250 km. On our return to Munich I was able to explore some of city and also visit Ash’s lab to see where and how she works—this was a highlight for me. Two weeks felt like four and I returned amazed and happy but in need of a holiday! We were blessed with wonderful warm weather throughout and it was a joy to see Ash and what she has achieved over her nine months there. - Pippa Parker
6
Jenny Marquard 25/4/1932 – 3/10/2018 I first met Jenny about 45 years ago.
She had just returned to Cape Town from the Eastern Cape where she gave up her job and came home to look after her elderly mother. She had been involved in a charismatic church in East London and had experienced being blessed by the Holy Spirit in a number of ways—not least she had been blessed with the gift of tongues—and this church directed her towards Christ Church [CCK] where they felt she would grow in her faith. This did happen for Jenny mainly through the House Churches, Prayer Groups, Social Action groups and church services. Through various circumstances Jenny quite soon after coming to CCK, joined the very new House Church that Dareth and I were leading and so began our long friendship. Our group, small in number grew very close to one another and were very involved in one another’s daily lives. Jenny, especially, loved having us interested in her life, was very open about her needs and this meant that praying for her was relaxed and comfortable. Never a person to put herself in the limelight, but always a dependable and faithful member of our group, she took praying for us as a real responsibility and we relied on her faithful commitment to prayer. After a few years the House Church divided and although we were no longer meeting together, a strong bond had been formed between us and our friendship continued. This was one of Jenny’s strengths—maintaining friendships. Some in that group moved to different countries and Jenny was the one who stayed in postal contact with those who emigrated and kept me informed of what was happening in their lives. And she nurtured our friendship too. For instance, whenever we went on holiday, she would always call me as soon as we returned home to welcome us back and hear about our time away. Also, on special occasions, Jenny would make bookmarks for me and others on which she would write out verses of Scripture. I still have at least one of them in my Bible. Jenny and her mother had a lovely, restful, well organized home just around the corner from our home and, although Jenny worked as a nursery school teacher when we first met, she and her mother used to plan dinner parties and Jenny would then produce the dinners. We enjoyed lunches in the Marquard home and Jenny cooked very tasty meals. After her mother died, Jenny, on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas and the odd Sunday lunch often joined our family. The meals were not quite as quiet and graceful as they had been in her home but she seemed to enjoy the hurly-burly of the Wood household though on one occasion she suggested that perhaps Dareth’s sons teased him too much. Our sons were a bit taken aback but Dareth loved her quiet comment! About 30 years ago, six of us formed a prayer group specifically to pray for one of the group who was going through a very difficult time and three of us—Jenny, Jean Cheel and I, who had all been part of the House Church were now together again in this new group. We met every Monday afternoon and through this group, as in the House Church, our bonding deepened. We would have weekends away together and through these times wonderful memories were made—Jenny was our Scrabble Queen. I learnt that Jenny’s parents regularly played Scrabble and when she grew older, Jenny joined them. At one stage, she and her mother played a game of Scrabble every afternoon—no wonder she was good! I also remember that Jenny came on these weekends away absolutely loaded with luggage. I think she had been taught to be November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
prepared to cover any eventuality that could occur in the three days we would be away. This Prayer Group continued to meet over many years. We celebrated her 70th birthday—we all went to the ballet together one Saturday afternoon and then ended up at her home for a celebratory drink. Her 80th birthday—Jenny was quite ill at the time and she was eventually diagnosed with TB—was celebrated in Lindy Tomalin’s home over a delicious afternoon tea. Lindy had recently retired from the Prayer Group but had always been and continued to be very generous, kind and loving to Jenny. While the composition of the group changed over the years, Jenny and I were always together in it. The location of meetings changed too from Plumstead to Rondebosch and there were new faces in the group. Everyone absorbed Jenny into the orbit of their love and care but just a few years ago it became impossible for her to get to our meetings. By this stage, she had been living at Trianon for a number of years and was very much part of that community. She became a faithful member of the Bible Study group which Joan Evans started and this group took the place of the Monday Prayer Group for her. Jenny told me that members of this Trianon Bible Study were very good to her as she grew more frail and she so much appreciated the care and kindness she was shown. Just the day before Jenny died, she had been at her Bible Study group which, in fact, Mike Keggie was leading. I often felt, and I know others did too, that Jenny needed looking after and she did. Before she became ill Mary Ussher, also a member of our Prayer group and a resident at Trianon, did a huge amount for her and in more recent years Joan Evans has held Jenny under her wing and looked after her. We all realized though that Jenny was not completely helpless and she often surprised us with her forceful opinions and determination. But life was catching up with her—she grew quieter and less able to manage her affairs and her niece, Tamar, had to take on increasing responsibility for her aunt which she did with such good grace and great kindness. Apart from shopping and caring for Jenny, Tamar also had to handle and worry about Jenny’s financial affairs. And that reminds me that Jenny, who I don’t think had known any financial stress in her formative years, struggled financially for all her latter years. But she managed well to live on very little. When her finances were really tight she would arrange to sell a couple of the valuable paintings and antiques she had inherited. When she had a home in Kenilworth, she let rooms to help make ends meet and through this met many wonderful people but also had some difficult experiences. She was always kind and trusting and was easily taken advantage of. Looking back I sometimes feel that we, her friends in the Monday Prayer Group, were a bit hard on her and forced her to limit her kindnesses to others. Jenny was brought up to have a very strong social conscience and was very aware of those who were underprivileged. One of her plans was to run a soup kitchen from her home in Putney Road for the many desperately poor people who wandered in the streets around her home. When we heard her plans, we had visions of her being burgled, possibly attacked and very forcefully talked her right out of the idea. I often wonder if we did the right thing? She did, however, make her front veranda available to those who needed shelter and this she didn’t tell us she was doing. Once she lent quite a large sum of money to a friend in need, purposely didn’t discuss the matter with any of us and told me later, ’If I had
7
asked you, I know you would have not allowed me to do it.’ If I remember correctly most of that money was repaid over a very long period of time. There are lots of stories of the way Jenny trusted people and got involved with them—she really did have a heart of compassion and reached out to others in spite of her own struggles. This heart of compassion found an outlet in packing Love Packs on a monthly basis at the Warehouse and there were other church -based outreaches to suffering people that Jenny always got involved in if she could. She was also gifted with a very sweet singing voice and for quite a time sang in the church choir until it got too difficult for her to get to practices. Jenny also ran a car up until just a few years ago. One car was stolen and another bought when the insurance paid out. I remember her saying to us quite calmly one Monday afternoon, ‘For some reason my car seems to be attracted to big trucks and I keep hitting them.’ I’ll leave you to imagine the Prayer Group’s reaction to that statement! We were greatly relieved when not long after that she decided she would give up her car. And that helped her financially too. When I lived in Plumstead, Jenny and I would often meet together to discuss her faith. Although she sometimes found that she didn’t feel close to God, she never turned away from Him. She would openly share how she was feeling and ask for prayer. It was a privilege to watch how Jenny’s face relaxed as God blessed her through His Holy Spirit and honoured her openness and deep desire to know Him better. When I last saw Jenny she had moved into the Health Care section of Trianon on a permanent basis and she seemed so frail and almost unaware of what was happening in her life. I had a sense that her life was drawing to a close but nevertheless her death was very unexpected. I do, however, thank God that in His wisdom He has taken her out of this world and relieved her from the stresses and strains of increasing physical weakness and growing inability to take proper care of herself. I thank You, Lord God, for blessing me with the friendship and love that Jenny gave me and hold on to the fact that she is now safe in the care of our loving, Heavenly Father. Rest in Peace, dear Jenny and I hope that you can hear the Lord saying to you, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ - Denise Wood
Edith Cavell London has many statues, all with interesting stories. Among my
favourites is Edith Cavell, whose name lives on through the busy Johannesburg street named after her, was a British nurse during World War One. She ran a nursing school in Brussels which treated soldiers from both sides. Cavell was arrested by the Germans after helping 200 Allied soldiers escape Belgium, and was sentenced to death for treason. Despite an international uproar, she was duly executed by a firing squad on October 22, 1915. The part of her story that lives on strongest is what she wrote the night before her death: ‘Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone.’ Given how much that sounds like the South African whose 100th November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
Hilda Brand Hilda passed away in Brisbane on 5 October at the end of an 18-month struggle with cancer. She leaves behind her husband Dods, their daughter Sam (Samantha) and two grandchildren, Mikey and Chloe. Hilda’s funeral was at St Mark’s Anglican Church, The Gap (a suburb in Brisbane where they lived) and Hilda wanted a happy funeral—people were to dress in colourful clothes, no ties or suits, flowers on the coffin, multi-coloured flowers in the church. She also wanted a Jewish coffin which they managed to find—plain pine with rope handles. Before Hilda left for Australia she was very involved with the flower guild. Her daughter, Sam was married at CCK and the flowers done by Hilda were fantastic. Hilda helped with teas and was also in a small group. She was always so willing to step in and help where ever she could and she was enormous fun to work with. She was loved by all and the world is a sadder place without her. I only really got to know Hilda a year or two before they emigrated. She ran a lovely home and was an excellent cook and really enjoyed her time in the kitchen. She always told me that Dods had never been able to find the kitchen! Sadly, I think, with Hilda’s illness things may have had to change! Hilda was also a keen knitter and knitted for her two grandchildren whom she adored. - Lyn Whitehead
‘birthday’ is less than a month away, it’s appropriate that Cavell’s statue looks towards South Africa House—and Trafalgar Square where so many demonstrated so often for Madiba’s release.
- Alec Hogg, Daily Insider, 14/6/18
Cavell entered the nursing profession in 1895 and in 1907 was appointed the first matron of the Berkendael Institute, Brussels, where she greatly improved the standard of nursing. After the German occupation of Belgium, she became involved in an underground group formed to help British, French, and Belgian soldiers reach the Netherlands, a neutral country. The soldiers were sheltered at the Berkendael Institute, which had become a Red Cross hospital, and were provided with money and guides by Philippe Baucq, a Belgian. About 200 men had been aided when, in August 1915, Cavell and several others were arrested. She and Baucq were shot on the same day. Edith was 50 years old. - Wikipedia
Enjoy Reading the Bible The eighteenth-century philosopher and critic of Christianity, Voltaire, said, ‘Within a hundred years the Bible will be obsolete and will have gone out of circulation altogether.’ A hundred years later the Bible was more popular than ever. His own house in Paris was converted into a Bible factory, churning out Bibles by the hour! When you hear attacks on the Bible, it is good to remember that this is nothing new. God’s word is ‘eternal’ (v.89). In spite of all the attacks on the Bible it has survived. ‘What You say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it’s as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever’ (vv.89–90, MSG). The Bible is a delight. The psalmist describes the Scriptures he has read as ‘my delight’ (v.92). It is fitting that this, the longest psalm in the psalter, should be all about the Scriptures. When you are under attack, meditate on God’s word: ‘The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I’m only concerned with Your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain Your commands!’ (vv.95–96, MSG). God’s commands are there to protect you, and remembering God’s words will help keep you from harm: ‘I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life’ (v.93).
A Senior’s Version of Facebook
8
For those of my generation who do not, and cannot, comprehend why Facebook exists: I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passers-by what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I did the night before, what I will do later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them ‘thumbs up’ and tell them I ‘like’ them. And it works just like Facebook—I already have four people following me: two police officers, a private investigator and a psychiatrist. - Origin unknown, sent in by Rod Palmer
Lord, help me each day to meditate on Your eternal words and find delight in reading the Bible.
Psalm 119:89-96 (NIV) Your word, LORD, is eternal;
89
it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures. 91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve You. 92 If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. 93 I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life. 94 Save me, for I am Yours; I have sought out Your precepts. 95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder Your statutes. 96 To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless.
90
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105 (NIV) November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
New International Version
Editorial Team Tel/e-mail Ev Els
021 696 0336
emichael@iafrica.com
Cheryl Anderson
083 272 1530
canderson@beckman.com