NHCF Blog

by Caryl MollThere have been many ‘turn around’ times in my life - where I have been prompted to refocus on my Lord. They’ve been times to re-examine what it means to be a ‘Child of God’: times for some serious introspection.I’m not talking about the first step to becoming a Christian - when we surrender our life to the will of God and accept Jesus as our savior (John 3:16). Rather, I’m talking about the deeper meaning for committed Christians in our daily walk with Jesus.I remember a very pertinent sermon in the early 2000’s (given by our dear Mervyn) where we were encouraged to “Delight in the Lord…” (Ps 37). At the time, I was relatively new to this whole ‘Christian thing’ and spent days pondering what this verse and instruction really meant. How was I supposed to apply it? What did it mean to DELIGHT? Biblical references were in short supply in our home at the time, and we didn’t have “Google”. My next best option was to start with the dictionary:“Take pleasure” it said. But what did that mean? How do I ‘take pleasure’ in God?At the time, I resolved to ‘simply enjoy my life’ knowing that God was in control. Perhaps I could understand the many talents He’d given me. What was God’s intention with me?  What was my purpose in His Kingdom”? Did he, indeed, want to use me in some way?One day, I was looking at my unused piano. “That’s where I can start”, I thought. I have always been a goal-driven/analytical person, so I embarked on a path of returning to formal lessons in search of ‘Delight’. As the months passed, I considered re-doing all my piano exams. I thought to myself, “I have fingers and talent, so PLAY! Let’s see how God can use me.”The four years that followed were rather arduous and I was none the wiser “if” God really wanted to use me at all. All the time, however, I remained constantly aware of the Biblical instruction: “DELIGHT yourself in the Lord…”Eventually, after numerous exams and up to five hours of practicing a day, I suddenly found my fingers doing their own thing… They were rattling up and down the keyboard in a blur. Was this DELIGHT? I felt like an observer in this process, not yet a full participant. Somewhat surreal.I have always admired pianists that can shut their eyes and ‘let their fingers do the talking’. They have a God-given ability to translate themselves into their music – like dancers. As the months passed, I noticed a subtle change in my own playing. The more I asked God to be with me at the piano, the more the music translated in passion and expression. I felt my fingers dancing. I even started to sing as I played (something I’ve never been comfortable with) It felt like God’s joy was feeding into me. I found myself praying while playing – talking to God and thanking Him for this…

by Luke KincaidAre you currently carrying around a burden that is weighing you down? 2020 has been a very challenging year for me personally and was really starting to affect me in quite a few negative ways. Because the state I found myself in became my new normal I didn’t really think much about it and tried to simply push on, put on a smile when I needed to, and continue with what I needed to get done. But instead of the load getting lighter it just kept getting heavier and heavier until one day I sat down with Cammie and shared what I had been going through. The moment I shared my burden with her it began to feel a little lighter! I didn’t feel as heavy and for the first time in a while felt like there may be a way out of what I was going through. Later that same week I also chatted to Calven and Graham and I began to feel even better knowing that three of the people that I love knew what I was going through and were supporting me through it. What I was now feeling ties in perfectly with what we read in Galatians 6:2.2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Got Questions comments on this verse in the following way:“The word burden here means “a weight of personal and eternal significance.” It can refer to a character flaw, a struggle, or a moral requirement… We can illustrate the idea of bearing one another’s burdens with the picture of a man staggering beneath a heavy load of grain. He must somehow get this grain home to his family, but he is about to crumble beneath its weight. A brother sees his distress and rushes to his aid, lifting a part of the burden and thereby easing the weight of it. Although the supportive one does not assume the whole load, his help allows the struggling one to carry on to his destination.”The only way in which an unbearable burden will get any lighter is if you share it with someone else. So if you currently find yourself struggling why don’t you reach out to someone whom you love and trust and see if that burden can be made any lighter? If you are currently bearing the weight of any burdens in your life why don’t you pray and ask God to reveal to you someone who may need some help with what they are going through and make yourself available to the lighten the load? May God answer our prayers as we seek to have our burdens lightened while also assisting to lighten the load of others! Much love,Luke

by Calven CelliersOne of my favourite flowers, is the beautiful little Forget-Me-Not. They add such a vibrant splattering of the most vivid, electric blue to the landscape of any garden. Their name is said to come from an old German legend, or so I’ve read, where God named all the plants.  But this tiny one cried out, “Forget me not, O Lord!”  So, God replied, “That shall be your name.” I think it’s safe to assume that there are times in everyone’s lives when we’ve cried out “Forget me not, O Lord!” And yet as I stand and admire the beautiful little Forget-Me-Not’s in the garden, I am reminded in the midst of uncertainty that God reveals Himself in so many small, unique and personal ways. These agogic moments are God’s way of reaching down into our dullest, driest and often most difficult moments and thereby assuring us that He is indeed with us. At a time when many of us are fed up with current world circumstances, and especially the loneliness caused by lack of social interaction imposed on us by the Covid-19 lockdown, I want to assure you this day of His faithfulness towards you. He never forgets about you! His Word says through the prophet Isaiah:“15…I will not forget you! 16See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” (Isaiah 49: 15 & 16NIV)I just love these verses because they reveal the depth of God’s love for us as His children. God has engraved you and me as born-again believers on the palms of His hands. Let that sink in for just a moment…. You are part of Him, nothing (absolutely nothing) can separate you from the love that God has for you. When the going gets rough be reminded of God’s words to Israel through Moses:“6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6NIV)In Psalm 103 King David reminds us to praise the Lord and “forget not” all His benefits. He –3 who forgives all your sins    and heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the pit    and crowns you with love and compassion,5 who satisfies your desires with good things    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6 The Lord works righteousness    and justice for all the oppressed.(Psalm 103: 3 – 6NIV)These verses are a beautiful reminder to us to “forget not” all the benefits of His abiding presence and unconditional love, including forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, compassion, satisfaction and justice. King David reminds us, in the midst of hardship and strife, to praise the Lord for what He has done. David knew of God’s ways and His miraculous deeds with the people of Israel, he also experienced God’s grace in his own life.  But like so many of us, his soul was forgetful and needed reminding from time to time.How easily we allow the dark clouds of present circumstances to blot out the blessings of God’s abiding presence. Sadly, there are times when…

Guest Postby Dave GriffithsI have been living in a retirement village now for 13 years, and have had the opportunity to speak to many elderly, wise, and experienced residents.  They come from various backgrounds and have a host of experience.One lady told me of her time at a nazi concentration camp in Poland during world war 2.  No warm clothes and very little food to eat. One man told me of his underground work in the mining industry and the difficulties of maintaining equipment to ensure continuous production. Every time I have an opportunity, I bring in the importance of assurance, of salvation and certainty of life after physical death here on earth. After all, we are old and death is certain. One man I spoke to had no idea of John 3:16. What’s that he asked? I told him it’s the Gospel message in the Bible. He has never had a Bible! (80 years of age)This brings me to essential knowledge that I thought all have known for about 2000 years. This knowledge has been basically consistent on all the major biblical issues. A brief summary will suffice.1) The bible is the authoritative Word of God, containing every spiritual truth essential to God’s glory, our salvation, faith, and eternal life.2) Scripture tells us that all humanity fell in Adam, and our sin is a perfect bondage from which we cannot extricate ourselves.3) Jesus is God incarnate, having taken on human flesh to pay the price of sin and redeem believing men and women from sin’s bondage.4) Salvation is by Grace through Faith, and is not a result of any works we do.5) Christ is the only Saviour for the whole world, and apart from faith in Him, there is no hope of redemption for any sinner.True Christians have always been in full agreement on all these vital points of biblical knowledge. Jesus made this sufficiently clear in John 10:27-28, when He said,"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”Dr. Derek Morphew (Vineyard Bible Institute) tells us clearly, “Jesus Christ is the focus of all Scripture Old and New Testament, from Genesis to Revelation." May we put our complete faith and trust in Him.Dave