Lynda's Blog

  I was disappointed recently to hear of a new Christian who was slagged publicly by other ‘Christian’ women because of her past. Christians are supposed to love and support each other. I can’t help but wonder if these women are baby Christians too, even if they have been going to church for a long time. Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 when he said that the members of the church in Corinth were not yet ready for spiritual meat. He gave them spiritual milk because they were still worldly with jealousy and quarrelling. I wonder what Jesus would say to these women, if the new Christian lost her salvation because of them? I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes!   ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  2  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  4  ...

  Today I sat with my elderly friend who is also dying of cancer. She is another wonderful testimony of God’s grace. She was diagnosed in June last year and since then has daily felt God’s presence and unfathomable peace. She told me that every morning since the diagnosis she has prayed submission and acceptance to God’s will and every day she experiences the peace and the freedom that only comes from God. She doesn’t know how many days or weeks she has left. She is on regular morphine and sleeps a lot, but when awake speaks often of God’s faithfulness. We had a wonderful conversation about spiritual matters; she can’t wait to be in her Saviours arms. She has a beautiful large painting of Jesus on her wall behind her bed, positioned so that she can see it in her mirror. A friend painted it. It is one of the most beautiful paintings I have seen of Jesus. In it, He is looking down and to the side smiling and His face radiates joy. She had an image while in hospital of herself and Jes...

  My younger friend with cancer died two days ago. I am still in a state of shock as it happened so quickly. The chemo made him so ill that he decided it wasn’t worth being so sick to extend his life for a brief time. So, he spent his last few days at home with people who loved him; his wife and four children, his parents, and others. According to his wife’s Facebook post, they sang worship songs, prayed together, laughed together, and took walks down memory lane. He was young to be called home, but full of faith and peace. His family will grieve but are strong in faith and the hope of Heaven. It is not the end for this young man, but the beginning. I love this quote: ‘Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all; gone out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that death cannot touch, that sin...

  There is so much distress in the world it is easy to feel distracted, despairing and far from God. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in some of the circumstances that many are dealing with. In New Zealand, we have had our own recent tragedy with six people at a campground buried in a landslide during heavy rain. My heart breaks for their families as it breaks for others enduring suffering around the world. I believe God’s heart breaks! I have two friends who have terminal cancer. One is a young man in his late forties, I think, with a wife and four children. He has a rare untreatable cancer and is currently undergoing treatment to try and give him a few more months with his family. Although they are devastated, nevertheless they are holding on tight to God and absolutely contending for a miracle, believing Jesus is mighty to save. If the miracle doesn’t happen, nevertheless they totally trust in God and His goodness. My other friend is in her eighties, and this week she ...

  If you read my blogs regularly, you may have gathered that I really love a good flat white. Now I say ‘good’ because I have come across a couple of baristas who cannot make a flat white. The milk should be a little thickened, and enough froth on top to last until the bottom of the cup. I had a discussion with a young lass who could not make a decent flat white. It was literally flat – no froth after the first few sips, thin, horrible and veerrrry flat. She was in her early twenties and been a barista for maybe a few months. She assured me she knew what a flat white was and it wasn’t a latte then stalked off. Considering her age and experience, I was very tempted to let her know that I have consumed a good old flat white regularly for the last twenty-five years in cafes all around the country. I did understand what a flat white should look and taste like. However, she was not prepared to listen or learn. Fortunately, I have a favourite café where the staff not only make a fabulous...

  I am grateful every day, that I live in a country that is not at war; that I live in a country where it is safe to walk through a nearby park; that I live in a country where there is no true poverty and no famine; that I live in a country where the jobless are supported. I am grateful that God has provided everything I need. I have a great husband who cooks for me. I have wonderful friends who are there for me, I have a lovely home and a vehicle to drive. Even though I am on a pension, I have enough to meet friends over coffee, a couple of times a week. I have so very much. I often think of those who struggle to make ends meet. I think of those in countries where there is terrible poverty. I think of those trying to stay alive in war-torn countries and the constant stress they are under. I think of those who are sold into slavery. I think of those who have experienced floods, wildfires, and severe earthquakes. I especially think of persecuted Christians. I often get emotional w...