graham blog

by Graham MolThis morning the song Lean On Me by Bill Withers was going through my head. We used to sing the song in our primary school hymn singing. Although not a hymn itself, it does speak of the Christian quality of loving and supporting one another; about being there for each other. Something that we are called to do as the body of Christ, as brothers and sisters in Christ.Here are the lyrics to the song: Lean On MeSometimes in our livesWe all have pain, we all have sorrow.But if we are wise,We know that there's always tomorrow.Lean on me when you're not strongAnd I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry onFor it won't be long'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.Please swallow your prideIf I have things you need to borrowFor no one can fill those of your needsThat you won't let show.You just call on me, brother, when you need a handWe all need somebody to lean on.I just might have a problem that you'll understand,We all need somebody to lean on.Lean on me when you're not strongAnd I'll be your friend I'll help you carry onFor it won't be long'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean onYou just call on me, brother, when you need a handWe all need somebody to lean on.I just might have a problem that you'll understand,We all need somebody to lean on.If there is a loadYou have to bearThat you can't carryI'm right up the roadI'll share your loadIf you just call me.There is such wisdom in these lyrics. It reminds me of the wisdom we find in the book of Eccelesiastes:Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. 10 For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? 12 And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)Both the song lyrics, and the verses from the Bible highlight the importance of being able to "lean on" each other. When you are weak, you can lean on that friend, and receive their support, they can lift you up when you fall. Likewise, when the situation is reversed and that friend is the one who is strong, you can be that person for them to lean on. This is why "two are better than one".Life can get tough and we're not always able to handle or carry the load. As the song states: "We all need somebody to lean on". It is also important that we ask for help. You have to "swallow your pride... for no one can fill those of your needs that you won't let show." So many go it alone because they don't want to admit that they need help. We justify this by saying that we don't want to burden others, but what…

by Graham MolToday on the Google home page the "Google Doodle", that is the little picture above the box where you type in your search request, is in honour of "Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the movable type printing press. German-born Gutenberg’s invention in the 1400s is credited with bringing about the printing revolution in Renaissance Europe. Google has chosen to celebrate Gutenberg on 14 April, because on that date in 2000 the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, launched an exhibition to honour him in celebration of its 100th anniversary." (Source the Independent) A Copy of the Gutenberg Bible Gutenberg's masterpiece is the world's first printed Bible, known as the Gutenberg Bible. Only 180 copies were made and today there are only 49 of them left. If you happen to have a copy in your garage, you could be very, very rich as a complete copy could go for at least $35 Million! Since Gutenberg's Bible there have been many, many more printed. The Guinness Book of Records estimates that over 5 billion Bibles have been printed so far, it is by far the most sold book in history.These stats shouldn't surprise us for the Lord has said that His word will remain forever:"35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Matthew 24:35)The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)“All flesh is like grassand all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,and the flower falls,but the word of the Lord remains forever.”And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24-25)Although the Gutenberg prints of the Bible are worth millions, their worth pales in comparison to the precious word of God that has transformed the lives of millions of people. Whether through quiet personal reading, or reading out loud in a group, whether sung or preached, God uses His recorded word to speak into our lives today and forevermore. God BlessGraham

by Graham MolOur litter of puppies are now nearly six weeks old and are still growing by the day. At the four week mark I introduced them to solid food - some pellets softened by soaking in water and formula. The puppies enthusiastically took to this new source of food and as a result I became a very important person in their lives. My VIP status is not quite as high as that of their mom, but I'm definitely up there as a provider of tasty food. With this new status come some perks, one of them being that when I call by whistling all eight of them come running. Although it may not be for everyone, I'm loving the sight of this little pack of dogs as they come running and tumbling out the door and feeling their soft fur coats brush up against my legs as they crowd around me. I don't even have to have their food bowls in my hands for them heed my call.I'm reminded of Jesus' words recorded in John chapter 10:“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.The sheep of a shepherd's flock know and follow his voice when he calls them. Why? Because they know that he will lead them to pasture, that he will provide for them and care for them. They trust him. Jesus speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd, one who will go to any length to protect and care for his flock, even willing to lay down his life for them. In others words, Jesus is someone we can trust in. He will not lead us astray.The question then remains is that will you heed His call? Do you recognise His voice? The author of Hebrews notes:Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son... (Hebrews 1:1-2a)The Bible is often called the "Word" of God. In it we find the recorded word of God and the very words that Jesus spoke. As we read and meditate on Scripture we start to become familiar with God's voice. We begin to know the Word Himself, Jesus. And so we start to recognise His voice so that we may follow Him wherever He may call us. God BlessGraham

by Graham Mol "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Matthew 5:9 NIV During my Theological studies one of the courses that I took was on Conflict and Reconciliation. The primary text for the course was this amazing book, The Peace Maker by Ken Sande. In the preface of the book Sande has the following to say about Peacemakers: Peacemakers are people who breathe grace. They draw continually on the goodness and power of Jesus Christ, and the they bring his love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom to the conflicts of daily life. God delights to breathe his grace through peacemakers and use them to dissipate anger, improve understanding, promote justice, and encourage repentance and reconciliation. One can fully understand why Jesus would say that peacemakers would be called children of God. I remember how studying this book had a profound impact on my life as I faced issues of conflict that needed to be resolved. One of my assignments was to help advise someone with a conflict situation that they were facing and it's really interesting reading my essay from back then. I am prompted to read through Ken Sande's words again to remind myself of the wisdom that he shares on the topic of peace making. I can say this with certainty. Peace making is hard. So often our responses to conflict lean either towards the fight or flight end of the scope. Ken Sande uses the following concept of The Slippery Slope to illustrate just how fine a balance it is to be a peace maker and not a "peace taker". The wonderful thing is that the Bible gives us all we need to know in order to be peacemakers and Jesus Himself through His love and the power of His Holy Spirit in us, empowers us to walk that narrow path. The other thing that I can say with certainty is that peace making is one of the most powerful witnesses to the power of the Gospel to change lives. Jesus Himself is the mediator of the covenant between man and God, He is the one who gave of Himself to reconcile man to God. When we act as peacemakers we reflect His glory. In my future blog posts I plan to share more of what I am learning from re-reading The Peace Maker for now I would like to leave you with the following questions: In what way do you naturally react to conflict? Do you tend to run from it or does it make you react or even overreact? Is conflict, current or past, affecting your peace? Take some time to place that conflict in Jesus' hands asking Him to give you wisdom and strength to be a peacemaker and not a peace taker in that situation. God Bless Graham