Hello from Paris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mCgmEJB-g

Hello from Amsterdam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-9qFWrXonE

Hello from London

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JYoSfKt78Y

Airport

Well, I am at the airport ready for my first trip,I sat next to Ed Jordan on the gautrain and we had a nice chat about his children's cd's and said a special hello to Matthew and Bethany after he heard how much they like his cd's. I am really excited about this trip but will surely miss my family a great deal.

Furlough

For a long time now I have been looking forward to this year. This is my furlough or long leave year and I have planned a number of exciting trips. My hope is that not only will it be many new sights and sounds but also that these trips will be filled with adventure.

But my greatest hope is that this will also be a time of spiritual renewal, so I will endevour to keep good record of all my experiences. The first of my trips is only two weeks away, I will be visiting my sister in Amsterdam, spending some time in London with church folk and then finish the trip with a visit to Antwerp and Paris.

Slow Down...

Whilst out on my morning ride I came across a hedgehog (which apparently is endangered), something I have never seen in the wild before. As I stopped to look at this beautiful creature several cars flew past us, they completely missed this wonderful sight because they were going to fast. I thought how true it is in life - we are in such a rush most of the time that we often don't see the small yet beautiful moments in life - like the other day when I was so busy preparing for Christmas that I almost missed out on the wonderful conversation my kids had with one another about who is better: Action man or Jesus? Sorry Jesus my kids think that action man will take you in a fight!

May your life not be so rushed that you miss out on the "endangered " moments of life.

Recognizing God's Voice

So often we feel God is speaking to us but we are not sure if it really is God or just my own desires. Or you might feel that God never speaks to you...how do we recognize the voice of God in our lives in the midst of so many other voices?

I John 4:1 "Don't always believe everything you hear just because somebody says it's a message from God. Test it first to see if it really is."

The bible say we must test it – but what criteria should we use and what are the questions we need to ask that will help us discern whether or not this is in fact God speaking to me or not?

The first and probably most important question to ask is does it agree with the Bible.

Luke 21:33 "heaven and earth will pass away but My

words will never pass away."

God will never tell you to violate anything in this book. Never. God will never tell you to ignore or disobey anything in this book. He doesn't say one thing one time, and another thing another time. God is consistent. If He said it in the past, He's going to say it in the future.

So for example God will never tell you to not pay your taxes because He has already instructed us to do so in the Bible.

Most of God's will for your life is already right there in the Bible. You don't even have to pray about it. Just do what it says.