The Colour of Love

You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:9-11 David   The most profoundly defining moments happen in the gentle stillness of a heart at complete peace. A revelation, a realization an awakening…, for me, has always come in the quiet surrender of a moment shared only between my heart and that of my Saviour. Enjoying the soft ambient glow in the hospital room, I stared down at the  sleeping little bundle in my arms. I studied her features and the way she twitched her eyebrows, wrinkled her nose and then pursed her lips into the perfect little pout. I ran my finger gently down her face and couldn’t help thinking that she was surely the most beautiful baby ever born.   Holding her now, I could not believe I...

  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.   Jeremiah29:11  Deidre  A gentle jab beneath the ribs interrupts my chain of thought and I pause my pen as my hand instinctively glides over my swollen belly. She had been particularly busy today and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face for the extra kick she offered at the sound of my voice. With our due date quickly approaching, I had so many thoughts flashing through my mind and I wanted to still the noise for a moment and put my heart down on paper. I wanted to write her a letter as I sat there on my bed, enjoying the feeling of her twists and twirls in time with love's drumbeat. The melody of my heart's song, that she knew so well, matching hers note for note.  ...

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,   so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 15:5-6 David Our icy fingers lay entwined on my chest. The outlines of the room just starting to become visible in the whispered greeting of the new day. It was indeed a brand new day, unlike any other in my life so far. I gazed down at my wife who lay curled up like a little ball, snuggled into my side. A small frown creased her brow and I wondered what she was dreaming about. I had so many dreams for us, born of the seeds God had planted  in my heart all those months ago. I could not wait to see them grow as we built a life together. Our wedding night had not exactly gone to plan. The tiny wood cabin we had rented at the reception venue was on a lake and looked wonderfully romantic. It had been decorated with flowers and all sorts of sweet treat...

  “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”  Revelation 21:2  Deidre Every joyful bride remembers vividly how it felt to stand in front of the mirror in her wedding gown. Mesmerized by her own beauty, the stillness of that moment feels suspended in eternity. Even years later, when closing her eyes, she can see that reflection dance through her memory to the tune of her heart song… “I am loved.”  Standing in front of the mirror, dressed and ready, endless thoughts flashed through my mind. The journey I had already walked and the one I was about to begin, weaving themselves together in a beautiful tapestry of love and life. Steadying my nerves, I took a deep breath and soaked in the gravity of the moment as it held me anchored to the source of my peace. I smiled as my mother’s likeness came alive in the details of my features, soothing the deep ache and longing for her p...

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 David Dropping the last envelope into the basket on the dinning table, I smiled at Didi as she sat across form me, sipping her cup of tea . It had taken us all day to make our wedding invitations, after our commissioned order fell through at the last minute. They may not have won any style contests, but they were ours and we had spent a special day laughing, loving and enjoying each other’s company as we worked together to get them done.  In all honesty, I had been completely overwhelmed by the detailed reality of wedding planning. I had never even considered most things that we had to navigate through in the last few weeks. My simple notion of “he shows up, she shows up, they say ‘I do’ and that’s that” evaporated about five minutes into the planning phase. Even ...

 Written July 2013 for a local NW newspaper. At the time we had no idea what awaited us or what we would endure, but the words speak to our hearts as powerfully today as it did back then.  The Oak Tree It seems these days that people are hungry and desperate to see or experience something real and tangible from the heart of God. They have become weary and worn down by circumstance and all the obstacles presented by everyday life. When you’re facing a crises and people tell you to just “keep the faith,” you are likely going to feel like screaming.  What does that even mean? The words feel empty and powerless. If we don’t understand what it really means to have faith, then powerless is exactly what we are.  In this last year, the Holy Spirit has worked mighty miracles in our lives, through the power of faith. The word says that “Fatih is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).  My goodness!! One year ago there was no physi...

“ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” - Hebrews 10:14 Deidre Sighing in dramatic exasperation, I sat down on the curb next to my parked car. David had already marched off towards the restroom of the ENGEN service station that we had pulled into.  He had recently acquired his learner’s license and was keenly working on his skills behind the wheel. Unfortunately, my patience as an instructor fell way short of the mark and truthfully teetered on a knife’s edge between support and condescension. It was his first opportunity to drive a significant distance, as we headed to Johannesburg, and my tolerance had hit its end at his perceived lack of attentiveness.     As the first rays of morning sun kissed my cheeks, I watched them dance off the glinting stone that now graced the ring-finger on my left hand. It had only been there for about twelve hours, and already its weight inspired a significant awareness that we had e...