Being Grateful

“Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.” - Roy T. Bennett

There doesn't seem to be a lot of good going on in the world at the moment. It is hard to wade through all the muck, trying to find things to be grateful for. However, this week I am grateful for God's guidance through stormy waters and for the Lord's ability to make something meaningful from a potential mess.

Six years ago, our world erupted into chaos with the arrival of the Covid pandemic. Fear, mistrust, anger and uncertainty seemed to be the order of the day. As a Christian community, we all had to fly by the seat of our pants - we didn't know what to do or even how to do it :)

Anyway, we quickly transitioned into the online world of sermons and worship services. The learning was steep and the mistakes were many, but we somehow managed to put content out on a weekly basis. And this past week has marked the 6th year of sharing our weekly messages. And for this, I am deeply grateful.

I am grateful to the Lord who has sustained us. I am grateful to all who have made this possible - especially Ken who faithfully films the preacher every week and does the editing of each message. To Gudrun and her team who upload the messages to our website. And many others, who work behind the scenes. I am grateful.

Being grateful doesn't mean that life is always good, but that we can see God's hand is still with us, never letting us go.

If you would like to watch the message from last weekend, we make a special mention of our 6-year anniversary on this episode. 

1 Timothy 1:12 - I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me.

Living in grace

D3LM3

Be grateful

"You only realised what you had when it's gone!"

How many times have you heard this saying before? A few, I am sure. Even though we may have heard this saying a number of times before, we still need to be reminded to be grateful. So why don't you take a moment to thank God for everyone/everything in your life - offer them all up to God in prayer.

Perhaps even send them a message of appreciation too!

"He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan..." - Luke 17:15-16

"I have given you everything you have and I want you to be grateful. This will check pride." - Thomas a Kempis

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Lent reflection - Grace and Gratitude

Knowing that the season of Lent moves us through to Easter is one thing, but there is another question which is worth asking, "What do we reflect on during Lent?"

Here is where I am heading over the next 46 days until Resurrection Sunday...
Grace and Gratitude. You may be asking why these two words in particular? Well, my answer comes from these words, written by Karl Barth:

"Charis always demands the answer eucharistia (that is, grace always demands the answer of gratitude). Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning." - Karl Barth

The Grace of God, portrayed through the life of Jesus, demands my Gratitude. Now, for me, that is worth spending many days reflecting on.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Good days

We all have good days and bad days - right?!
Well, today has been a great day for me and here are the reasons why.

1. Kim and I have been married 11 years today and I am truly blessed to have an amazing wife. It has been a great anniversary.
2. I also spent some good time with my 3 awesome boys.
3. I swam the Midmar Mile and finished in the time I was hoping for.
4. I got to spend a large part of today outdoors enjoying God's gift of creation.
5. It is raining!!!

What has your day been like?
Remember to be thankful for the blessings in your life.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

P.S. The photo is our family 'foot' photo:)