NHCF Blog

by Calven CelliersHave you ever felt like God is mad at you? Have you ever thought this is it, after what I have just done there is no way God will ever forgive me? Have you made promise after promise to do better? Have you told God this is the last time I’m doing this only to fall back into the same sin you vowed you would never commit again? If this is you, then welcome to the club. As crazy as it sounds your situation is not unique, there are many of us in this ‘club’ who have felt this way too, because we fall into temptation and failure somewhere along the way.I’m not exactly an early bird, in fact I very seldom see the dawning of a new day. But every now and then, especially when I’m down at the coast, I make a concerted effort to get up early and watch the sunrise. In March I was truly blessed to go and spend 3 days at the most beautiful beachfront B&B in Salt Rock on the Kwazulu Natal North Coast. Each morning I would get up early, literally before the crack of dawn, make myself a cup of coffee and then go out onto the balcony of my room and watch the sun come up over the sea. It was glorious to say the least.One morning, as I was watching the sunrise, I identified so with King David in what must surely be his most famous confession – Psalm 51 –  where he says to the Lord “for I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” and I sensed the Holy Spirit reaching out to me in my despair and  nudging me to read Lamentations 3. Not only did I sense Him telling me to read Lamentations 3, I sensed Him saying I should stand up and declare it out loud. So that’s what I did. As I watched the sun rising up over the horizon I declared“20 I will never forget this awful time,    as I grieve over my loss.21 Yet I still dare to hope    when I remember this:22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![b]    His mercies never cease.23 Great is his faithfulness;    his mercies begin afresh each morning.24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;    therefore, I will hope in him!”25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,    to those who search for him.26 So it is good to wait quietly    for salvation from the Lord.” (Lamentations 3: 20 – 25NLT)In every sunrise there is something that you should remember. God has a new supply of love and mercy ready to shower on you. In the dawning of each new day God has a fresh reservoir of love ready to pour out on you. Think of it like this. New day, new love. New day, new grace. New day, new mercy. New day, new faithfulness. It never runs out. Every new day is another opportunity for God to show you again and again how much He truly loves you. Notice it didn’t say God’s anger is…

by Luke KincaidI remember the first time Cammie and I went into the shops wearing a mask once they were made mandatory. Things started out okay and it was your run-of-the-mill shopping trip but towards the end we started getting quite agitated and short with one another other. The moment we got into the car we threw our masks off nearly gasping for air as we hadn’t yet become accustomed to having our mouth and nose obstructed.Fast forward many months and now I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking into the shops without a mask. A few times I have gotten near the door and gotten strange looks from others only to realize I wasn’t wearing one! While buying groceries the other day it dawned on me that I was actually using my mask to hide from the world around me in that moment. I hadn’t yet showered so my hair looked a little gross and I was wearing some old tracksuit pants that I wouldn’t normally wear out but I felt safe behind my mask and hoodie since most people wouldn’t be able to recognize me. Upon realizing this my thoughts shifted to how we sometimes hide from God in a similar way. Maybe there is a situation in life that we are not 100% happy with or maybe there are areas of struggle or disobedience we are currently experiencing which lead us to try and hide from God or maybe even ignore that He is there. Fortunately for us God is always with us, even when we try to hide from Him:1 Lord, you have searched me and known me.2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;you understand my thoughts from far away.3 You observe my travels and my rest;you are aware of all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongue,you know all about it, Lord.5 You have encircled me;you have placed your hand on me.6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.9 If I fly on the wings of the dawnand settle down on the western horizon,10 even there your hand will lead me;your right hand will hold on to me   (Psalm 139:1-10) If you are currently trying to hide from God, for whatever reason, dwell on the words of the Psalm above and allow them to minister to you. No one knows you better than God so take whatever you are feeling you need to hide from Him and ask Him to help. Much love,Luke

by Graham MolI'm going to classify this blog post as a "Monday Musing" as I got to thinking about the difference between childlike and childish. I love my kids, from the very moment they came into this world they found a permanent and precious place in my heart. No matter what happens I know that I will always love them. Now this doesn't mean that they are always a delight to me. Let's just say I never had grey hairs before I had kids. Coincidence? I think not!Jokes aside, one of things I have noticed is how much joy it brings to me to witness my children's childlikeness. I love their innocence and wonder at things that seem so mundane to me. I love their uncomplicated laughter as they play. I love the fact that they want to show me their accomplishments, the art they created, the Lego design they built, the thing they discovered.I've also noticed how their childishness frustrates me. When they keep on doing that thing you told them to stop ages ago, and now there's tears. When they refuse to take responsibility for their actions and try to blame anything and anyone else. The "fat" pouting lips, and whining. The tantrums and... did I mention that I've now got some grey hairs? There is an important distinction that needs to be made between being childlike and childish. This disctinction means that there is no contradiction for God to tell us we should be like children in our faith:And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)And at the same time tell us that we need to "grow up" spiritually:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:11-13)To be childlike in our faith is to have the sense of innocence and wonder. To always be amazed at what God is doing. To be in awe of what He has done. Ask any child if there is anything their Dad can't do or if there is any "ouchie" their Mom can't fix with a hug (and a plaster). Childlike faith is that absolute trust in God's greatness and goodness. It's that kind of faith that leads King David to write the words of Psalm 131:1 My heart is not proud, Lord,    my eyes are not haughty;I do not concern myself with great matters    or things too wonderful for me.2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,    I am like a weaned child with its mother;    like a…

Guest Postby Caryl MollI have a large collection of used pencil crayons that have been acquired over almost 50 years. Most of them are extremely worn down. The very short ones have only a few centimetres of colour left to offer. Some have eroded labels that have been scraped to allow space for someone’s name to be etched onto the side. They mostly belonged to my children who used them for school projects and tasks, but some go back even further in history. The original owners have moved on now, but the crayons themselves have not lost their nostalgia. This morning, I was cleaning out my den and I uncovered this old crayon collection. I laid them out lovingly on my desk. Their colours and shapes dazzled me. How many hands had held these pencils over the years, I wondered.  What were they used for? Did they help in achieving the handler’s goal? How many creative ideas have flowed from their tips? I could only smile as I thought back on those times and the people involved. Certainly, I have a very special history contained in this pencil collection – a precious one indeed.---xXx---Sometimes it helps to look back on history – to remember the paths that have been carved out by those people who have gone before us; to learn from their decisions too. Their history tells its own story and we can shape our own from the lessons taught.The bible speaks about this too:“16 This is what the Lord says:“Stand at the crossroads and look;    ask for the ancient paths,ask where the good way is, and walk in it,    and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)Did you know that this particular verse is hanging up on one of our banners in our church’s sanctuary? The banner itself was created at the time of New Harvest’s birth. I remember how our fellowship group took a whole Saturday to lovingly shape this banner. It holds wonderful images of us all sitting on the floor together, working on this project to lead us into the years ahead. The verse itself is from my own childhood prayer book. It speaks of a time of decision making and a need to draw closer to the ancient paths which have already been travelled.Perhaps take a moment to study this scripture and reflect it into our own life too. The lessons from those who have gone before us and knelt at the altar of God may well bring us peace. What path will you choose?With love, in ChristCaryl