NHCF Blog

by Calven Celliers The famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint a mural on a monastery dining hall in Milan, Italy. The result was The Last Supper, one of the most recognized and beloved works of art in the world. It depicts Jesus sitting with His disciples at a table just after He told them that one of them would betray Him. During the time da Vinci was working on the piece, he got into an argument with another famous Italian, Michelangelo. According to biographer Vasari these two had “an intense dislike for each other.” The two were jealous of each other’s work and often made disparaging comments about one another in public. Legend has it that when the time came for Leonardo to paint the face of Judas in The Last Supper, he got the sinister idea of using the face of his rival, Michelangelo, to be the face of the betrayer. He felt it was a great way to immortalize how he felt about his enemy. But then came the last step in his grand artwork, painting the face of Jesus. As he tried to capture the image of Christ, he always felt somewhat dissatisfied. For the next few weeks, he apparently painted the face of Christ over and over again. He had Jesus’ body completed, but he couldn’t create the right face. In desperation Leonardo prayed that he could paint a face that would adequately express the love and compassion of Christ. “Lord, help me to see Your face,” he pleaded with God. Finally, a voice spoke to his heart, saying, “You will never see the face of Jesus until you change the face of Judas.” Leonardo was convicted. He erased Michelangelo’s face and painted the image we see today. Only when Leonardo let go of his bitterness toward Michelangelo and removed the offense, could he clearly paint the image of Christ. Some of us cannot see the face of Jesus clearly in our lives because we refuse to forgive others. We are so determined to pay people back that all we can see is what they have done wrong, and our vengeful hearts keep us from fully seeing Christ. Forgiveness is something we all need, but for a smorgasbord of reasons it is something many of us hesitate to give. Jesus makes it abundantly clear in the Gospel of Matthew, however, that we can't have it without giving it.  “14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  (Matthew 6: 14 & 15NIV) Our sin separates us from God. As long as we harbour unforgiveness in our hearts, we will not see the face of Jesus, nor will we know the abundance of life that Jesus said He came to give us, because there will always be a part of us that will be dead in our sin! As I gave this some…

by Graham MolDo you have a special verse or passage of Scripture that is a source of comfort and encouragement to you? It may be a promise, or a line of praise of the Lord's great qualities that resonates with you. It can be something you can recall or recite that helps you put things in perspective, reminding you of God's presence and goodness in your life. It can be a reassurance in the face of fear and despair. In May last year I was blessed as a Christian brother from our Church shared with me a verse reference that he felt was for me. Isaiah 41:10 in the Message translation. I don't know if he realised just how much this verse would come to mean to me in the days, weeks and months since then, even to this day and I honestly believe into the years ahead.Don’t panic. I’m with you.    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. (Isaiah 41:10 MSG)These words have become precious to me as they have been a clear reminder that God is with me in all the moments of struggle and doubt, a reminder that He will give me the strength I need. I need not fret or worry for He will never let me go. His "firm grip" gives me confidence to walk in the way that He has shown me, no matter how difficult that may be.It may be that in sharing how much this verse has helped me, that you too may be uplifted and encouraged by these words of Scripture. Or you may be reminded of a passage or verse that is deeply meaningful to you - and you need to read it again to drink in it's truth. Or maybe you have been feeling the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share a verse with a friend, to offer them encouragement. I'd urge you to do so. You may never know just how much of a difference it could make in their life. God BlessGraham

by Caryl Moll I drift outside to the sanctuary of our garden. My mind is disturbed with the news of the day….and it’s all horrible! Yes, people are dying, there’s illness, suffering, fear, poverty, political power struggles, indecision, international elections, murder, crime… the list is endless. And the prayer requests are endless too. Our world is a mess…and we are home-shackled with a virus raging around us. It’s hard to see God in all this. But I need to breathe in God… In this moment, I need Him. And the birds, the wind, the skies, nature. I hunch down on the lounger next to our pool and with my chin cupped in my hands and stare at the rippled water. “Why God?” I ask. “Why do you allow this to happen? Also, how am I supposed to write an inspirational blogpost when your world is falling apart? If I’m honest, Lord, I’m a little disappointed in you.” I lament. Then I continue… “Please speak to me, Lord? What do I write?” And then I ‘hear’ His gentle whisper: “Look around you, my child, and learn.” “But how, Lord? I am imprisoned in my own home,” I argue. “I don’t see my friends, or my family. We don’t even go to church. How am I supposed to look around, Lord?” “Just look.” Is the answer I get. In my meditation, I stare at the water. I see the distorted reflections. I note that the sky and the silhouettes of the trees are also totally obscured by the pool’s fountain. “Yes, look…” I ‘hear’ His encouragement. “Don’t you think I’ve been distorted too…?” At that moment, my thoughts come together clearly. I know what to write and what to share with you today. It’s short and simple: So my message today, dear reader, is short: We should not allow the world’s chaos to distort the beautiful, limited reflection of our Lord. Let’s rejoice in His glory and embrace the hope that we have in Him. “Thank you, Lord!” With love, in Christ, Caryl

by Luke KincaidI am currently sitting next to my amazing little boy and watching over him while typing up today’s blog because he isn’t feeling well. I had various plans and goals for today which I will still try and get around to; but instead of getting frustrated that these plans are now up in the air I was reminded of a motto which my friend Ezra often says: “Blessed are the flexible.” The first time I heard him say these words was in response to our plans being shifted quite heavily while ministering together. We continued on, while adjusting things on the fly, and accomplished most of what we had originally set out to do. But this only happened because we were willing to be flexible and this has been a much-needed life lesson for me to learn. The reason I say this is because in the past I really did not appreciate plans changing. If plans were made, they should be kept! I am not 100% sure what the source of this inflexibility was whether it is selfishness or the need to be in control but it is an area that I have seen some improvement in.But the fact is that Ezra’s motto is true – those who are willing to be flexible are blessed – they are happy! And when it comes to being children of God and disciples of Jesus, I think this is a great attitude to have in how we face life’s sometimes unpredictable curveballs. Let’s look at two examples of how people in God’s Word were blessed because of their flexibility:1 The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. – Genesis 12:1-5Abram was an older gentleman that was probably quite set in his ways. And one day God speaks to Abram and tells him he needs to make some life changes… not small ones but huge, life altering ones! But these changes were not simply for the sake of it but because God had an incredible plan for Abram's life – ultimately that the whole world would be blessed by him through the arrival of Jesus many years in the future. In this moment Abram had a choice – continue with what he had planned for the day or respond in a flexible manner! 16 As he passed alongside the Sea…