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Good morning on this fine Saturday morning. Sitting listening to the sound of the water trickling down our water feature, it is easy to be lulled into laziness which often leads to complacency. Jesus said to His followers that when the Hoiy Spirit comes on them they would be empowered to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). I am challenged afresh thinking about this. We have a responsibility to share the good news about Jesus Christ; that He saves those who call on His name. 'How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14) How will we respond to this? Will we respond like Isaiah? "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) As we enjoy a relaxing day today, let us not forget God's call on each one of us to be His witnesses. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning all. The Great out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost took many by surprise. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the common factor in all the major revivals like the Great Awakening in the times of Wesley, Edwards and Witfield, the Welsh Revival with Evan Roberts and the Azusa Street revival with William Seymour. As it was on the day of Pentecost, the hallmark of the outpouring of Holy Spirit was repentence and salvation for thousands. Jesus told the disciples that when they received the Holy Spirit they would be His witnesses. The same should hold true for us today. As followers of Christ we are called to be His witnesses. Jesus said "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever" (John 14:16) This means that we are well equipped to fulfill the Great Commission Jesus gave each one of us: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19) Today we are well positioned to be His witnesses and consequently should expect that people will be saved. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1‭-‬4) What is striking about this account of the Disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit is that they were all together. They were being faithful to Jesus' instruction to stay in Jerusalem. When they filled with Holy Spirit, Peter stood up and boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ to the crowd that had gathered. This account of the Pentecost experience the disciples had that day can be summarized like this:- The faithful were filled and empowered. As we count down to Pentecost 2021, let us remain faithful to Him who gives the Spirit, liberally, to all who ask and who daily empowers us. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Some days it seems as if everything is distant. Our daily life carries on, but it feels like something is missing. We ask ourselves what is going on? The psalmist appears to be having one of those days when he asks, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" (Psalm 42:5a) He has sound advise for us when we find ourselves feeling downcast, wondering what is wrong. He says to us in the 2nd part of the same verse, "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalms 42:5b) When it feels like we are carrying a weight on our shoulders we must remember that our hope is found in Christ. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19) So as we go into this day, keep a firm hold on Jesus Christ our living hope. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The key to the disciples moving from mundane to mission is recorded for us by Dr Luke in Acts 1:4, 8 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” For the disciples to be effective witnesses they needed the Holy Spirit. This is true for us too. For them to receive the Holy Spirit they needed to wait in Jerusalem. Many of us find it hard to wait on God, to wait for His timing. We become impatient. When we wait for God's timing and then respond according to His dirrction, we will see amazing results as God moves in power. Actively waiting in God's presence results in a fresh outpouring of Holy Spirit. Let us determine for ourselves to wait on God. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. With Christ appearing to the disciples after His resurrection, their lives were irrevocably changed. " Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21‭-‬22 NIV) At that moment they moved from the mundane to mission. They were about to embark on a roller-coaster ride filled with emotional highs of excitement of seeing thousands get saved, to the lows of being imprisoned. Notwithstanding this, their faith in Jesus Christ and His compelling love carried them into fulfilling the "Great Commission". "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 NIV) When we allow Holy Spirit to take control, He empowers us to fulfill the same great commission, today. Will you allow Him to breathe afresh on you today. Have a relaxing Family Day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:6 NIV) Christ is risen. Yes, He is risen indeed. Good morning to you this Resurrection Sunday. Charles Wesley's hymn says it all. 1 Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! 2 Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! 3 Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! Today we celebrate that Jesus lives. "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:25 NIV) Hallelujah! What a Saviour. Have a blessed day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you on "So What" Saturday. Here we are observing the lockdown regulations. It is the Saturday wedged between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the middle of the long weekend. The question goes through our mind, "So what are we going to do today?" Can you picture Jesus' disciples. They have spent the last 3 years with Jesus. Now, He has been crucified and buried. So what now? So what are we going to do today? "“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” (John 21:3 NIV) Talk about default setting! Uhm? What about us? So what are we doing today? Our default setting: Life as usual? We have just gone through one of the most significant days in the Christian calendar. Good Friday, the day our Saviour and Lord was crucified. The day our sin, not His, separated Him from the Father. So what are we going to do today? Can we take some time to thank God for His amazing love, giving His only begotten Son to take our sin so that we we can enjoy life according to the Father's "life as usual" - life in a beautiful relationship with Him 24/7/365? Have a wonderful day with Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning on this Good Friday morning. Today we remember the day on which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, uttered the word "tetelestai - it is finished." Jesus gave Himself to appease the Father's wrath. In doing so He made it possible for us to be restored to relationship rather the Father. The song "Above All" by Michael W Smith puts it this way: "Above all powers Above all kings Above all nature and all created things Above all wisdom and all the ways of man You were here before the world began Above all kingdoms Above all thrones Above all wonders the world has ever known Above all wealth and treasures of the earth There's no way to measure what you're worth Crucified Laid behind the stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all" Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." While we remember Christ's death today, we look ahead to His imminent return. Have a blessed Good Friday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you on this 1st day of April. At last I (Mike) have found reason we are tired at the beginning of April. It is because we have just completed a march of 31 days. That being said, on to more serious matters. "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." (Psalms 145:8‭-‬9) We see Christ demonstrating the truth contained in the above verses in the lead-up to His trial and crucifixion. For us as His followers, the challenge is to reflect this to those around us in the course of our daily lives. This requires intentionality on our part. So, today, let's go about our daily chores reflecting Christ's grace and compassion. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We trust you are well. In talking with folk one year into the Covid-19 lockdown regulations, it would seem like people are feeling more tired today than they were a year ago. The disciples also got tired, all be it for different reasons. In Matthew 26 we read of Jesus telling His disciples to "stay here and keep watch with me." (verse 38) Jesus returned 3 times and on each occasion He found them asleep. His words to them is true for many of us today. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." If this is how you are feeling today, Jesus gives us the antidote. He says, " Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) There is no better time than now to come to Jesus and find your rest in Him. We are praying for you today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Our picture of Jesus is that He had it all together; always on the front foot. We read that He was tempted on every way, yet was without out sin. When Jesus walked on earth He had to deal with His emotions. We read of when Jesus was with Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee in Gethsemane, that He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39) He prayed a second time, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42) Wow! What a challenge! When we are in a predicament our prayers are usually focused on ourselves and the outcome for ourselves (or us it only me?) Seldom do we pray "May Your will be done." When we do it is almost out of a sense of resignation and hopelessness. We can pray that His will be done in every situation because God's will for us is for our good. Today, as you draw bear to God, ask Him to draw near to you as His will for you is carried out. Enjoy living in His will today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne