Today I am wearing my Vellies/Veldskoene~pronounced “FELL-skoons”. They are South African walking shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a leather food bed and …

Source: Vellies, Bobby socks and me

Today I am wearing my Vellies/Veldskoene~pronounced “FELL-skoons”. They are South African walking shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a leather food bed and rubber soles without tacks or nails.

Vellies are so comfortable and with these you are sure you can stand firm.

 

I thought of the words by Susan Gale ~Life is a balancing act. You need to keep your head up and your feet on the ground, while allowing your heart to go wherever it pleases.

I made a study of the armor of God.

“What is the readiness of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15) “And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

The word readiness implies constant vigilance. A victorious soldier had to be prepared for battle. He had to have studied his enemy’s strategy, be confident in his own strategy, and have his feet firmly planted so that he could hold his ground when the attacks came. A soldier’s battle shoes were studded with nails or spikes, like cleats, to help him keep his balance in combat. He knew that, if he lost his footing and went down, it wouldn’t matter how great the rest of his armor was; the enemy had him. When we are ready with the gospel of peace, we live with the understanding that we are continually under attack from Satan. Second Timothy 4:2 says to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.”

The “peace shoes” that God supplies His soldiers have two purposes: defensive and offensive. In order to defend ourselves against the “flaming arrows of the evil one” we must have confidence of our position in Christ. We must stand firm in the truth of God’s Word.

In addition to standing our ground, shoes are also for moving. God expects us to go on the offensive and take the gospel of peace to others. Sharing our faith is one of the best ways to maintain our own sure footing. God knows that, when we are active in speaking of Him to others, we not only charge into Satan’s territory, but we dig our shoes more deeply into truth and will be much harder to dislodge.

Recommended Resources: Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Tony Evans and Logos software Bible

 

 

‘n On this page I would like to introduce some of my favorite low carb recipes. Banting changed my life, for me it is a lifestyle and not a dink et. BEEF TACOS INGREDIENTS 5oog mince Coconut …

Source: Recipes

Tonight I had to make time for myself, I had to try to restore and recharge my emotional tank.

After returning from Thailand,  so many things went wrong. We lost three loved one’s, my brothers lung collapsed and Theo went for a test in hospital and ended up staying after some surgery.

Then I got that call. The call that turned my day upside down. I had to phone an ambulance,  my neighbor felt she was done of crying, fighting and trying, she was done, she was giving up on life.  I had to try,  with the help of paramedics on a conference call, to keep her alive, to keep her awake while help was on its way.

I pleaded that she must keep on fighting, but she asked me to let her die. I felt so hopeless, filled with fear and heartbroken,  because she felt that her family failed her, she felt alone and unwanted,she tried to take her own life.

While relaxing in a warm bath,  filled with flower petals and the aroma of essential oils that surrounded me, I thought about life. The mobile, hanging over my bath, reminded me what life is all about.  It is about love, hope and joy.

There is no joy, no hope when someone feels unloved. Love  your family, spend time with them. Be kind and serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is  not promised and today is short.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my stay in Thailand, we visited the Vintage Market twice. Here I wanted to park my Split window VW Combi and vintage camper. Wishful thinking.

Although it was dark and unfamiliar to me, I wanted to explore all the little stalls,  I could not get enough of the Vintage shops selling all my childhood memories.

A ran around like a mad chicken, so worried that I will be missing out on something interesting before the market had to close.

The first evening I discovered a place where they used old combi’s as restaurant tables.  There was different models, some rusted and some in a better condition.  Because we arrived too late, the restaurant was already closed.  There and then I decided that I needed to go back, I needed to get the feeling and the vibe of this unique place.

We went back and I couldn’t find the restaurant.  I was running around on my own, with my poor night vision, trying to find my favorite place.  Later I realized to take it slow, to try to relax and to ask for help and guidance.

At last I had found the restaurant. I was so inspired with what I saw, I step onto the deck and indulged into my surrounding, the music, the work of art, the passionate people, the food, drinks, conversations and the dj doing what he does best. I took many photos, admiring every single detail, the owner was just standing there, pleased with what he saw, I bohemian girl, loving his place of pride and joy.

My lesson about this very special place is, here they recycled and used old, rusted  vehicles and turned it into something useful, different and special. Although we feel useless, too old, or not equipped enough to make a difference, we must rather focus on what we can do instead of what we can’t.

In Exodus 3:11 Moses said, Lord, who am I. He felt useless and unequiped. In verse 12 God answered,” I will be with you”.

Whenever you doubt yourself, remember God can use you if you are willing. He promise to be with you all the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is good to be back home.  I missed sharing my stories on the blog.

When I was busy packing my little pink suitcase, I was reminded of all my previous travels and the danger of traveling with too much stuff.

First of all, after closing your suitcase and picking it up, it really doesn’t feel heavy.  You think you are ready to travel to far away places and that your baggage won’t be a problem at all. It is a total different story when you realize this little pink suitcase is but only a nuisance as soon as you start feeling tired, hungry as a beast and irritated by all the walking, waiting,  sitting and trying to be patient.

This time around I managed to travel light. I even booked in my hand luggage and traveled with only my small backpack. I felt so light, so energetic and so in control. 

We, once again,  visited Koh Larn Island. The water was not so clear,it was lukewarm and a bit over crowded,   but we enjoyed playing and relaxing in the waves.

It was time for me to share my message. Like the previous time, God wanted to use me to give a message to a broken soul,a burdened heart and a fragile person, in need of a miracle.

My message was all about forgiveness.

~To ask God to forgive what was done wrong.

Hebrews 8:12

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

~Then to forgive yourself.  To never think about it ever again.

~Then to forgive those who sinned against you.

If we don’t ask forgiveness, it will be like carrying a huge, heavy suitcase, dragging it around  when it gets too heavy,to get tripped and injured, especially when our energy runs out.

Forgiveness means that we can be free, free of any baggage,we have to open our hands and let it go,then we will be  ready to face the world with a lightness of heart, soul and mind. 

If you are carrying a lot of baggage around, then try to find someone who cares enough, to help you to unpack.

Don’t spend precious time pondering the past. Leave your old emotional baggage behind, embrace the present and celebrate your  existence.

It’s time to pack my bags again to go where no one knows my name.

I love to travel, it gives me the opportunity to explore,  to learn about culture and traditions,  to get lost in a market place, to drink and eat from the streets, to do some shopping  and to learn more about others, but mostly, more about myself.

James Michener said~If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better  stay at home.

Chumley, our family mascot and my traveling buddy, seen many places. You will notice him going on road trips and over seas adventures with us.  We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us.

At the end we must always remember, happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.

Thailand, here we come. 

Last weekend, while  our two year old grandson was visiting us, he asked me to put on his favorite Mickey Mouse DVD.

I left him in our bedroom and carried on with the washing. While I was busy hanging up the clothes, I thought to myself, what a good little boy he is. The only noise that came out of that room was the sounds of the Disney characters doing what they do best, to entertain children. Well, that was what I thought.

After a while I went to check up on him. Surprise, surprise. He was not on my bed where I had left him a few minutes ago. Our bedroom greeted me with the evidence of a little boy, exploring and indulging into the treasures that he found in his grandmother’s room.

My Lindt bunny was broken into pieces, some of the pieces missing, maybe a sugar rush will follow? My make-up drawer was in a mess and urgently needed a make over, the eyeshadow kit will never be the same again. My vintage cars were lined up, ready to take off, and a little boy was watching his ouma Z,  he could sense my disappointment in what he had done.

I asked him “who was responsible for the havoc in this room?”  He looked me straight in the eye and said “naughty me, ouma”.  I wanted to kiss those sweet, honest, little lips of his.

I realized, he is not afraid of me. People lie because of fear. He is honest, he did not try to hide away his deeds. He was brave to admit that he was naughty, ready to face the consequences.

The lesson I learned was,  when we live in honestly, we never have to hide our deeds. We don’t need to live in fear but we need to admit when we make mistakes and face the consequences.

Love conquers all.

 

 

 

 

Today is national freedom day. Well, my celebration is a rather different way of celebrating the, so called freedom. Although it is autumn, I decided to Spring clean.

I started by cleaning the kitchen, on my knees, scrubbing the floors, I listened to my worship cd playing in the background.

The words of Grace,   by Micheal W Smith, reminded me that I am free.

MICHAEL W. SMITH

Grace Lyric

I was lost when You found me here

You pulled me close and held me near

And I’m a fool but still You love

I’ll be a fool for the king of love

He gave me wings so I could fly

And gave me a song to color the sky

And all I have is all from You

And all I want is all of You

It’s grace, your grace

I’m nothing without You

Your Grace, Your grace

Shines on me

And there’ve been days when I’ve walked away

Too much to carry, nothing left to say

Forgive me Lord when I’m weak and lost

You traded heaven for a wooden cross

And all these years You’ve carried me

You’ve been my eyes when I could not see

And beauty grows in the driving rain

Your oil of gladness in the times of pain

 

Your grace, Your grace

I’m nothing without You

Your Grace, Your grace

Shines on me

Today I have the wings to fly, knowing I am free because of His saving grace. My songs so many times,when all seemed so grey,  colored my sky. He  is my eyes, being visually impaired I need to rely on Him for guidance and acceptance. He was my healing oil in those days of pain.

Indeed I can celebrate freedom today, I am free because of His grace.

I need to go now, my germ free kitchen is calling out for a celebration. Lemon meringue it will be.

 

 

Today I saw a quiz on Facebook. I answered all the questions and waited for the result.

“Your answers reveal that courage is  your most dominant personality trait.”

These words  took me back to the cycling tour, you can read all about this on this blog “my story”, where I was requested to get on the back of a bike .  I never imagined  myself cycling from Johannesburg to Durban.  At the end of that tour, the pilot gave me a nickname, ZC ~ Zetta Courageous.

I thought of  what it means to be courageous.

• Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill.
•  Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying “I will try again tomorrow.
• Deut 31.6.  Be strong and courageous,  do not be afraid or terrified  because the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you, He will never forsake you.

May we all turn our fear into victory.