Who shares with you?

Wow, I can't believe that another year has flown by. I am a year older, although I still feel the same - do you know what I mean? Thank you for all the many birthday wishes that Kim and I have received - we feel blessed.

Just a thought - today I will celebrate with millions of other people. Going by the law of averages, there could be about 16.5 million other people having their birthday on the 4th December (boy, do I feel special now!)

The truth is, we all share our birthday's with other people. Here are some other people who were born on my birthday...

1. 1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish writer and historian (d. 1881)
2. 1918 – Albert Francis Capone, son of Al Capone (d. 2004)
3. 1835 – Samuel Butler, English writer (d. 1902)
4. 1964 – Scott Hastings, Scottish Rugby Union international
5. 1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor

I also noticed, that besides some famous people, I also share my day with poets, politicians, murderers, singers, football players, dancers etc. Makes one think!!

So, have you found out who shares your birthday? Let us know...

Be Blessed,
D3LM3

Celebrations

This week is a great week in my family. Kim celebrates her birthday today (3rd) and I have mine tomorrow!:) Declan also has his birthday on the 14th!

There are many cultures and religious groups that don't celebrate birthdays and whilst I want to understand their reasons, I feel sad in a way :(
I guess, the main reason why I feel sad is because birthdays have always been such a blessing in my family and I would love other people to share in the joy that we get to experience.

Birthday's are a time of giving thanks for the special people in our lives!
Birthday's remind us that God gave us life!
Birthday's bring families together to celebrate!
Birthday's are a good reason to eat lots of Chocolate Cake....mmmh!

To those of you who are celebrating birthday's soon, may God Bless you. To those whose birthday's are in 2010, let me be the first to wish you every blessing. To all of us, receive this blessing today...

"May the LORD bless you, and keep you;
May the LORD make His countenance shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
May the LORD turn His countenance to you and grant you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

Lastly, a question for you all - do you know of other couples who share a birthday or whose birthdays are a day apart? I'd love to know - thanks!

Living by the Grace of God,
D3LM3

Would you treat me differently?

Would you treat someone differently if you knew something 'unique' about them?

If you knew I was HIV positive, would it make a difference?
If you knew I cheated on my Tax return, would you care?
If you knew I was a thief, would you still trust me?
If you knew I was a Muslim, how would you respond to me?
If you knew I was a King, would you grovel?
If you knew I was a Billionaire, would you ask for money?

Just in case you are wondering, none of these 6 things relate to me, especially the last one!! However, if you suddenly found one of these to be true, would it change your opinion of me?

As a minister, I have experienced this a few times - I can be speaking to someone and their behaviour or language suddenly changes when they find out that I am a 'Minister.' Sometimes they change the way they relate to me out of respect, but other times, it is out of some preconceived notion of who a minister is.

The remarkable thing about Jesus was that he never treated people differently - regardless of who they were. The woman at the well, the lepers, the paralyzed man, the woman who had been bleeding for years, Nicodemus etc. He loved them all and wanted them to experience the overwhelming love of his Father.

Would we be able to treat the next person we meet with the same 'Grace' as Jesus did?

Growing in Grace,
D3LM3

It's not my problem!

Today we stop and remember 'World AIDS day.' For a lot of us (if we are honest) we struggle with this day, because we just don't know what to do about HIV/AIDS. Many Christians have adopted an attitude of "It's not my problem!" or "It doesn't affect the Church." Both of these assumptions are not helpful.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus would be ministering to the families infected and affected by HIV, if he were walking the streets of South Africa today. He reached out to the lepers, prostitutes, demon-possessed and to the 'outcasts' in his day. Just like many people infected with HIV, the 'outcasts' in Jesus' day were all treated with disdain by the religious establishment.

So then, in the present, the only way He can minister to the millions of people struggling with the disease, is through the body of Christ - mmmh, that is US. So despite our lack of resources or knowledge or ability, we have to do something!

Here is a start:
1. Name the people in your circle of influence, who are infected/affected by HIV.
2. Pray for them and their families.
3. Ask them if you could do something practical to help them.

Start small and let's see how we can all change the world.

For a really awesome blogpost and moving story about HIV/AIDS please read my friend, Dion Forster's post.

Touched by Grace,
D3LM3

Final Countdown

So December is upon us - 11 months of 2009 have already passed us by and we are into the final countdown before Christmas and the New Year.

How has this year been for you so far? Have all the hopes and dreams you started out with, faded or disappeared? Have some of them materialised?

Regardless of the past 11 months, we can still make this year a memorable one - we still have 31 days to 'live intentionally.' Here is a quote to keep us all focused on making the "festive season" a God-inspired month...

Albert Einstein - "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

We remember that Jesus' life was always one lived for others. It is our turn now!

Grace to you,
D3LM3

Father George Zabelka

Over 60 years ago Catholic Air Force Chaplin, Father George Zabelka blessed the men who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over the next two decades, he came to the realisation that he had been terribly wrong in lending moral and religious support to the bombings. In a speech, just before his death, Father Zabelka left this message:

"All I can say today is that I was wrong. Christ would not be the instrument to unleash such horror on his people. Therefore no follower of Christ can legitimately unleash the horror of war on God's people...All I can say is: I was wrong!
...to do otherwise would be to bypass the first and absolutely essential step in the process of repentance and reconciliation: admission of error and admission of guilt."

Now there is a thought - someone who is willing to admit they make a massive mistake. When last did we admit to making wrong choices & judgements? When last did we get to say 'sorry' and really mean it?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. I got this quote from Shane Claiborne's book 'Jesus for President.'

Great leaders

"He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander." - Aristotle

Could this be why Jesus is considered to be the greatest leader of all time?

Philippians 2:8 - And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Don't just follow any person - follow the best Leader!

Following Grace,
D3LM3