July 7 – Blurred vision

"Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" - Psalm 119:18

Recently, this was my experience....blurred vision. That day I was due to speak at church, and running late, had left home in somewhat of a hurry. Arriving at church I realised, too late – I was wearing the wrong spec's for reading. Those of you who also need to wear corrective lenses will understand my predicament – what wasn't out of focus just appeared jumbled. My notes were useless.

I got to thinking about just how clear my vision is at other times. When reading my Bible, how clearly do I see beyond the printed page to see God's message for me – His direction for my life? As I read, are the words out of focus? Is my understanding a jumbled mess?

A thought provoking remark was made by a guide in the USA as he conducted a tour of a cave. It was two/three years back. The guide taught his visitors an interesting fact about eyesight.. A person who lives in total darkness for just a few months will become irrevocably blind. Darkness not only hinders sight, it causes blindness. This is the danger we place ourselves in if we allow our blurred, jumbled vision to deteriorate by not 'seeing,' or understanding God's Word and His message for us.


How about you? Beyond this, in our everyday lives and encounters, how clearly do we see the needs of others, or are
we wearing the wrong spec's?

I am reminded of the story of a little girl, Tilly, whose mother sent her on an errand to a local shop a short distance from her home. She was told to go straight there and back – a task that should have taken no more than 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes came and went. Thirty minutes passed and the mother became anxious. Just as the mother was leaving the house to go look for the girl, she arrived home. Relieved she asked “Where have you been all this time? you know I told you to go straight to the shop and back!” Her daughter replied, “I did go straight to the shop and was coming home when I found my friend Jenny, sitting on the pavement, crying. I couldn't leave her. She had fallen over and her favourite doll was broken. I stayed with her and helped her to cry.”

Tilly had no problem with blurred sight or double vision. Her focus was clear. She saw a friend who was hurt and needed love and support, and it was her place to give it.

Music today is Brandon Heath - “Give me Your Eyes” (LIVE). Click on the picture to listen.

Last week I introduced you to a mini-testimony from a friend who put himself deeply into debt – I can tell you now that he is debt free. He has a regular budget that he reviews month by month. He has no credit cards, he has money in the bank which means that he has enough money to cover his expenses for three months if he has no wages. Now that he is not paying off finance he can now be free and happy to give tithe every week. He is also able to give to people in need. He knows now that he can be a blessing to others – when before he couldn’t. He is also saving for his children’s university fees.

My friend has no children – yet. He is still saving for their future – just in case. I can’t say how he is saving for his children’s future. He has asked me not to ask and not to guess. I can offer you two samples of how people do save that I can offer you.

“Tom Biggar, head of investments at TQ Invest has two children, Bode, 5, and Arran, 2. He’s saving money for either school fees or university.

He says: “Both children have Child Trust Funds (these have now been replaced by Junior ISA’s) and we picked the F&C Private Equity Trust which is quite volatile but as we have about 16 years to go we are taking a long-term view. We also have some unit trusts – Allianz BRIC Stars - for the boys and we make a regular monthly payment into them, again taking a 10-year view”.

David Braithwaite, managing director of Citrus Financial Management, has started investing for his 21-month-old son Harvey.

“We have started an ISA for him in my wife Clare’s name but although it will be his money, we’re in control and can have a say on how it’s spent. It might be to buy and insure a car at 17 or provide an income if he goes to university. The downside is that if anything happens to Clare the ISA will form part of her estate and not necessarily go to Harvey. We’ve gone for quite a high risk multi-manager fund with Henderson. If we save £100 a month and assume 7 per cent growth, that will mean a lump sum of £42,330 minus costs and charges over 18 years. With 18 years to go we can ride out the highs and lows and I’m happy to take a risk. If he looks like going to university and it gets closer to the time we might lock in the gains by moving the money to something safer.”

What do we learn from this? The first is that you should genuinely start your planning early. The saving ought to go into your monthly planned budget. Sometimes you may save more, sometimes less. The second is that the saving is for the children. It is for them, which means that when you look there may well be saving accounts that are better for saving for children than for adults. The third is that your children’s future is vital. You plan to help them when your finances are strong enough to not put your children at risk.

My friend writes, “So there you have it folks. Education funding in a nutshell. Please note that you should always seek independent professional advice at all times before you start investing.” I would add the following, “All of this is a spiritual act of worship. It is not about saving money just to get richer. Our financial stewardship, as Christians, means that because our finances are in order we can give to God’s glory.”

Bryn has selected today's music - "Your Promises" (LIVE)

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19

I have just finished reading a small but fascinating book entitled ‘the Blessing is on the Go’ by Danny Shelton, the founder and CEO of the cable station 3ABN.

I love books like this as they are so inspiring and current. There are many gems inside, but one particular concept that challenged me was the way he contrasted faith with the business model when dealing with spiritual matters.

You see, the business model is based upon good stewardship. For example, if you want to buy a minibus for church to help transport folk to and from the services who live too far to take public transport, then usually you should start a minibus fund and set aside offering collection dates until you have enough money to get the van.

The faith model, as proposed by Danny Shelton, states that you should first decide on the type of van you need then go to the showroom, negotiate the best price, arrange a pick up date and by faith expect the Lord to deliver on his promise!

Wow, now that takes faith! Time and time again in the 3ABN story, faith is the key which unlocks Gods riches. We can all have that kind of faith, but we have to develop our relationship with Jesus to the point when we realise that it is not about us, but him.

‘Living by faith’ is sung by the Gaither’s. Click on the picture to listen.

“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” Genesis 28:16

Recently I attended a conference where one of the speakers made this statement.

“People will forget what you say to them. They will forget what you do for them but they will never forget how you make them feel.” Dr Daniel Duda

I pondered this for quite a while afterwards and reflected on its negative and positive connotations.

How do people feel when you leave their presence? Do they breath a sigh of relief when you exit that door or do they enjoy your company that much they want you to stay longer? I think back to people that have impacted my life for various reasons and the ones who have had a lasting positive impression share one common trait – unconditional love. Now these people were not necessarily practicing Christians, but they never made me feel as though I was a burden.

Jesus does that with us. He always welcomes us with open arms and invites us to stay in His presence for as long as we require it.

So the question today is, when you choose to spend time with Jesus, whether in worship or prayer, afterwards do you just snap into what you were doing before or do you extend your heart as a place that He could live forever?

Larry Wolfe sings ‘Surely the presence of the Lord’. Click on the picture to listen.

July 1-2 – Strength and courage

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" – Joshua 1:9

Jesse Goertzen, a young 18 year old Canadian man, in his grade 12 year, was diagnosed with a brain tumor – this is his inspiring testimony. Jesse lives with his parents, two of his three brothers, grandparents and aunt in Canada.

Jesse begins....Coming into my grade 12 year, I had a lot of dreams & aspirations. I had worked hard in my previous 2 yrs of school and only had English 12 as my main subject to finish up for graduation. My goal had been to apply myself more to my trades of Plumbing, where I had been given the opportunity to begin my apprenticeship & was doing quite well, as well as to working towards becoming a Farrier (a modern day blacksmith), in line with my love of horses and the outdoors.

This was also to have been the last year for 2 other passions of mine: football and musical theatre, both in which I had been involved for many years. But sometimes life throws us curve balls. On October 1, 2013, my life changed in an instant.

I had not been feeling well for about 2 weeks and had been in and out of the hospital. We thought a CT scan was going to confirm that I had another concussion from football, but then the diagnosis came that nobody expected - the doctor told my parents, “Your son has a brain tumor”. I didn’t know it then, but from that day on I wouldn’t be coming back home for 3 months.

I spent all of October, November and December, in hospital One of my miracles is being blessed to live within a short distance of the best medical care in the world. For this I am so thankful.

As a result of one my three October surgeries, I had two small strokes and it took me almost five days to properly wake up from the procedure. From that same procedure I also caught a bacterial infection and contracted Spinal Meningitis. By that evening I was on life support and fighting for my life.

But God is good and He sustained me and has seen me through all of that and so much more. Because of the meningitis I have had to fight to overcome many neurological and physical set- backs. One was a 3^rd nerve palsy in my right eye, meaning that my eye slammed shut and didn’t open for almost 3 months.

I also sustained a significant amount of nerve damage that has taken away my ability to walk, run, and be active like I used too. By God’s grace, I have now progressed from being completely bed-ridden to where I am now almost able to walkwithout a cane. I hope to get back to my quick and agile self soon!

It has not been easy, but I have never been a quitter and I’m not about to start now. I have had six months of chemotherapy and many medical procedures. On May 30^th of this year, I underwent a 10 hour “craniotomy” – a major surgeryto remove the actual tumor from my head. It was a high risk surgery to begin with—and apparently once they had opened me up and saw what they were dealing with, they said it was literally a miracle that I didn’t have a massive bleed as they worked at removing it.

While the surgery was successful, another curve ball came our way. The removed tumor had “morphed” from the original one that was thought to have been “dead”,into a highly aggressive vascular one - angiosarcoma. This was a shock to the medical team as they said that a brain tumor had never done this before. The first recorded case…Great!

One of the side effects from this surgery is my eyesight....I have double vision. So if I stumble, bear with me. I have to deal with double vision every day and this has definitely taken some getting used to. I try to put a positive spin on it and the way “I see things” - I always get TWO for the price of one!

Shortly after recovering from surgery, on July 9 my radiation treatment began. No rest for the weary! 30 treatments later, on August 20, I was finally done.

Again, the treatment team was amazing. I have been so blessed to have been cared for by so many incredible and gifted caregivers. I owe a huge thanks to my family for the way they have stood by me and not given up on me. They have endured a lot and have had to put up with my whacky disposition at times.

Many of you here tonight you may not share the same beliefs as me and I respect that. But the greatest thing that has come out of this is a deeper faith and a stronger reliance in the God who has been there for me all the way through.

I have learned to be secure in who I am because of God in me, and He is teaching me to be Strong and Courageous with whatever comes my way.

I know that I have nothing to fear or be anxious about because really, at the end of the day, it isn’t even in my hands to begin with. I saw a good quote recently that read:

“PEACE….It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things…and still be calm.”

Things aren’t over yet. I have an MRI coming up in the next couple weeks, and every scan carries with it the possibility of both good or bad news. I will have a scan every 3 months for the next 2 years. I go to Physiotherapy 2-3 times per week, as well as carrying on a physio program at home on the days I don’t go there. It’s hard work, but even slow progress is progress.

Tomorrow is the one year mark of my diagnosis. It was a Tuesday morning our family will never forget. And while I still may not know what my future holds, I do know Who holds my future. And I haven’t lost my sense of humor! It’s true: “A joyful heart IS good medicine!”

In conclusion, I want to leave you with a thought. The next time you are up against something tough, realize you have a decision to make in that moment. It will make the difference whether you sink or swim. If something doesn’t challenge you—it won’t change you. We can all learn from hard situations and grow and become better people. A good attitude does make all the difference.

To God be the Glory!"

“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” LIVE – The Isaacs is our music choice today. Click on the picture to listen.

"This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix" - Daniel 2:43 NLT

On Thursday, 23 June the British people voted by a margin of 3.8% to leave the European Union. With a turnout of 72%, 51.9% of the electorate made the historic decision, changing 43 years of European history since the UK joined the European Community in 1973.

Many students of Bible prophecy see 'Brexit' as a fulfilment of the prophecy of Daniel 2:43 predicting that the various nations of Europe 'shall not cleave' one to the other. This is well expressed by an Adventist Review TV special released today.

However, while it is prophesied that Europe will have both strength and weaknesses, and while attempts to bring unity as under the Roman empire will never succeed, Pastor Ian Sweeney, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK & Ireland notes that "this does not relieve us of our responsibility to promote unity, love and commonwealth among all people!" He notes that "The prophecy of Daniel 2 does not mean that we should not fight against divisions that are borne of racism, prejudice, self-interest and the like. Jesus once said that the poor will always be among us (John 12.8), however, this was not to say that we should just accept poverty without working to relieve it!"

Following the exit vote, Trans-European Division (TED) Stewardship director, David Neal noted, "The honest, Bible believing Adventist is conflicted. For sure, the prophetic word stands. But neither can he/she be ready and willing to stand with those who are fearful of 'the other', whose actions in word and deed border on zenophobia. As valid as Daniel 2 is, without question, Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan is of equal consideration. The Brexit campaign completely ignored this value."

In an impassioned plea Sweeney, whose parents were themselves migrants in the 1970's, stated, "Europe will always be divided in one way or another, however, we have a Christian responsibility to show our love for all people who in political debates are depersonalised and labelled as 'migrants', 'economic refugees' etc. We may not share the language, culture, or ethnicity. However, every man woman and child are our brothers and sisters who Christ loves and died to save."

Raafat Kamal, TED President

"The composition of Europe has changed over the years both inside and outside the church. The two European Divisions have equally changed several times in terms of size and structure during their history. Change of itself is not a problem. We must simply find the best way to react to the change." He noted, "It may even be that in such times of uncertainty people may look more to faith based solutions – a security that as Adventists we can certainly provide."

Nenad Jepuranovic, TED Treasurer

What of the future? "The latest predictions for the European markets are at best uncertain, but over the past few years the TED has built up sufficient reserves to cover economically volatile periods such as those that we may encounter in the next few months." Nevertheless, Jepuranovic is searching for ways to "improve our efficiency and effectiveness to best serve the needs of our territory."

Retiring shortly as treasurer for the Church in the UK & Ireland, Victor Pilmoor finds himself concerned with the issues of fraternity.  Writing in his monthly blog he states, "Whether one looks at the goal of inclusiveness among the nations of Europe, the freedom of party goers in Orlando, and good will in the Yorkshire town of Batley [where an MP campaigning for 'remain' was cold-bloodedly murdered], our societies are clearly fragmented. The arguments that rage, dwell on fear and the forces of self-interest."

This, he notes has led to "a loss of fraternity, an unwillingness by many in society to take the abundant view that there is room for all of us, that life is not a game of winners and losers." He adds that, "uncompromising fear-ridden fundamentalism has filled the hearts of many to the point where self-preservation has become the object of national and religious influence."

His conclusion is a positive mantra for mission: "By contrast we could offer a world view that acknowledges the generosity of God offering grace and sustenance for all. A perspective that our lives are to honour what God gives us, to steward the abilities and powers with which we are endowed for purposes greater than ourselves."

Perhaps an Old Testament prophet is the one to finally guide us in our way forward. "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" [Micah 6:8 NKJV] [tedNEWS]

tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor

"Walk Humbly With Your God" - Marilla Ness is the music selection today.  Click on the picture to listen.

"As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" - Daniel 1:17 ESV.

BABY STEP 5

This baby step is written for you by a SmartSteward friend. He writes, “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you” [BB King]

I had just turned 10 years old when I arrived in England on a cold February morning 24 years ago. For months I had dreamt of this day and now it was finally here. It was everything I had imagined.

I grew up in Zambia, a place I still regard as home. My parents had moved to England whilst I was still young and I was raised by my aunties and uncles. After a few years my older sister and I eventually joined my parents. I knew full well that this was the opportunity of a life time. When I arrived in the UK I could barely speak a word of English and the kids at school reminded me of this fact daily! They laughed and taunted me. But instead of getting despondent I made a determined effort to learn the language.

Years later I would break the record in my secondary school (high school) for being the first Student in its history to get an A* in GCSE English literature (back when A* were rare as gold). I even got a picture in my local newspaper. I went onto college and eventually University to study Medicine. Throughout my journey my parents had always instilled in me the importance of a good education.

When I was at University, tuition fees were just over £1000 per year. At the time I and many other students thought that this was outrageous. How could the government charge us so much money? Today tuition fees are roughly £9000 per year! Student debt is a big problem and many young people are being put off by the thought of graduating with thousands of pounds in debt. Unless your parents are extremely wealthy there really isn't any way you can avoid student loan debt! Or is there?

Welcome to baby step 5! This is where you (parents) start saving money for your children's University education so that they can graduate debt free! This week we will look at the importance as well as the dangers (yes the dangers) of a University education and why it is vital that as parents you are involved in the degree choice. Finally we will look at how the wealthy save money for the children's education. You might be surprised just how straight forward and inexpensive it is!

“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? ²⁷ You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” Matthew 6:26-27

Depending on your point of view it may not be a good time to be British. Firstly the Brexit vote win meaning that in theory the British are going to be responsible for Britain (it’s a great deal more complicated than that I realise), then England team being dumped out of the European Football championships 2016 being held over in France by Iceland, a country they scoffed at for lack of ‘world class players’.

The Conservative leader, David Cameron, resigned as he promised he would after he lost he ‘Remain’ vote, the football manager, Roy Hodgson, resigned after defeat to Iceland and the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is on the verge of being ousted by a motion of no confidence as his colleagues continue to resign from his sinking political ship.

But amongst this tidal wave of gloom there is good news! Step forward Marcus Willis, the world number 772 tennis player who gave up tennis at the beginning of the year. Although only 25 he had had enough of being a journeyman and decided the only way he could continue his sport he loved was to become a tennis coach in America. However, his new girlfriend challenged him to have one more try for her sake. So he entered and won through 2 rounds of pre Wimbledon to gain entry into the main draw. Against all expectations he beat the world number 54 Ricardas Berankis and make the second round. He is now guaranteed at least £50,000 and a match with arguably the best player of all time -Roger Federer - next.

You see, if you look hard enough you will find a silver lining, a gap in the clouds where the sun is reaching to shine through, a confirmation that your life isn’t just a random existence with other people in control. God is still in control, not the politicians, mangers, financial gurus, commentators – God. Last I looked, the birds are still eating.

The song today is ‘God of the Sparrow’. Click on the picture to listen.

‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Matthew 6:21

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most well known talk show hosts and influential women in America. On an episode aired in ‘90s under the category ‘Oprah’s Lifeclass,’ Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, was on the show and asked this question "Does your face light up [when you see children]?"

She went on to explain that often parents look at their children with a critical face to see whether; they have creamed their hands or is there shirt tucked in, or is there any dirt on their clothes, assuming that the children know that they are loved because these observations are coming from a place of love. However, what the children see is a critical face and wonder “what’s wrong now?” "Are you not pleased to see me?"

What the children are looking for is, whether your face lights up when you see them because your face speaks how your heart feels. If you are pleased to see them then that is the message they should see on your face. A salient message, which I feel has merit.

Does your face light up when you walk into church to meet Jesus? Does your face light up when you realise it is time for worship? Jesus is always there with a smile whenever we call on him, do we show him that we are pleased to see him? Thoughts to ponder.

Sandi Patty sings ‘Shepherd of my heart.’ Click on the picture to listen.

June 24-25 – That feels better!

“Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” Psalm 100:2 (NLT, second edition)

I came across this article by Rick Warren and thought how true this is. I'm reproducing it, with some adaption.

How many times after a busy week, have you got up on a Sabbath morning and said, “I am so tired. I really don’t have any energy to go to church,” but then you went to church and worshiped and afterward you were more energized? That happens because worship renews you. It strengthens you. It strengthens your faith.

For this to happen you must unite with others in worship. Worship is for God, but it also has benefits for you, and to receive those benefits, we have to give of ourselves.. Here are two of the biggest benefits corporate worship brings: It renews your faith, and it restores your joy.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (NIV). We get renewed by worshiping God with other believers.

Rick says he sometimes thinks of himself like the coach in the boxing movie “Rocky.” Rocky is out there in the fight, and he’s pouring his heart out and just getting beat to a pulp. The bell rings and he goes, “Thank God.” He comes to the corner, and the coach says, “You’re doing a good job.” The coach throws some water on him, pats him on the back, and says, “Now get back out there.”

Sometimes I feel like that’s what I’m doing on Sabbath for my church. I’m telling them, “You’re doing a good job. Now get back out there. You can do this!” But that’s not me renewing people’s strength. It’s the Word of God. It’s music and praying and worshiping together with other believers – supporting each other.

The Bible also says in Psalm 100:2, “Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy” (NLT, second edition).

I think it ought to be fun to go to church. That may seem strange to you because it’s not how you were raised or how you felt about a certain church you’ve attended. But the Bible says to worship the Lord with gladness — not boredom, sadness, anger, or out of duty. We should be singing for joy in church! Church should have that effect on you. Worship should renew our faith and restore our joy.

I'm not saying it will be any easier on Sabbath mornings not to roll over and crawl back under the duvet, but we each have a lot to give, and a lot receive....we need the support each can offer the other.

"When the day of Pentecost came, the believers were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting...”

Acts 2:1 Berean Study Bible · What a tragedy if we missed that experience because we were too tired to be there.

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1)

Our music today is “Come Just as you Are”. Click on the picture to listen.