calven blog

by Calven CelliersThere is apparently an old proverb that says, “The goat must browse where she is tied.” Can’t say I have ever heard it before, but it was quoted in an article that I recently read, and my blog today is based primarily on that article by Scott Hubbard because it really challenged me about how distant I can be to those around me, even when I’m present and in their midst. “Once upon a time, people had no choice but to live where they lived. Humans in the past, finding themselves bound to a local place and local people, lived and laughed and loved there. They spent their seventy or eighty years within limits that would feel to us remarkably narrow. The world was a much smaller place than it is today. This is not meant to make us nostalgic of a bygone time, it’s meant to challenge us about how we get to the point where we know our neighbours on social media better than our neighbours next door? Why are we often more aware of the happenings in far off places than the happenings in our church or community? And what are the consequences of browsing where we’re not tied — of living where we aren’t?Many of us strain our eyes toward the ends of the earth — and miss this little patch of earth called here. Like a man who mistakes binoculars for eyeglasses, we often know more about distant matters than about the needs, struggles, joys, and griefs of the ordinary people nearby; we become strangers at home. Trying to live both here and there causes us to end up living nowhere well. We all know the frustration of being with someone whose phone seems strapped to their hand. Every minute or so, their eyes dart down, their thumb scrolls, their laughter and grunts of acknowledgment to what we’re saying go on autopilot. Their body is here, but their mind is there.We walk with heads down trotting the globe on our devices while trampling flowers at home. Living where we are makes the world big again. It awakens us to the everyday wonders in our homes, neighbourhoods, and churches. It reminds us that the most exciting and urgent matters happen not on screens, but in the successes and struggles of the ordinary brothers and sisters in our small group. It frees us to finally explore the galaxy of glories found here, in this small frame of God’s creation, where the heavens declare his glory, creation chants his praise, and immortal souls live and walk and laugh and weep."So live where you are: not because home is the most remarkable place on earth, but because God placed you there.” (Scott Hubbard – Live where you live)The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. What really challenged me about this article is that it revealed something about me: I am no longer accustomed to an unplugged life. While I stay entertained, informed, and socially connected, I miss the people right in…

by Calven CelliersI just love this song by Casting Crowns, it’s called Dream For You. Before you carry on reading this post, take a listen, let the lyrics ignite the excitement of potential in your spirit, and then let’s share in some of my thoughts on God-sized dreams… https://youtu.be/R8nsJZx8eWwAs I listened to that song, I was reminded of the apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians when he quoted the prophet Isaiah to them saying, “9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him…”” (1 Corinthians 2:9NIV)That itch in your heart to live for something greater was put there for a reason, to draw you closer to God and to enlarge the boundaries of His Kingdom. We all long to live with more purpose, passion, and joy. Yet in the middle of our hectic lives, the God-sized dreams that have the potential to lead us into the fulfilment of all that God has planned for us are the very ones that tend to get lost.If you’re anything like me, you find it easy to dismiss them as impossible before you even start. There are many roadblocks that can prevent us from  pursuing our God-sized dreams, including fear, doubt, procrastination and confusion. The first step to pursuing your God-sized dreams, however, is to quite simply acknowledge them, no matter how big and unlikely they may seem. Remember this, if God has put a desire in your heart, He will provide everything that you need to achieve it. It is a process that usually starts and ends with prayer. Pray as often and as much as you can. Pray for clarity of purpose, for wisdom to do the right thing and for strength to do it at the right time. There are times when we can’t see the full story and don’t know what’s around the next bend, that is where our obedience and faith come into play. You have to believe that God, who placed this dream in your heart, will provide all that you need at the right time.Pursuing God-sized dreams ensure your growth. God is not just interested in what you can accomplish for Him, but in who you are becoming along the way. God-size dreams also force us to invite others into a bigger story. The gap between God’s calling and our ability allows us to include others in a significant way; enabling them and us to experience the power of the body of Christ like never before. An integral part of realizing our dreams, is to seek wise counsel. It’s not enough to just ask for advice, you also have to consider what you have been told. Review it in line with what you believe God has placed in your heart and His Word.God-sized dreams always bring God glory, not us. You know God is up to something big when He plants His dreams in our hearts, and it’s so much bigger…

by Calven CelliersAs I sat basking in the morning sunshine, trying to thaw, and enjoying the time I was spending withGod, I found myself asking Him, “Now what? What’s the next step for me? Break my heart for what breaks Yours.” And then these words came to me –People willing to make our mess their messare people with whom we naturally want to be involved. What was God saying to me? I opened up my Bible and started reading the apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome. Paul’s letter to the Christians in Roman is filled with theology. In the early part of the book Paul spends time expanding on who God is and what He’s done for us. Then he wrestles with the impact that should have upon us as God’s people living out our lives in this fallen world. He gives many commands as he explores how God’s love should affect the way we live and relate to those around us: be joyful, patient, faithful, generous, hospitable. Bless. Mourn. Rejoice.One thing that is very apparent is that our God is a relational God, and He wants us to experience the blessing of being connected. For me personally, this has been the greatest struggle in the whole Covid pandemic. Even though I clearly understand the absolute necessity of all these restrictions, protocols and necessary periods of isolation in order to overcome the spread of the virus, it has also highlighted for me the importance of fellowship, interaction, and gathering together. I miss you, my Church family and dear friends. We were not meant to be self-sufficient, isolated, and independent of one another. Life is meant to be shared. God intends for us to experience life together.You are called to belong, not just believe … the Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship.(Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life)The danger, of course, is the tendency for churches to become holy huddles that are so inward focused, that we neglect the very reason God doesn’t just save us and then immediately take us up to heaven to fellowship with each other and praise His holy name for ever and ever. And I suspect this is what God was trying to tell me. When this horrible season in world history is over and we can  resume some normality of life, the Church must be different. As followers of Christ, we must remember that our relationship with God must affect not only our relationship with each other, but the world in which we live out our faith as well. There are so many hurting, broken, battered and bruised people out there, and God wants us to be open to them too. We must reach out to them in love; into the mess of peoples lives and show them the love of Jesus. No mess is too messy for Jesus.In Romans 12 the apostle Paul calls us as God’s ambassadors in this fallen…

by Calven Celliers1, 2, 3, 4……. 36, 37, 38, 39 days until Spring.Anybody who knows me knows that I hate winter (and if you didn’t, you do now). I’m not a fan of the cold, at all, whatsoever! Despite numerous attempts over the years, by various people trying to convince me that it’s easier to get warm than it is to cool down, the freezing temperatures and icy wind that blows across the highveld, overshadows any hope of ever converting me. I spend my days, from the first autumn leaf that falls, counting down to Spring, and then Summer… aaaah the very word brings a smile to my dial, especially after the bitterly cold weather we’re currently suffering. As with Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, in our Christian walk, we too experience seasons that are wonderful and seasons that are not so wonderful; in fact, there are times in life that are far from wonderful, they’re awful and we wonder if they’ll ever end. So many verses in scripture come back to the foundational truth that God knows best and wants us to trust Him in all things and at all times. He made the world and governs the universe, and is never phased nor astonished at what is going on in the world at large, nor the troubling circumstances that are happening in the individual lives of His children.In Ecclesiastes 3, wise king Solomon reminds us that there is a season for everything; we will experience both good and bad in this life.“1 There is a time for everything,    and a season for every activity under the heavens:2     a time to be born and a time to die,    a time to plant and a time to uproot,3     a time to kill and a time to heal,    a time to tear down and a time to build,4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,    a time to mourn and a time to dance,5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,6     a time to search and a time to give up,    a time to keep and a time to throw away,7     a time to tear and a time to mend,    a time to be silent and a time to speak,8     a time to love and a time to hate,    a time for war and a time for peace.”(Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 8NIV)Therein lies acknowledgement that we may experience seasons of great abundance or great loss. We can experience great joy or great pain. We have wins, and we have losses. But, the beautiful thing in all of this is that none of these seasons or experiences is ever wasted –“11 He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11NIV)There is a time for everything, life is full of contrasts, and God in His mercy always provides His love and His grace. We need to hold onto the blessed truth that the God on the mountain-tops of life is the exact same God who walks with us through the deep ravines. God is…