Sunday, February 26, 2017

Overflowing With Hope

When you read this letter, I have no idea what time of day or night it is for you, but I have a message on my heart that is designed and purposed to bless you, wherever you are and whatever time! As you open your heart to receive from the Holy Spirit, His Word is going to infuse you with a fresh dose of hope! Not just a little measure to help you get through whatever you are facing, but a never ending, limitless supply of it! Enough to overwhelm your senses and overshadow any troublesome thoughts. So listen carefully with the ears of your spirit and start receiving! Romans 15:13 says, "May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope." (Amplified) The verse begins, "May the God of your hope so fill you...". Now I did a bit of reading and found out that hope means to have an earnest expectation. It's when we are able to securely put our trust in something or someone and keep it there. Regardless of how our circumstances appear, or to what extent our minds are bombarded with negative, worrisome thoughts; our God has declared that HE IS our hope. Since hope means earnest expectation, we can securely place our expectation in Him to fill us with all we need to overcome whatever we are going through. But how do we make God our hope? To do this, requires FAITH IN HIM. But it's not that easy when we have the wrong idea or somewhat distorted mental picture of WHO He is. There is only one source that can be trusted to tell the absolute truth about the character and nature of God; and that is His Word. Which, by the way, turns out to be an excellent plan, because FAITH (the essential tool to receive the reality of the promise in Romans 15:13) only comes by the Word of God. So, let's take another look at that word HOPE. I read in one of my references, that HOPE is a divine dream, it's an IMAGE that's bigger than we are, because it's built on the promises of God. So HOPE is an IMAGE. The Word of God places an image or paints a picture, of Who God is, in our hearts and minds. And when we fill our minds and hearts with that picture, knowing that it is THE truth, our faith in Him is built and established, and rooted deep inside us - it becomes an immovable anchor to our soul.  A really great idea for every child of God, in fact, it's essential, is to do some digging into the Word - specifically to build that image of WHO HE IS, on the inside of us and to CONSTANTLY remind ourselves of it! You will find that He is Almighty and all knowing. He is absolute love, mercy, kindness and compassion. He is faithful and patient and He is wisdom. God is good and there is no shadow of changing in Him - He is ALWAYS the same! He is also willing and able to work His power inside us, as we yield our lives to Him. When that inner image of WHO HIS WORD SAYS HE IS, becomes bigger than the problems around us, His Spirit, dwelling inside us, confirms that truth and by His power, causes supernatural peace to flood up from our spirits and an energising, supernatural joy infuses us with inner strength.   At this point, our minds have come into agreement with our spirits and that clear image of Who God is causes us to abound and be overflowing and bubbling over with hope! Now, this is so important, in fact it's key to us living in faith. Since we have securely placed our hope and trust in the person of God, we will have no problem placing our trust in His promises. Our hope and expectation in Him causes us to have a hope and expectation in every Word He says!  So, as we meditate on His Word, we form a mental image of His promises and allow that image to become greater than any fearful or worrisome thoughts we may have. God's thoughts have begun to dominate the way we think! Which forms a ripple effect... since the Bible says that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:24); our words follow after our dominating thoughts. And since our words of faith have the same creative power of God within them, from the moment they are released, the Word begins to go to work and produce exactly what it says! (Isaiah 55:11). This, my friends, is how we prosper and succeed in life. When we allow the image of God and the promises of His Word to be big on the inside of us, we become like that tree planted by streams of living water, full and productive. We become strong and fearless concerning the threats of the enemy. And we begin to soar, courageous and overcoming, like the eagle as He renews and satisfies us by His Spirit in His Word. So build the image of Who God is in you and watch your hope begin to overflow! All my love, Jenny

Sunday, February 19, 2017

More Than Just a Book

Hello everyone,  I'm so excited to share my heart with you again! I am extremely passionate about the Word of God. I know that it works - every time we choose to step out and put our trust in it! We have been speaking about how it can beautify our lives, like a healthy, flourishing garden, but there's an aspect to it that we simply cannot ignore, and today I want to open your eyes to a deeper understanding of its supernatural nature. I want to focus on what I like to call, the essence of the supernatural 'gardening' process. Do you know why it's such a joy to know the Word of God? I believe it's because it fills us with such glorious hope. I found out that hope means earnest expectation. But get this, the earnest expectation we feel is because we are placing our trust in a person, not just a book. And this is not just any person, it's Someone who has made everything He has ever done, about us. Since the beginning of time He had us on His mind. From before the foundation of the world, He predestined us to be complete in Him. And when He created us, He made us in His image. He knitted us in our mothers' wombs and has seen every day of our lives before they even began. Even though He created the universe, set it into motion and sustains it, He chooses to make us His object of devotion.   Now, here is the connection: This all powerful Creator, chose to breath Himself into His Word. He poured Himself into its pages and filled it with His wisdom, peace and life (All scripture is God breathed... 2 Timothy 3:16). He did this so that when we choose to read it, believe it and put our trust in it, we are in essence, putting our trust in Him.  So when we read His Word, we are digging into a treasure chest of Who He is, and His Spirit that indwells us, is our own, personal guide. And as we delight in the treasure we find, He satisfies, beautifies and dignifies us. We find ourselves completely immersed in His beauty and truth and in the process, we are transformed into the very image of the One reflected in His Word. Now that's some pretty supernatural gardening right there! Do you see that this 'gardening process' is not a mechanical formula. Rather, it's a living, love relationship we develop and enjoy with the Lord Jesus, Who is the Word. Every 'seed' of truth we receive and place into our hearts has the power to transform us into His image. Our gardens don't just grow, they flourish and bear abundant, beautiful fruit, that brings life and peace and joy to anyone in our sphere of influence. Essentially, because that fruit is a result of a deeply intimate trust and love relationship with the Lord, where we experience His true nature as we open our eyes and hearts to His Word.   I'll leave you with the words Paul said in Philippians 3:8,10 "I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]..... For my determined purpose is that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection....to be continually transformed into His likeness..." God's Word is so much more than just a book my friends, when we open our hearts to its mysteries, we meet the person Who knows us and pursues us with an everlasting love and longs to make Himself truly known to us. Enjoy getting to know Him, in His Word this week. Much love Jen

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Gardening 1 on 1

I absolutely love pretty gardens! There is such a wonderful peace and joy I feel when I get to walk through a beautiful display of colourful flowers, sweet smelling grass, and tall leafy trees that make a canopy of green over my head. Even a walk through a natural forest or African bush veld can be extremely therapeutic and a real treat to all my senses!

 

The only downside is that as much as I LOVE beautiful gardens, I'm really no good at gardening. I was not blessed with so-called 'green fingers'. If a pot plant is left under my care, unless it's of the synthetic kind, trust me, it's not going to make it. And it's not for lack of trying either. I'm probably just not cut out for gardening, but I believe I make up for it in the 'appreciation' department. My family and I had the privilege of visiting Vail, Colorado one summer. Oh my goodness, did I live up to my 'appreciation' skill then! I spent delightful hours snapping pictures of the most brilliant scenery I have ever seen! The mountains came alive, not with the sound of music, but with colour! It really was a feast for my eyes! Even in the village itself, everywhere I looked were flower boxes overflowing with gorgeous flowers of magnificent colours! There was beauty all around me, every step I took! Now that is some pretty skilful gardening if ever I have seen it.



Having said all that, throughout the Bible, we find reference to gardening too. Mark 4:26 is only one of many examples of this. It says, "...the kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground,...". Now, of course, as we have already established, I'm certainly not an expert on gardening, but I do know enough to understand that before a beautiful garden can exist, there has to be a seed. Inside one tiny seed is everything necessary for the life and abundant beauty of a garden. And once that seed is put into the ground, it will keep on producing after its own kind.



Now, in the New Testament, the Word of God is likened to a seed. 1 Peter 1:23, says God's Word is an incorruptible seed that lives forever. Since we know the Word of God is His infinite wisdom and carries His life and peace; when it's planted into the soil of our hearts, it's going to reproduce that very same nature inside of us! This excites me tremendously! Do you know why? It proves that human nature is subject to change! That's right! According to scripture, there is a process called transformation that is expected to take place in every believer, when God's Word is planted into our hearts.  

You see, at salvation, our spirits took on an immediate transformation when God's Spirit took residency in it, but our minds and bodies didn't. According to Romans 12:1,2, that transformation must still take place and it's our responsibility to do it, through the Word of God!

Which means, from the moment of our salvation, until we go to heaven, we have some gardening to do! If we are unhappy about the state of our lives, if there is an area that we long to see changed, I want to show you that it really is possible, through God's Word, to transform it from an ugly, hopeless state, to one of magnificent beauty. Every gnarly, thorny bush can be pulled out and replaced by a beautiful, leafy oak. It just requires some diligent gardening in the area of our minds. I say this because the mind is the control centre of our lives. The thoughts and emotions that we allow to grow and thrive are the ones that set our path in life. The Bible says, "...as a man thinketh, so is he...".



According to God's Word, we can transform the gardens of our minds by ridding them of every negative, depressive thought that triggers off a hurtful emotion and replacing it with God's very own thoughts of life, peace and hope. To begin with, we need to see what God's Word says about us and replace our wrong thinking with His truth. We need to get the seed of God's Word into our hearts! Look what Proverbs 24:3 and 4 says, "Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." (Amplified).

We can have every area of our lives transformed to display God's precious and pleasant riches of His grace, mercy and loving kindness. His goodness can be seen in every aspect of who we are, if we choose to let His Word be planted and rooted in us.



So ladies, let's begin the gardening process today! With the help of the precious Holy Spirit, examine your life. See if there is an area that you know you need to see changed. Then go to the nursery or garden centre, of God's Word and find the seed that will produce the results you want to see. His Word will have His perspective concerning that area of your life. When you find that promise, begin to meditate on it, don't just agree with it, see it as being a part of your life.

When we take the promises or principles from God's Word, we need to believe that they are His will for us! The Bible teaches us that ALL His promises are YES and AMEN for those who are in Christ and BELIEVE (2 Corinthians 1:20). In other words, we need to settle in our hearts that there is no debating or arguing the matter, if God's Word says it, that settles it, this is the new me! This is how my garden is going to grow!

This is the first step of our gardening process, planting the seed of God's Word in our hearts.



In the next letter, we'll look at other steps, to get the gardens of our lives growing beautifully. Until then, keep spending time finding the 'seeds' from God's Word that you want to see bloom and blossom and bear fruit in your life. When you do, remember to not just read them or memorise them, actually meditate on them and make them yours! If you feel free to share, I'd love to hear which ones you have chosen to beautify your life with!

A really great place to get you started is Psalm 103:2-5. Oh, and Psalm 1 will be a great place to encourage you, as we begin our gardening/transformation process together!

Until next time, happy gardening!

Love Jen

Monday, February 6, 2017

God's Word is Peace

Thank you so much for joining my blog! I received so much feedback after my last email letter. You would be amazed at how many of you saw yourselves as being completely like 'Martha'! Which made my heart glad, because it shows you are not lazy or idle, and most importantly, you recognise the need to keep God and His Word first place in your lives. And you of all people, will actually do something about it! Why? Because you are wired to 'do', and not just 'talk'.
So, it turns out that we seem to have more in common with Martha than we thought. Remember how she had the privilege of the Teacher being in her house that day? Well, according to the Word, we have the same Teacher resident in our's too. I'm not talking about our brick and water houses, I'm talking about our reborn spirits, where the Spirit of Jesus dwells! In John 16:13-15, Jesus was telling his disciples about us. He told them the day would come when people would have His Spirit living inside of them, continually guiding them into full truth, which is the Word of God.
Why is the Word so important that God insists in Proverbs that we make it the 'principle thing'? And why would He go to the trouble to make sure we would have a resident (live-in) teacher, to help us understand and grasp its wisdom for our lives?  
Because God's Word is spirit and life (John 6:63), and His wisdom is peace (James 3:17). In fact, the Amplified Bible explains the peace we receive from God's Word as, "... perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts." Are you kidding me? Are we really too busy to not make time to get that kind of peace for our lives? 
When I was mulling over the definition of God's peace that comes from His Word, I found myself remembering a conversation I had with the Lord when I was a teenager. Funny how certain moments in our lives, no matter how far in the past, remain as clear today as they were the moment they happened. I remember pouring out my heart, and telling Him how impressed I was with Him. Not for the fact that He was GOD, but that being GOD, He was so willing and interested to be a part of my life and spend time with me - an insignificant, somewhat awkward and teenager. His response spoke straight into my spirit with a question: "What do you want?". Instinctively, I knew this wasn't an invitation for a request for 'stuff' or any immediate need, it was a question directed at my destiny. He was asking me what I wanted from life, at that moment and in the future. I didn't even have to think about it, the answer came out so spontaneously and so sure: I wanted to be happy. Wherever I would go on my journey in life, I wanted to feel at peace, be fulfilled and have a sense of perfect well-being.
I know now, that's God's perfect desire for everyone of His children. To always have that sense of peace and well-being, (the Amplified Bible calls in tranquility inside and out), no matter where we are, or what we find ourselves doing. The only way we can live in that peace, is by personally experiencing the Word of God, doing its perfect work in our lives. And we can't do it by ourselves! We have the Holy Spirit within us, making the Word we pay attention to, alive and clear and perfectly doable to us!
I did a little studying, the Greek word for peace, expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, and tranquility of the soul. It gives the picture of someone who is unaffected by outward circumstances or pressures, and suggests the rule of order in a place of chaos. Rick Renner, a Greek scholar, wrote in his book Sparkling Gems, "A person who is dominated by peace has a calm, inner stability, enabling him to conduct himself peacefully in the midst of traumatic or upsetting circumstances."   
The Hebrew word for peace, means nothing missing, nothing broken. It suggests that when it dominates a persons life, it gives rise to prosperity in their soul. It renders a man whole, complete, stable and poised for blessing. (Sparkling Gems by Rick Renner).
Did you notice in those definitions and explanations of peace, the phrase, "a person dominated by peace is ....." ?
Since we know true, supernatural peace, comes from the Word of God, we should also realise that until it dominates our lives, it cannot produce the life and peace we long for. Wisdom from God's Word must have a commanding influence over the way we think, the words we speak and the things we do in order for its power to flow.
That's why God puts such emphasis on making His Word our top priority. Jesus said it's the only way we can truly abide in Him ("...If my words abide in you..."), and have His life operate in us (John 15:4). The Word must become that ONE THING!
So, my fellow Martha's, let's take action and steer our lives in the course of making spending time in God's Word, our vital necessity. It's the only way we are going to live in that sure, secure, supernatural peace. Hebrews 6:19, says we can trust the Word to be the anchor of our souls: "Now, we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it.."
Until next time, happy sailing,
Jenny

Friday, February 3, 2017

Too Many Things

Yahoo!!!  This is probably one of my favourite things to do - sitting down to write to you.  Every time I do, I get so blessed because I can picture you in my mind and heart; and as I write, I can feel the Holy Spirit minister life to me too!  So let's get straight into what I believe He has for us this week!

You may recall, I have been giving you my account of a mini-book I've been reading by Kenneth Copeland, called "Only 1 Thing".   It's a real treasure, and today I was reminded of a caption I read in it, that said, "All Messed Up With Too Many Things to Do". Can you relate to that as much as I can?

So, we visit the portion in the Bible that we are all too familiar with, in Luke
10, where Martha (dear, hard working, responsible Martha), was hosting one of Jesus' teaching meetings in her home.  If anyone had her hands full, it was Martha, particularly on this day.  She was hosting Jesus and His 12 disciples and apparently many other eager guests too.  She was playing hostess to a virtual multitude and trying to figure out how to keep them fed.

Now ladies, you and I know, that even with the luxury of convenient eateries that can deliver meals, or a well stocked Woolworths (for my South African friends), this can be quite an undertaking.  But Martha had to prepare and cook everything from scratch!   What made matters worse, she assumed Mary was going to roll up her sleeves and help her, but we all know that idea went up like a puff of smoke.  This irritated Martha to no end.  And when she had fumed and grumbled about it under her breath for some time, she eventually couldn't hold herself back any longer, that volcano brewing inside of her was about to erupt.  Martha knew she just had to do something about this terrible injustice and was convinced that Jesus would see how wrong and selfish Mary was and how right and responsible she was and He would do something about it!

So she marched in, and interrupted the meeting. "But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!" (verse 40 Amplified). That's it Martha, good way to let off some steam!   Can you picture this ladies?  Not only does she interrupt the sermon, but she was so preoccupied with her 'righteous cause' that she didn't even realise she was accusing Jesus of not caring for her!  How could He not take notice of the injustice done to her and her bruised feelings?  And if that wasn't enough, after giving Him a piece of her mind,  she promptly told Him what to do about the whole mess!

She acted completely irrationally, like she was out of her mind.  Well, that's what happens when we get  "overly occupied and too busy,  distracted with much serving".  What was Jesus' response? “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (verse 41,42 NKJ).

What was that one thing needed Jesus was referring to?  His Word.  Mary had chosen to sit at His feet and listen to His Word.  When we make God's Word the principle thing in our lives - hearing and obeying its wisdom - everything else always falls into place. (Proverbs 4:7; Matthew 6:33).

Just like all of us, Martha should have known this.  She had heard about the multitudes who'd spent days listening to Jesus preach.  The disciples didn't have any means of feeding all the people, certainly far less than what Martha had going for her in her own kitchen that day.  But everyone got fed didn't they?  Jesus made a little boy's lunch miraculously grow, to feed thousands of people.

I love Mr. Copeland's take on this.  In the book, he asks what would have happened if Martha had walked out of her kitchen with a big bowl of beans, slid them in front of Jesus, and said, "Sir, I'm not going to miss hearing the Living Word of Almighty God when it's being preached right here in my house.  So if you want these guests to have anything to eat, I trust You'll take care of it.  You fed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish.  I'm sure You can certainly feed this houseful of people with these beans." Somehow I think things would have turned out quite differently.

I must confess that I have far too often, been guilty of having a 'Martha attitude', and justifying it as being responsible.  Just the other day, I got so caught up in having to get through our school load and catching up on my responsibilities, that I ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit to stop and just enjoy a spontaneous moment with my daughter.  It would have only taken a moment to listen to her share something she had on her heart with me.  But I brushed it away, not realising I was hurting her feelings and leaving her feeling as though my 'to do list' was more important to me than she was.

The other night, I found myself explaining to my husband why it would be too much of a bother for me to attend some evening meetings with Him, sitting under the Word, at one of my favourite conferences to be held next week.  "It just doesn't fit into my schedule, and has come at such an inconvenient time..."  And then, when I glanced at the little mini-book, sitting on my bedside table, I was reminded about my friend called Martha.

I know, in fact, I can and will, lay my life on this truth: the Word of God, both spoken in our spirits and written in the Bible; is the most reliable and dependable source of life and wisdom we will ever have.  To treat it with the respect it deserves by welcoming it into our hearts, paying attention to it and regarding it as our most important, most valued priority, is what will cause us to not only overcome but succeed in this life.

Psalm 1 teaches us that when we give the Word first place, meditate on its wisdom and follow its principles; we will be like a well watered tree, continuously vital and full of life - always effectively producing fruit.  When the heat and pressure of life, with it's demanding schedules and responsibilities come, we won't wither and fade or burn out under the pressure.  Instead, everything we put our hands to, will prosper.

One thing ladies!  One thing is needed - God's powerful, precious Word, and everything else will fall miraculously into place.

Love you dearly,

Jenny



One Thing

Recently, we were in Fort Worth, Texas, attending the Kenneth Copeland Minister's Convention.  While my hubby got to feast day and night, on each session, I had to be selective.  But I was not in any way disappointed!!!  I got to sit under the ministry of Rick Renner; Jeremy Pearsons and Kenneth Copeland!  What a wonderful privilege and tremendous blessing!  I honestly felt my spirit being energised and ignited with fresh vision and so much FAITH!  I used an app. on my iPad that recorded the messages while I took notes - so I can pour over the practical wisdom and let it grow strong on the inside of me!  I am literally chewing at the bit to share some of it with you!

There will be plenty of time for that later, right now, I want to share something with you that the Lord has been stirring in my spirit for some time. I always seem to see it push into the forefront of my conversations and take a significant place in all my messages.

At the end of the minister's conference, we were all handed a few mini-books, and there was one that caught my eye almost immediately!  It's called "Only 1 Thing", by Kenneth Copeland.  So I have gobbled its contents up with much delight because it's the exact same theme that has been branded on my heart and mind, for so long!  The same truth I keep going back to, because I know there is so much more to understand and discover!  Over the next few weeks, I would love to share its treasures with you.

Now, of course, you can probably get a copy of one of these booklets and pour over it yourself, and let me know your thoughts or what the Lord highlights for you.  Or you can endure my ramblings and comment on them.  Either way, I'm pretty sure we will both get blessed out of our socks!

So, the beginning of the mini book poses a question: "Think of how great it would be if you had only one thing on your to-do list today.  Not 100. Not 10. Just one."   Seriously?  In all that we have to get through and deal with in a day, can you imagine pushing everything aside and prioritising just one thing?   Well, according to this mini book, that 'one thing' is really worth the attention of giving it first place!  It says that this 'one thing' will bring some pretty impressive results in our lives.  It will firstly, place us and keep us in the perfect will of God.  Secondly, it will guarantee our success, and thirdly, it will empower us to be blessed and a blessing - every day of our lives!  

Of course we would be foolish to give that opportunity up!  But a little voice of reason and common sense whispers, "Too good to be true, what's the catch?".   Well, according to the Bible, God backs this 'one thing' deal.  He says we have just one priority: "My son, attend to my words" (Proverbs 4:20).  In other words, that 'one thing' we are talking about here, is the Word of God.  In fact, this portion of scripture instructs us to put God's Word first.  To make it the final authority of our lives.  That includes our spirits, souls (intellect, emotions and will), our physical bodies, finances and everything relating to us, everyday.  We are to pay attention to it in this regard, every day of every month, of every year.  In other words, we are to always take time to hear what the Lord is telling us, through His Word, so we can say and do whatever He tells us to do!

That's the key, right there my friend.  You see, the Bible tells us that when Jesus came to earth, He stripped Himself of everything that made Him God.  "But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being."(Philippians 2:7).  Everything He did here on earth, all the success He achieved, all the people He touched and healed and delivered and restored, was done by Him following the Words of His Father.  He never said anything, nor did He do anything without first hearing His Father's Word on it.  Jesus placed hearing His Father's Word as His number one priority, every day of His human life!  He depended on that Word with His life, because it was life to Him.  Perhaps that's reason enough for us to consider switching up our priority list.  I know it is for me.  There is more to the Word of God taking first place in our lives than we had ever bargained for.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to use this mini book and the Book (Bible), to uncover some pretty powerful truths about making God's Word first place in our lives.  I promise you, you will not be disappointed!  So be expectant, and until next week - if need be, get your priorities shifted, and make spending some personal time in God's Word the number one thing you do each day.  May I suggest starting your treasure hunt by spending some time in Proverbs 4 this week, you are sure to discover some priceless gems.

I love you dearly!

Jenny


Welcome

Dear Ladies,

There are a good number of things in this life that I absolutely love, like eating a good slab of milk chocolate, while watching a feel-good movie on a cozy, comfortable couch, when it's cold and rainy outside.  Or the smell of freshly washed linen when I crawl into bed after a long, hard day.  The warm sunshine on my back while I sit and read a favourite novel in the South African bushveld on a wintery afternoon.  How about long, scenic walks in the cool of the day, and without a doubt, my mother-in-law's Sunday roast.... Oh my, the list could quite easily be endless!  But out of all the things I enjoy and love to do, there are a few that I could single out as my passion.  Besides my husband of course, here are my top three:  I am passionate about the Word of God, writing letters, and ministering the Word to ladies.   A couple of months ago, I felt the Lord stir in my heart a strong desire to do all three!  And so I began to do just that, ministering the Word of God to ladies through a series of weekly letters.

Now there is of course a background to this journey that explains exactly how it all started.  With our extensive travelling schedule, I found myself feeling rather isolated and frustrated with not being able to keep in touch as much as I wanted, with the wonderful women at our home church in East London, South Africa.  I really longed to be able to reach out to them and encourage them in the Word on a more frequent basis.  To hear their testimonies and response to the way the Word was enriching their lives and growing them in their walk of faith and relationship with the Lord.    So in one of my teary, self-pity sessions before the Lord, I felt Him nudge me to go ahead and use the tools He had already given me, and to do something about it!  And so my weekly letter writing and emailing began!  I can now go before the Lord, hear His heart in His Word and write it down in a friendly, love letter to my ladies!  And it gets better, not only do I get to touch base with the ladies on the African continent, I get to keep in contact with the wonderful friends I have made in the United States too, no matter where I am in the world! Because of technology, in an instant, my email crosses borders and oceans, and goes straight into their personal electronic devices!  Miraculous right!

Well, the more I wrote, the more blessed I became, not only by the insight and love wrapped wisdom of the Word, but by the response of the ladies reading the letters.  Soon I had friends encouraging me to extend the mailing list to as many ladies as wanted to receive a weekly letter of encouragement and love from the Word of God.  And so here we are!  I am writing letters to anyone who would like to receive them!  I welcome with an open heart, your feedback if you felt blessed by anything in particular that you read in them.

Our lives are always cluttered with so much business!  There are never ending demands for our attention, and responsibilities that seem to never end.  I would love for these letters to bring a ray of sunshine and a sweet reprieve from the burden of every day stress we have become so accustomed to.  Just one little letter of encouragement a week, to give you fresh perspective, new hope and a boost of faith!  This is my passion, and gift to you.  Enjoy your letters!

All my love,

Jenny