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Shine Brightly in 2013

Happy New Year! This year let us love deeply and shine brightly, so that the world will know Jesus.

Keys for a Great 2013

As 2012  comes to a close I find myself pondering on what worked and what didn't so I can learn from my successes and failures for 2013.  There are two things that stand out very strongly.  These two things have also attracted abuse and criticism from some people and praise from others.  I, however, make no apologies for standing by what I believe to be not only be Biblical but also have been proved in my life.   Tithing This has been a key to our finances.  My husband and I don't have a fixed income but we do have fixed giving.  We give ten percent of all our income including gift money and all our earnings as a first fruit to God.  In additional to our ten percent we also give offerings of varying amounts as well as money to the poor when we can. Malachi 3:10-11 says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you

Why We Love Children

A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead. 'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil. 'Because I pssed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child innocently. 'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise. 'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it didn't move' A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....' 'What?' 'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?' 'No, You had your chance. Lights out.' Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad.....' 'WHAT?' 'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??' 'I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!' Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad.....' 'WHAT!' 'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?' An exasperated mother, whose son wa

OUR BATTLE... is not against flesh and blood

Today I spoke at our church about reality.  We looked at the hard truth of John 16:33 - In this world you will have trouble and we unpacked Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Have a listen to the MP3 here or watch the video below.

Being a Woman in Business - Who Respects Men

The way you treat a man at work will hugely affect how well he will perform.  That is the bottom line.  If you want to get the most out of the men you either lead or work for you need to learn to treat them with respect.  Respect is a huge key to a better work life.  A man needs to know that he is enough and a man needs be respect.  These needs are so important that without them a man will be crippled.  If you can understand how to work with men then you will have more success than women who don’t understand a man’s needs.      The Bible clearly states the needs of men and women in a marriage setting.  Ephesians 5:33 says, “Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”  Respect is their fundamental need and they need it both at home and in the work place.       When respect is absent a man will naturally show harshness and hostility in varying degrees.  Disrespecting a man emasculates him and yo

Being a Mother - Who Loves

Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!  -  Christian, Moulin Rouge (2001) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -  The Bible, Romans 5:8 We often speak of the need to love our spouse, to love our neighbours and to love God.  Love is the subject or many songs, movies and advertising billboards.  Love truly is all around us and God Himself is love.  When we speak of loving our children most of us will have warm fuzzy feelings and think of all the lovely kisses and cuddles that we share with our precious children.  Warm fuzzy feelings are good and a necessary part of life but love is so much more than that.  In Titus 2:4-5 the older women were instructed to teach the young women to love their husbands and to love their children.  The Greek word philoteknos is used in the original Bible text in this verse and refe

Nature's Way - Oils

Baby oil, along with other common household oils for massage, hair, and bath, essential oils, eucalyptus and camphor oils, are responsible for at least 3000 reported ingestion accidents to young children every year in Australia.     Toxicologist Dr Naren Gunja from NSW Poisons Information Centre at Westmead Hospital says most parents don't realise the danger.  "Once the child has ingested it depending on how much they ingest then it could be too late. Over a period of time, the child can die," says Dr Gunja. "It is a gradual process that can take several days, two weeks to die." Mineral Oils White oil, mineral oil and more commonly known as baby oil when we buy it for our little ones, is a petroleum by-product.  I don’t know about you but I don’t feel so good about rubbing anything from petrol all over my body.  This oil is used on its own or as a base for many other cosmetic products.  It has been shown to increase the risk of cancer and is also know to trig