Harmony of Grace

Psalm 31:9-16 We are presented with another two beautiful Psalm readings this week. The first is this extract from Psalm 31. In this Psalm, David cries out to God in a time of distress. Perhaps, if you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed about a personal situation, or the situation in our country or the world at the moment, you can declare these words with David today. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbours and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times ...

This past year has been filled with anxiety and uncertainty about our future. Mel and I knew that we would be moving away from Pietermaritzburg at the end of 2019, but we had no idea where our destination would be. We recently received the news that I have been placed in Bethlehem in the Free State. We will be moving there near the end of this year where I will be ministering to the Central Methodist Church's congregation in Bethlehem. The stationing process has been stressful, with little to no information shared with us until the very last minute. This meant that we could not do anything to plan for our future until very recently. Although I have served in churches in various capacities over the past couple of years, this will be my first official placement to serve as a reverend in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Mel and I were invited to visit our new church and home this past weekend. We were both nervous, but equally as excited as we left Pietermaritzburg ...

Image Source:  Havilah Galaxy I have a habit of holding my breath whenever I am nervous or stressed. When I realize and take a deep breath, I can physically feel my body relax and my thoughts clear. The last few weeks have been some of the most stressful that I have experienced in a while. I have had assignment submissions, exams to prepare for and car trouble upon car trouble. Walking out of my exam this morning, I felt like I could relax for the first time in a while. I took a couple of deep breaths and could immediately feel my whole body relaxing. It is amazing how breathing has such a calming effect on our bodies during stressful times. Professional sportsmen learn proper breathing techniques in order to perform under pressure and pregnant women are encouraged to breathe during labour. NOOMA - Breathe (YouTube Link) I love the way that Rob Bell addresses it in his NOOMA video titled Breathe . He explains that the Hebrew name for God is essentially 4 words that make u...