ANOTHER Epiphany?

So any of you out there who have a house with a swimming pool, I reckon you will understand what I have been through.  For the record, to all of you who have NEVER had a house with a pool and are envious of those who do have a pool, stop being envious, because those who DO have a house with a pool wish they didn't, for reasons that may soon become obvious.

Moving on rapidly...  Pool owners, what happens if you do not keep a close watch on your pool, or more seriously, what happens if you go away for two weeks, and are unable to work on the pool the weekend BEFORE you leave, the weekend in between the two weeks and the weekend after you get back, due to adverse weather conditions?  The 'green with envy' (of the non-pool owners) moves into your pool with a vengeance, right?  And then the fun starts.... getting the pool back to its former pristine condition.

That takes copious amounts of money (for the chemicals, water to top up the pool, and if you are not particularly energetic the pool cleaning company), huge amounts of time, and not a little reduction in your expected life duration, all caused by stress.  At the end of all this, if you are lucky, you will be lucky if you have not let it slip so far that the pool has to be drained, acid washed, and refilled from scratch, meaning more money for stabilizing the pool again.  (See what I mean, non-pool owners?)

But where's the epiphany, you ask? Get to the point, old chap, we don't have all day!

Well, here it is: It's a lot like becoming a Christian (returning to the fold as it were), or for that matter remaining a Christian.

Say WHAT???

Let me elaborate:

1. The pool cannot, of itself, resolve the issue of being green.  In fact, left to its own devices, it would become greener, and greener, then black and smelly.
   Yeah, OK, inanimate object and all that, but it's the way it is.  It's easy for the pool to become green, but to turn that around doesn't just happen.  It takes the chemicals, time, effort, pain (a lot of water goes to waste, and has to be replaced at a cost - for me that's painful). In like manner, we need the Blood of Christ, the inner working of the Holy Spirit, the Grace of God, and it's not an easy journey either.  Like a pool which will always tend to go green if left to its own devices, we tend toward the flesh, rather than the Spirit, unless we are vigilant.
2. It's not a quick process. To quote a song: "It's going to take time, a whole lot of precious time; it's going to take PLENTY of time, to do it right, yeah".
   It wasn't an overnight change to move away from His presence, and His plan for our lives (it wasn't for me, anyway).  It was allowing things to go bad over a period of time (I'll read the Bible later, I'll pray tomorrow morning, I'll go to Church again next weekend, and so on).
   The Forgiveness which we get through Christ is instantaneous, but it is going to take a long time to become totally like Him (Eternity in fact). The best we can do is every day, remember the words of the song 'To Be Like You' from Hillsong (can be found on the Glorious Ruins album):
   All I want, all I need More of You, less of me Take this life, Lord it's Yours Have my heart, have it all
3. You are most likely going to need to get advice and guidance from people who know what to do.
   Every pool owner at some time will ask for advice from specialists - pool cleaning companies, water testing services, etc. The most common source you will ask is probably other pool owners when you visit their and their pool is sparkling, blue, Crystal clear, everything you want it to be - trust me you WILL ask how they do it.
   
   In this case it is the testimony of others - guidance from Pastors, teachers, accountability partners, and fellow believers, not necessarily older than you, who may be able to advise on how to address issues with which you are struggling.  But if you do not ask, you are not going to get answers.  The problem is that sometimes it is embarrassing to admit you let your pool go green, if you understand my drift.
4. Every day you are going to see how you are doing, and hopefully see progress.
   Some days, it's just a small change, some days you cannot even see a change.  It is those days when you have to have faith, and believe.
   
   For example, there are some days when it feels like your prayers are hitting the ceiling, and then you have to take hold of the verse in which God promises that he hears ALL our prayers. Verses such as 1 John 5:14-15: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 
   God never gives up on us, but we are quick to give up on ourselves.
5. Occasionally, you may skip a day (or a week) and will be shocked to see how things go backward so quickly when it seems they go forward so slowly.
   I believe that if you are not going forward, you are going backward.  If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. If you are not growing, you are wilting.
   Again it is important to realize when this has happened, and to take steps to rectify the problem. And remember, it's not God that moved away from you...
6. It helps to ensure that you frequently top up the chemicals in the pool, to ensure it doesn't go green again.
   
   This is called maintenance, and is always necessary.  Just as a single coal in a fire will not survive if it is removed from the coals around it, we need the community of the Church to stay strong.  The chemicals which you need to top up with are daily Bible reading, prayer, and yes, even contact with other believers.  You will be surprised how much you can grow yourself if you start encouraging others around you as well.

Now let's assume (for now) you decide to use a Pool Cleaning business (because you cannot get it right yourself, or are too lazy). Even there, there is an analogy or two to be found (assuming you use God as the Pool Cleaning Company):

1. He sends his best Representative to sort out the problem. He knows JUST how to resolve the situation.  After all he has been in the 'cleaning' business for about 2 millennia now.
   Christ's offering on the Cross was the ultimate sacrifice. It rocks my mind to realize that around 2000 years ago, He died, and rose from the dead, so that I could receive forgiveness from my sins here and now.
2. He sends along assistants to help, not to do the cleaning, but encourage, strengthen and guide you while the cleaning takes place.
   I have always believed in the presence of angelic beings around me.  In times, when on the spiritual mountain top, on the peaks, I am convinced I have seen them; the Bible even says that God sends his angels to keep watch over us. Who am I to argue with that?
   Not all angels necessarily have wings though.  There are those around us who God send to us to minister, guide, even rebuke us on occasion - these too are angels, doing His bidding.  These are a lot easier to see, harder to recognize and FAR more difficult to listen to: let's be honest, if an Archangel with his flaming sword drawn appeared to you, you would definitely listen to anything he says, but the teenager over the road who comes to you with a message they believe is from God? Far less likely to be taken cognizance of? You disagree? I didn't think so.
3. Unlike other pool companies, He sends a resident Assistant, to guide you and keep you in contact with the Cleaning Company (which pool owner doesn't wish that the pool cleaning companies would do THAT - and I am not talking about weekly 'service' visits, I am talking RESIDENT).
   Here I am thinking particularly of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was sent By God, from God, IS God (part of the Holy Trinity) to guide us, and help us to know God. He (the Spirit) lives inside us, as long as we allow Him to, God with us. How amazing is that?

SO that's the latest epiphany. This may be a good point to stress the TITLE of the blog: Mysterious Musings of the Stressed Developer. By that I mean that I realize this may or may not have significance to you, but believe me when I say it has significance to me.  I just thought that sharing this may bring some light into your day, a smile to your face, and maybe, just maybe, trigger an epiphany of your own.  Who knows? If it does, be an angel to me, and please share.

Vince

The Stressed Developer has an epiphany

For many years I was a devout Christian, and then due to circumstances that I would prefer NOT to air here (suffice it to say that there was a lot of emotional pain involved), I drifted away from the church and my faith in general.  It was only as a result of circumstances, prodding from the Spirit, and the Hillsong Church in Cape Town that I was able to get my faith back on track, my relationship with Him back on course (though there is a long way to go with that), and I am once again starting to see the beauty that is all around me, in people, places, events and life in general.

 

That was the introduction, and this is the post.  I was sent to Johannesburg from Port Elizabeth (where I live) to attend a 1/2 day workshop followed a 1/2 day discussion of the 1/2 day workshop (among other things).  A colleague of mine from PE went along as well, and we were joined in Johannesburg by another PE colleague who actually lives in Bloemfontein (yet we all work for Johannesburg - a convoluted story) - hang in there, I will get to the point sooner or later.

 

On the flight up, Melanie (my colleague from PE) and I saw something in the clouds just after we took off, and since we had our phones off, neither of us took any pictures - no picture, no proof, no sighting - we all know the drill.  It seemed to be a very unusual sighting (for me anyway, as I have never seen it before), but the amazing part was that when we flew back this morning (also on the red-eye flight), we saw it again, and this time it was just BEFORE we had to turn our phones off (OK, it was just AFTER we had been told to switch our phones off, but I HAD to get this picture):

 

 



SO what is this, you ask? 

It's the shadow of the airplane, but surrounded by a complete rainbow - full circle.

 

The scientist in me understands that this is a natural occurrence of light being refracted through a prism, in this case the moisture in the air. The rainbow is fully circular due to our relative position to the rainbow, and the fact that we are not close enough to the earth for the ground to break the circle  - or something like that, anyway.

 

But I felt immediately that this was illustrating something to me, and you do not have to agree with me, but this is what I got:

1. Remember Noah, when they got off the Ark on Ararat? God gave him the rainbow, as a PROMISE (that there would never be another flood to destroy the earth, but a promise, none the less). 
   
   This made me realise that Gods promises are all around us, if we would only bother to take a look, and at the same time that His promises are all beautiful, good, with our interest in mind, and part of His plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
   
   
2. I don't know about you, but to me rainbows are always beautiful, whether they are single or double, or as in this case full circle (trust me, the photo doesn't do the rainbow justice - take my word for it).  In the same way, He always has beauty in mind, even in hardship and trials, as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we will see that beauty.  Look away from the rainbow (in my case into the cabin of the aircraft) and the beauty of the rainbow is no longer in my sight.  That doesn't mean it isn't there (because it IS), I just don't see it, because there is something in the way, or I am looking a different way.
   
   
3. What I found particularly significant is the fact that the rainbow was AROUND the aircraft (or in this case the shadow of the aircraft, if it was around the aircraft itself I would not have been able to see it, now would I???). This showed me his promise was surrounding me, in essence enclosing me (ok, the aircraft, but the aircraft wasn't getting the message, I was).  and I believe this is truly the case in His promises as well.
4. Then there was the fact that the rainbow was showing on the clouds and not on the ground.  To me this indicated that He sees things from a different perspective. Sometimes we need to separate ourselves from the issues themselves and look at them from a different point of view (and more often than not, that point of view can be provided by people around us.  A little girl once said "Even boys have something useful to say, if you listen long enough").
   
   
5. Lastly, I go the distinct impression that the rainbow around the aircraft showed how He was holding the aircraft in His hands (He's got the whole world, in His hands, and so on).  That to me spoke of His protection over us, and the fact that he cares for us. Luke 12:6-7 (and Matthew 10:29-31) speak of the fact that sparrows are cheap, yet He remembers them all, and we are worth far more than sparrows in His eyes.

So I saw this image, and it spoke to me of His promises, His beauty, His protection, His love.  Probably no-one else (of the few who actually SAW it) saw anything special in the image, but I believe He was trying to make a point, directed at me, the point being that He never left me, I left Him, He was there all the time. Oh, yes, and just how much He truly loves me, and wants to be loved by me.

 

So THAT was my epiphany, and I wanted to share it with you - before it slipped my mind, getting older isn't for sissies, let me tell you. And not something one should attempt on your own either.  You need Someone's hand to hold onto.

 



The rainbow again, but here the airplane was not so visible

On Birthdays and Shavathons

Seems like only a week ago, I was turning 21, and a few days later (OK,  it was 3 years, 7 months and 16 days later, but it felt like a few days) I dedicated my life to the woman who after 28.5 years has still not killed me. Now a few days later (yes, I know it's been 29 years), I have passed the mini-milestone of turning 53, an occurrance I was more than happy to ignore.  24 days before that, my mother had turned 83, and about 2 weeks before that, she found out she has cancer of the colon, and that at her age, any treatment would be more likely to kill her than the cancer (which is 100% likely to kill her eventually, so you get the point).


So why am I posting all this.  Well, the past weekend, CANSA (The Cancer Association of South Afica - http://www.cansa.org.za/) held the annual Shavathon. For a mere R50 (or even less if you cannot afford R50) you can choose to have your head shaved (cut to a #1 - no shorter, due to the risk of being sued if they should happen to nick someone's ear :( ) or sprayed in various colours or patterns, with the funds raised going towards supporting CANSA and it's objectives, including research.


With the cancer suddenly striking a LOT closer to home (we have previously lost family members to the horrors of cancer), there was no way I could NOT partake - I always do, but this year was more personal.  Just shaving my head (which I do regularly anyway) seemed like only going half-way, so opted for both:

At the time, it seemed like a good idea, and the cold spray was very refreshing on a hot summers day (I am in South Africa, so if you're in the northern hemisphere, trust me, it's hot down here).  The realisation came later that these sprays are for colouring hair, but when your hair has been cut to 2mm in length, the spray ends up on your SKIN, and is not so easy to wash off - even after several showers, my entire head still has a noticeably pinkish tinge to it!!!  Whatever, it's for a good cause.


What I also find odd, is that when my Dad was 50, and I was about 14, I though he was really old, and when he turned 60 (so I was 24), he was ancient.  Now I am 53, and I don't feel old, in fact I don't feel THAT much older that I did when my dad was 60.  The reality is, however, that my sons, who are 22 and 26, think I am..... well, let's say REALLY old, but not quite ancient yet.  I suppose it's all about perception. 


Which brings me back to my mother and her cancer.  She is 83, but despite the cancer is still making home-made jams, which she sells to raise funds for the church - she supplies the fruit and the sugar, but tose are HER donation, and any money which she makes from the sale of the jam goes in total to the church.  One off her regular customers saw that she was still making the jam, and said to my Mom "I thought you had cancer?".  Mom's response was absolutely brilliant: "That's what my doctor and the specialists say.  So far, though, I am still alive, so why not do what I enjoy doing while I am still alive?".  See, the perception of (and most peoples reaction to a diagnosis of) cancer, is that you lie down and die.  Mom's reaction is that it's a matter of attitude: If you give in, it will kill you quickly, but if you decide to live despite it, well then it's going to have a fight on its hands, so I will give it a run for its money". (OK, I have paraphrased what she said slightly, but I know that is her attitude) It seems to be paying off, because instead of seeing her every two weeks, her doctor has decided to only see her once a month, because she is doing so well.


A serious post, I know, but for a serious matter.  I was really disillusioned by how few people I know who, despite prodding, still did not make the effort to support a worthy cause, and especially given how few people have NOT been touched in some way by cancer. 


Maybe next year....

Kurt Darren and my taste in music

My wife dragged me to a Kurt Darren show last night. Not so much dragged as politely con-vince-d me (pun intended) that it would be nice to go together to the show. It wasn't that I minded being with my wife, quite the opposite in fact, but I'm not a Kurt Darren fan, if you know what I mean.

Turned out it was not so bad after all - he has 3 girls in the band, and the rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist was very cute, and positioned right next to the 'star'. Made it easy to enjoy the show, without actually having to look at Kurt.

My family often ask me why I am NOT a fan, as if it is inconceivable that one can adopt this stance, much the same as my attitude of not understanding how it is possible for ANYONE to accept the shocking statistics surrounding Rhino poaching in South Africa (currently standing at 54+ for 2012, and the year is only 45 days old). To be honest, I cannot tell you, I am not sure I understand it myself.

I like music in general, most music from the 60's to present (although honestly the latest 'music' is severely lacking in quality, appeal, and in many cases purpose), and despite my earlier statement to the contrary, even Kurt has a song or two that I like (such as " Standing on the Edge" which he also sang last night).  I find that I am put off by the hype around artists, and the volume of the adoring crowds that appear like magic whenever a celebrity is around.

I see on his website that you can even download his voice for use on your GPS (provided of course you have one of the following Garmin GPS units: nuvi 200 series, nuvi 205 series, nuvi 500 series, nuvi 700 series, nuvi 705 series, nuvi 800 series, nuvi 1200 series, nuvi 1300 series, nuvi 1400 series, nuvi 1410 series, nuvi 1600 series, nuLink! 1695, nuvi 2200 series, nuvi 2300, nuvi 2460, nuvi 3700 series, nuvi 5000, dezl 560, zumoR 660 - if you are interested, the link is http://www.gps-creative.com/products/kurt-darren and it will only cost you R149.95).

It's also not just Kurt, I regularly get angry looks when I say that I an NOT a fan of Juanita du Plessis or Patricia Lewis (what happened to her anyway) or Bok van Blerk or any one of a whole lot of local artists.  And it's not just the Afrikaans ones, it's the English ones as well.  Before I get lambasted for being 'anti-local' that is ALSO not true.  There are a LOT of local artists that I really enjoy listening to, such as Theuns Jordan, Nadine and Lianie May, among others.

Maybe it's the style of music which doesn't appeal to me. Maybe it's the commercialism of the whole thing, and how some artists tend to lap it all up more than others.  Perhaps I am even jealous of their fame (though I dislike crowds intensely, and prefer anonymity over fame), who knows.

All I know is, I spent 2 hours listening to music last night.  2 hours which I could spend with my wife, even if we had hundreds of other people around us, just relaxing and listening, and while it was not necessarily my choice of music, I have to admit it had the desired effect of 'soothing the savage beast'.

And watching Guitar Girl wasn't all that difficult either.