Month: February 2022

Sue’s Views

In yesterday’s church service ….. Ps Sunia challenged us to think about how we would like to be remembered at our funeral. Such a good question! And one I’ve been thinking seriously about. You don’t often hear negative remarks in a eulogy. They usually focus on the best qualities and memories. But I don’t want to be remembered as a ‘nice person’. I guess I would want to have made a difference! I would hope to have inspired people to live their best life ….. to be the best version of themselves they can be ….. to see themselves as God sees them ….. so they can in turn help others to do the same! I realise that ….. starting today ….. I can decide what will be written on my tombstone. And so can you! It’s the moment by moment decisions we make that determine the words that will define how we influence others.  But the words I would most want to hear are these from my Heavenly Father:

Sue’s Views

We all have days when we feel fragile whether it’s physical ….. emotional ….. or mental. Those are the times we are most susceptible to temptation. That’s when we need to draw on Gods strength ….. not our own! If that’s you today ….. here’s a word from the Lord for you.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:10

Sue’s Views

Summer is almost over …..  but what a summer it has been! How will you remember the summer of 2021/22? There has certainly been plenty to complain about if we so choose. But the good news is that we do have a choice! Challenging times are always opportunities to reprioritise our lives. To focus on the blessings ….. to magnify the things we are thankful for. Some of the things on my list would be family ….. health ….. deepened friendships. But above all ….. I am so thankful to know my Heavenly Father ….. without whom none of these things would be possible. Because He is at the helm ….. I am excited about the future no matter how bleak it may look. 

‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sue’s Views

Last week ….. my calendar was very full. As I contemplated the days to come ….. I began to feel overwhelmed but each event was out of my control. I prayed for strength and help ….. and the week turned out to be nowhere near as demanding as I had thought. So much of our stress comes from the anticipation rather than the actual! We are complex creatures! Spirit ….. Soul ….. and Body! The three work in conjunction and affect one another. Many physical illnesses are a result of our mental processing. But it’s also true that much mental disease is a result of our spiritual health. When God is at the centre ….. everything else will take its rightful place. Who you worship will determine how you think ….. and what you believe will determine how you treat your body! My prayer for you today is:

‘Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.’ 3 John 1:2

Sue’s Views

With more and more people being exposed to Omicron ….. many are having to discover a whole new way of living. Isolation is so foreign to most of us. Some are better than others at being in their own company! But knowing there are others in the same situation should help combat the loneliness. Take the opportunity to rest! For those who have families to look after ….. I pray God will provide the peace and protection of your household. Remember ….. this too shall pass!

‘For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’ 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Sue’s Views

During the storm last week ….. many branches came off trees. I was actually sitting under a Pohutukawa tree watching the waves when I decided maybe that was not a very wise thing to do! But storms have a way of separating the weaker branches. Jesus taught his disciples to ‘abide in the vine’. Branches that are not firmly connected to the tree will not produce any fruit ….. and will therefore be cut off. It’s in the storms of life that we really need to be connected to the source of life ….. strength ….. and sustenance. Jesus is the Vine ….. and we are the branches. How is your relationship with Him. Are you firmly connected or are you barely hanging on? How will you fare in a storm? Now is the time to strengthen that connection before the next storm comes!

Sue’s Views

What does freedom mean to you? Does it mean being able to do what you want? Having no one telling you what to do? Or does it mean being free to choose what is right? The problem is ….. there are so many different opinions about what is right! This was the situation when mankind turned their backs on God and wanted to do things their way. They went from one tyranny to another.

‘In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.’ Judges 17:5. 

I’m all for the freedom protests! I don’t like the mandates because I don’t believe they are in our best interest. But the only way to true freedom is through Jesus, the Son of God. Only when we live according to His will can we know true freedom!

‘So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.’ John 8:36

Sue’s Views

This photo is a great illustration of how the devil works. The tree represents your life. The roots ….. your belief system. His method ….. lies! He attacks the roots by questioning your beliefs ….. and by slowly eroding the way you think. Erosion takes place over time. Everything looks ok above the ground ….. but underneath there is instability and insecurity. Why does he attack us? Because he hates truth! He twists and turns it like these roots until we no longer know what’s right or wrong. Right now the devil is working overtime to bring confusion and division. He asks ‘Did God really say …..?’ So we need to know what God did really say! God’s Word is the standard which exposes the lies.

Sue’s Views

One of the aims of our few days away last weekend was to hear more clearly from God. I seem to connect with Him best while walking ….. and especially on a nice long sandy beach! So with great anticipation ….. I waited for my ‘message’from Heaven! By the third day ….. I heard loud and clear the words ‘Trust Me’! ‘Surely that’s not it!’ I thought. Two words? But as I continued to ponder on them ….. I realised they are probably the most powerful two words in the English language. They are the answer to every question ….. problem ….. and dream! We so often want an answer that is specific to our needs. He says ‘Trust Me!’ We look for a way out of a difficult challenge. God says ‘Trust Me!’ We want to see our dreams fulfilled. He whispers ‘Trust Me!’ Those words ….. when obeyed ….. can see battles won ….. lives changed ….. and things that don’t exist become reality. Of course I still ask my questions ….. but before I get them out ….. I hear those two words ‘Trust Me’! I hope that helps someone today!

Sue’s Views

‘Love is in the air’ ….. but it doesn’t necessarily mean seeing eye to eye! Having been married 45 years to someone who is as opposite to me as they come ….. we have both had to learn that true love is hard work! It means learning to walk in their shoes ….. sacrificing your own will for theirs ….. learning to speak their love language when it’s foreign to yours ….. and choosing to ‘love’ when you don’t necessarily ‘like’. Sorry to spoil the Valentines Day vibe ….. but if you want to find true love ….. it will cost you more than flowers and chocolates! It will cost you your pride ….. your rights ….. and your self. But it leads to a love that money can’t buy. We are still learning. That’s why marriage is ‘till death us do part’. It takes a lifetime!