Nurturer to Coach

Next level: Coaching

There comes a time in a parent’s life when there is a shift that needs to take place. A shift from nurturing to coaching.  It usually takes you by surprise because it is as if one day your child goes from agreeing with what you say to testing your every word, motive and instruction.

From about the age of 12/13, girls start to pull away from their mothers. Going through puberty, they are suddenly becoming a new person with all the physical, emotional and mental challenges that they experience. Suddenly Mom’s suggestions are ludicrous, outrageous and downright wrong.

You take her shopping and everything you suggest, even if she was looking at it before your comment is a definite “no”.

Mom’s particularly have a hard time dealing with this. Your precious lamb that you nurtured, loved, protected and raised as best you could has suddenly turned into a different person whom you apparently don’t know at all.

We still want to fix things for them and put a plaster on their wounds. They on the other hand want to figure things out themselves and only come to us when they don’t know how the plaster works. The key is to maintain an open relationship and let your child know that they can speak to you. And yes, if they need help, that there are people who can help.

This is a difficult time for the teenagers, and for parents, especially …. Moms. We don’t want to hold on, but we don’t necessarily know how to let go either. We see so many of the potential pitfalls, dangers and issues that could arise from their choices and we want to still protect them.

Issue #1: They don’t want us to protect them (at least not in the way that we did before).

Issue #2: They still need us (but want us to do it in stealth mode so as not smother them or for their friends to see).

Issue #3: They think they know everything but they can’t even keep their bedrooms tidy or remember to do their chores without a reminder.

How do we mother our teens? Because face it, a mother is always a mother, but there are different levels of being a mother and we need to embrace them, or little Tommy will still be living with Mommy at the age of 40.  We need to move from nurture mode (wiping noses, bedtime stories etc) to coaching them for the real world out there.

How do we coach them?

Coaching means training. Teaching them life skills, social skills etc. Coaching them to help in the kitchen, to clean their rooms, to be hospitable and to be people of integrity.

Coaching them to listen to their bodies and look after their bodies. Coaching them to prioritise things in their lives.

What does a coach do?

  1. A coach makes you run around a field to warm up, whether you want to do it or not.
  2. A coach gives you exercises to improve your game.
  3. A coach pushes you to be the best that you can be.
  4. A coach doesn’t give up on you when you don’t get it right, but finds ways to motivate you to push through the pain, the tough times and the losses.

How do you coach your teens?

  1. Set some ground rules with consequences if the rules are not adhered to.

For example: Chores first, fun later – or you miss out on technology time or going to your friends.

  • If we are making food – all hands on deck. This is not a restaurant or an hotel. If you don’t like the food, don’t eat it, but we cannot make individual means that appease everyone’s taste buds.
  • Integrity – if you have told someone that you will do something, then you need to do it first. HONOUR IS AN IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE.
  • Responsibility is an important life lesson.
  • Responsible in your personal space (room).
  • Responsible in your work (school or job).
  • Responsible in your duties (chores).
  • Responsible in your relationships.

If your child wants to be treated like a young adult, then they need to get their priorities in order and be willing to be coached to do so.

It takes effort. It takes constant reminding.

Coaching is not easy, but it is so rewarding when the team players begin to respond to the coaching and show up for the game of life.

Ultimately we want to raise our children to be healthy, well-adjusted adults who will be able to forge a path for themselves through life and do so confidently and to the best of their ability.

Forgiveness Invitationals

If there was ever a book for NOW, it is Forgiveness Invitationals by James Oosthuis.

Author James Oosthuis with his book FORGIVENESS INVITATIONALS

James shares his 20-year journey of following the Lord’s leading to visit the USA and do strategic ministry to bring reconciliation for the atrocities committed to the First Nation People and the slaves that were sent to the USA from other nations.

He shares about his mission trips, the God-orchestrated meetings with people and the Lord’s provision each step of the way, as he humbly moved in obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

The nuggets one takes from this book are first and foremost that forgiveness offered in love is the most powerful tool we have to receive healing. It is in fact the first step towards reconciliation and bridging the divides between nations, people groups and individuals.

The second nugget is that forgiveness needs to be given and received in order for freedom to be experienced. There were many occasions when James facilitated meetings of reconciliation to bring healing to people and break the bondages of individuals and their people group.

The Church is called to minister healing people and cleansing the land of the atrocities that were done in the past.

This book is a testimony of what happens when we simply follow the Lord’s leading. It is all He requires of us, to do what He asks and to trust Him to see to the details.

Forgiveness Invitationals is available from Sela Books. It is also available as an eBook.

Click on the images below to go to the relevant pages on the Sela website.

Lights, Camera, Passion

Authentic Honest Insightful Real Inspiring

Lights, Camera, Passion by Melanie Erasmus

The best way to describe Lights, Camera, Passion is that it is one of those books that inspires the reader to “Become”…

  • to become your best self
  • to become who God created you to be
  • to become focussed, to become the person you are meant to be without excuse to effect change in this world…
  • To live out your destiny in your own unique style.

Melanie shares her story of growing up in Cape Town, and her journey of becoming a trained dancer in the midst of  competition and cultural divides. She then shares her testimony of salvation and ultimately using her gifts as a dancer in education and ministry.

The entire process of embracing the defining moments in your life then brings this all together using the analogy of theatre and dance, giving practical steps to follow to find your purpose and own it.

Lights, Camera, Passion is an easy-to-read book with powerful nuggets of truth. Although it is written from the perspective a creative artist, it is by no means only for creative people. Everyone can benefit from reading this book whether you are an accountant, an electrician, a cashier, a conservationist, etc.

Deep insight gleaned from years of experience and a heart to see others become their best self, sets this book as a remarkable tool to help others grow and develop.

I would sum this book up as:

Authentic

Honest

Insightful

Real

Inspiring

This book is for the young person struggling to find their place in the world. It is for the adult who is still wondering if they have found their purpose. It is for those who have found their purpose and feel there is still more to come. And it is for those who have arrived at their purpose and are living it.

The book costs R220.  You can contact Melanie Erasmus Telephone +27 71 548 8423.

Lights, Camera, Passion  is also available as an e-book.

Parenting Teens

Parenting teens is not easy, but we have been given the tools we need to help them negotiate this season of transition in their lives.

Photo credit elements.envato.com

The teen years are not easy to negotiate.  There isn’t a manual to help you step-by-step on how to parent your teen. There is also no “one size fits all” approach.  Each young person is unique. Each family is unique. Each situation is unique. Each response is unique. Each day is different.

We have four children. When our eldest son went through puberty it was like going over a small speed bump in the road. In fact, it made me wonder what all the fuss was about with parenting teens. I had read many books on parenting and if this was how parenting a teen went, then we would be okay. It would be a breeze.

Along came our girls and suddenly the speed bump became a roller coaster ride of emotions and all that comes with being a girl becoming a woman – physical changes, emotional changes, friendship changes, interest changes, etc. It has not been an easy road, but it has been a huge learning curve.

Your teenagers can help you to mature in the areas you have yet to mature in – the pushing away from us painful, but necessary for them to discover their own unique identity as an individual. If we allow ourselves to grow in this time, we will discover that we will identify and overcome things that we fear, rejection from past friendships and relationships. When you re-assess your life during this time of your young person’s life, you can make peace with who you are too. Fix what may be the signs of past brokenness. Believe in yourself and change what still needs to change in your own life.

My husband has often told me “it’s not about you, it’s about them and what they are going through. Don’t make it about yourself. Don’t take it personally.” This is not easy, but these are wise words. Our children are in a time of transition and transition is never an easy process. So, when you are doubting your parenting methods of the past, wondering where you may have gone wrong, or how you can fix this so that your child will not hate you for the rest of their lives, hold on to this thought:

You can support your young person, by:

  • giving him or her place to discover who they are
  • coaching them in what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour
  • allowing them to make mistakes while they are in your care and under your roof
  • give them responsibilities and teach them accountability and commitment – these are important life skills for adults, and they want us to treat them like adults rather than like little children
  • praying for them and with them
  • taking time to just listen to them with all their strange and radical views (these are the future leaders of families, companies, and nations, let them share their crazy reasonings with you – let them communicate with you and don’t brush them off) – even if it is at bedtime and all you want to do is close our eyes and sleep
  • take them to someone if they need counselling and be brave enough to admit that you do not have all the answers to help them
  • guide them by example
  • family time is important, nurture it

These are just some of things that I have learned from raising my own teens. There are many more words of advice and encouragement that can be found in many books, blogs, videos and articles.

Parenting can teach us how to mature if we are willing to change with time. It teaches us how to get out of our comfort zone and see life from a different perspective, if we will allow ourselves to do so. It can bring us to a place of overcoming past issues if we open ourselves up to the process of maturing in our way of thinking.

When my children were little this verse became a revelation to me:

Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (ESV)

I realised that just as the Lord’s mercies are new every morning toward me, my mercies toward my children should be new every morning. EVERY MORNING IS A NEW DAY. Put yesterday behind you and start on a clean slate today… that is MERCY … that is the way of LOVE.  Even if you don’t know what season, hurricane, whirlwind, eruption, or calm may emerge from their bedroom each morning, just breathe and begin afresh. Prayer is the best way to approach each day. What a gift we have been given – to fight for our children in prayer.

Beyond the Upper Room

Beyond the Upper Room – Behold His beauty and practice holiness by Estell Brink

Beyond the Upper Room by Estell Brink is rich with wisdom, insight and is very practical in guiding you through the steps of waiting on God, with prayers and declarations of Who God is. If you are looking for a book that walks you through the steps of spending time with the Lord, then look no further. Beyond the Upper Room opens up your understanding of what it is to draw near to God, to wait in His presence, to know Who He is and how to approach Him.

Beyond the Upper Room is a wonderful resource bringing any believer, whether you are a new Christian or have been a Christ-follower for many years to the place of relationship, intimacy, and the first-love experience of simply being in His presence.

It is my understanding that this book is being distributed through prison ministries, setting those free who are not only captive in their souls, but physically imprisoned too. Jesus came to set the prisoners free – some of us are not in a physical prison, but we are in spiritual or emotional prisons, often as a result of past trauma, choices and circumstances that were being our control.

John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”

This book will help you on your personal journey to freedom, as you learn to be in presence, live from His presence, worship in His presence, and pray in His presence.

AVAILABLE FROM SELA BOOK sela-books.co.za

Alice and Bee

Alice & Bee written by Alice Dlamini

Alice & Bee is a lovely educational book for children to learn about bees.

The author has cleverly included visual helps such as arrows for words that show direction and colour words in their own colour.  There is a delightful story about a little girl called Alice who meets a bee that teaches her about what bees do.  There also are beautiful illustrations and activity pages to help educate young learners about bees.

Written by Alice Dlamini, Illustrated by Mikayla D’offray, Sponsored by Alice’s Honey

Co-published with Sela©

To purchase copy of this book, go to the online shop at Sela Books sela-books.co.za

Gone too soon

How do you process the loss of a miscarriage?

I would like to share my testimony in the hope that I can encourage the women who has lost one or more of their babies through miscarriage.

This week, I have prayed for two precious sisters who have lost a baby in the womb. The heartache and the sense of loss is tremendous.

I would like to share my testimony in the hope that I can encourage the women who has lost one or more of their babies through miscarriage.

Our plans for a family were to get married and have five years together as a couple before starting a family.  We wanted to enjoy one another, get on our feet, and then raise a family.

We planned our babies a few years before I conceived.  We planned to have two children close together.  My prayer was to have a boy first, so that he could look after his sister.  I was the eldest of five and always wished that I had an older brother to look out for me. We chose the names for our children – a boy and a girl.  When my grandfather asked us about our plans for a family and we told him of our plan to have two.  With tears in his eyes, he said – “You will have as many children as God wants you to have.”  (I think he prayed for us – because our plans changed with time).

 After five years of marriage, we still did not feel ready to start a family and decided to give it another year.  A year later, I stopped the contraceptive pill I was taking, and we waited in anticipation to conceive.  About 5 months later we found out that I was pregnant.  Our firstborn, a son was born the following year, healthy and strong.  I had a wonderful pregnancy and natural birth and my gynaecologist said I could have ten babies with the way everything went.   

I had to start bottle-feeding my son from 7 months, because I was not producing sufficient milk. I went back onto the contraceptive pill.  It messed me up emotionally and I struggled so much so, that I decided it was not worth being on the pill if I was an emotional wreck as a mother.

11 months after our son was born, we discovered I was pregnant, and our butterfly princess entered the world 19 months after her brother. As I sat holding and cuddling her in the labour ward, just minutes after she was born, I looked up at my husband and said, “I can’t believe that this is the last tiny baby of mine I will hold.” He looked at me in the eyes and said he would not do anything until I had peace.

When our little princess was 6 months old, I was once again not producing sufficient milk and we discovered that I was pregnant.  If I was surprised, my husband was in such shock.  He went to the early morning men’s prayer meeting and only when he came home later, did he take me in his arms and congratulate me. 

Our flower princess burst into the world 14 months after her sister. I felt I was done.  I was content with having three children. My family was complete.

I was still at home on maternity leave and my mother, who lived a few blocks away from us, would come and fetch my son to take him to pre-school.  He has always loved talking in the car, he still does – he has a captive audience. 

One morning he said to his granny, “Granny, do you know that my mommy has a baby in her tummy?”

My mother, humouring said, “Oh she has, has she?”

“Yes,” he said, “it is my brother. His name is Hosanna.”

We laughed about it because his baby sister was only about 3 or 4 months old.

Six months after our flower princess made her entrance into the world, once again I was struggling to feed her and … I found out I was pregnant. 

I found out on the 13th of July, but on the 17th of July I began to bleed.  I called my mother to come and watch the children for me and made an appointment with the doctor.  The doctor showed me my baby on the ultrasound with its little heart beating.  I sighed a sigh of relief and was given strict instructions to go home and rest (to the best of my ability with 2 toddlers and a baby). 

Due on earth 03-03-2007; Due in heaven 17-07-2006

As I lay on the floor in the lounge while my babies played around me an over me, I suddenly felt the life draining out of me.  I knew what was happening, but I didn’t want to believe it could happen to me.  I believed that God’s word said I wouldn’t lose my young, I wouldn’t miscarry. I couldn’t.  I shouldn’t.

I phoned my doctor and she told me to come in, that they would stay open until I got there.  My husband arrived home from work to fetch me.  I was received so caringly at the doctor and as we once again looked on the ultrasound, the reality hit me – there was no heartbeat, my baby had died.  I began to shake from the shock.  My wonderful doctor and her receptionist organised for me to go to the hospital for a D&C that evening.  I remember seeing her talking to someone and she look so sad as if it were her own baby that was gone.

I spent the next 3 days resting and working through my emotions, mourning the loss of a little one gone so soon.  I asked the Lord why, when His word said we would not miscarry, had I miscarried?

I repented for saying that my family is complete with three children and that if it is His plan for me to have more, I will happily mother His children.  I wanted to name my baby and I asked the Lord what I should call it.  He told me, “Your baby already has a name,” and He reminded me of the conversation my son had had in the car with my mother.

“Hosanna” is not a name one would think of to name a child.  It is a word we find in the Bible.  I took out the Bible concordance and my Bible and I began to do a study on the word “hosanna”.  “Hosanna” is a cry out to God “O save!”  The people cried “Hosanna” to Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  The root word for Hosanna in Hebrew means to be safe and free.  My baby was safe and free in heaven, I knew that.

The Lord taught me through this journey, that He is sovereign and that I need to trust Him, even if I don’t understand.  Just as I don’t understand why my baby died.  He is Sovereign and He knows.  I had a distinct impression that my little one is in the arms of Jesus and in the best place he could be and that one day he would run into my arms when I graduate to be with him.

Three months later, I discovered that I was pregnant again and I was nervously excited.  A day or two later as I was teaching dance and movement at the pre-school, I felt something change inside of me. I knew the feeling.  I went to my friend, the headmistress, she prayed with me and sent me home.  I took the next two days very slowly and stayed home.  On the Saturday morning, 28 October 2007, we were having breakfast when I felt my uterus contract and I felt life leaving me, draining from me.  I knew the feeling, but I did not want to accept it.  Not again.  I went to the bathroom and knew my baby was gone. 

I told my husband and he prayed with me, but I could not rest, because we were celebrating my parent’s 60th birthday at our house that afternoon.  When my sisters arrived to help set everything up, I told them my sad news and they took over while I sat in a chair.  I had no time to process or mourn the miscarriage as I had the previous time.  The school had its annual concert coming up at the school and we had 3 weeks before showtime. 

On the evening of 25th of December, we were at home.  The TV was on, I don’t know if it was a Josh Groban concert or not, but he began to sing “To where you are”, tears coursed down my cheeks as he sang the chorus:

smart

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for a while
To know you’re there
A breath away’s not far to where you are.

My children were playing in the lounge, and I went outside, sat on the edge of the veranda, and just released my pain, my grief, and the loss of another baby to the Lord.  I asked Him what the name of my baby is, and He reminded me of a name I had on my heart – Joel.  Joel means ‘Jehovah is God”.

Jehovah is God.  He is sovereign.  He knows, even if we don’t and one day when we see Him face to face, maybe then we will know too.

I know that I will hold them in my eyes one day, but until then, I have four children to raise to adulthood in this world.

Yes, four.  In April of the following year, I found out that I was pregnant.  I told my mother because I knew I had to fight the fear and could not do it on my own.  So, I told her to pray that I would have morning sickness (yes you read it right), because the morning sickness is a sign that it is going well with the pregnancy.  I rejoiced when I experienced morning sickness and evening sickness, because I knew my baby was growing.  Two years after his sister was born, our string-bean, tall, skinny boy made his entrance into the world in his own way and in his own time.

Why do I share my story with you? I share my story because it is a testimony of healing.  Healing from fear and healing from grief.  It is also a wonderful lesson learned about the heart of God for us His children.  There are just some things on this side of eternity that will not make any sense to us right now, but through it all, we need to trust our Father to guide us, to carry us and help us.

Hosanna

My precious sister, Melany, sat with me and helped me scrapbook a page for Hosanna.  I would like to share my scrapbook pages I made to honour each of my babies in heaven.  It was part of my processing of my loss and honouring their memory as part of my life.

Do I miss my babies?  Yes, sometimes I think of them, and I miss them, but I have a picture in my heart of them with Jesus and I know that they are in the best place they could ever be – heaven.

Joel

A few years later, I attended a ladies meeting, and someone shared their testimony of how she had gone through counselling and learned that she needed to name the babies she had lost and to light a candle to acknowledge their life.  I attended a separate meeting about a week later with two other ladies and we were able to share our experiences with one another, pray for one another and together we lit a candle for each of our babies gone too soon.  We rejoiced in the fact that we will see our babies one day in heaven.

I want to encourage you to process your grief, name your baby, release your baby into the loving arms of Jesus.  Light a Candle. Write a memorial on a stone. Paint a picture.  Plant a tree.  Do something that is significant to you that will acknowledge the little one you held not in your arms, but in your womb and in your heart.

God has you in heaven, but I have you in my heart. (TobyMac)

Two Lilies

Two Lilies
by Belinda Ann Weber
Freedom is found behind iron bars

Two Lilies tells the true story of a special friendship that grew out of prison ministry.  It also tells other stories of hope and reveals the need for prison ministry.

In true Belinda style, the author not only tells you the story of her journey but challenges the reader to step out of their comfort zone and broaden your mindset.  To not see prisoners, but people – someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son in need of hope and freedom – true freedom that only comes through accepting our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a book about GRACE and FORGIVENESS – God’s grace and forgiveness for everyone.

Two Lilies is also a tribute to prison ministry and to those who have dedicated their lives to reaching the truly lost souls in our society – souls who need the loving touch of our loving Heavenly Father through His body here on earth.  It is a tribute those who have a heart to see people restored, healed and set free. I highly recommend this book.  It is filled with testimonies of people who visited prisoners, who counselled or just went along to support those ministering, as well as testimonies of prisoners themselves.

The book is available from Sela Books https://sela-books.co.za/

Unlocked

UNLOCKED – Lockdown Letter No.11 – Julaine Marais

My heart is to encourage the church to hold fast to what God has said, because God does not lie.  Whatever promises He’s made to us, will come to pass.  As we press into God and pray and trust Him for a miracle in our country, we will see that miracle, we will see Him change the tide.  We have seen it once before, and this is no different.

My heart is to encourage the church to hold fast to what God has said, because God does not lie.  Whatever promises He’s made to us, will come to pass.  As we press into God and pray and trust Him for a miracle in our country, we will see that miracle, we will see Him change the tide.  We have seen it once before, and this is no different.

               UNLOCKED

As a child, I had a desire to be a missionary. I was always fascinated by the missionary stories and slide shows of visiting missionaries at our church.  My parents hosted missionaries in our home at times, as we were growing up.  I come from family, on both my mother and father’s sides who came to South Africa from Europe as missionaries.  I am also named after my mother’s best friend who was a missionary.  My parents have always been involved in ministry and we were practically raised in the church.  As a teenager, our youth group would hold all night prayer meetings and it was wonderful praying with other young people who had a heart for God and for seeing people saved.

Prayer has always been a part of my relationship with the Lord – I would talk to God while walking to my music lessons or riding my bike, I would talk to Him about my fears, my hurts, my joys – everything.

As I went through life, I realised that being a missionary does not necessarily mean going to a foreign place and ministering to people of a different culture, such as going to India or Ethiopia.  I learned that you can be a missionary in your own country and or culture, sharing Jesus with people in the place where you live.  I made peace with that and God opened doors for me to be involved in various areas of ministry over the years.

Growing up, I was the dancer and pianist and my sister was the artist – in fact all 3 of my sisters took art lessons and are talented artists.  In my early twenties, the Lord opened the way for me to be in full-time dance ministry – I loved it – I taught at our church, ministered, went on outreaches, participated in street marches and more during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.  Over the years there have been seasons of being involved in dance ministry and seasons of not – either being in the workforce or being a mom.

Yet, I sensed that there was more, and I really believed that God had called me to more than that –  I am not just a dancer, there is so much more to who I am – like there was something hidden inside, waiting to come out.

When I had my children, the Lord told me that they were my mission-field.  It has been a wonderful journey with them of imparting, leading and teaching them in the ways of the Lord.  And, I have grown and learned so much from them too.  The more independent they are becoming as teenagers, the more I am learning to step back and trust that that which I have imparted to them, will carry them as they make their relationship with the Lord their own.  It was in this time that my prayer life grew and became a far deeper intercessory time.

So, I have had a deep sense in my heart that there was something more and was just waiting on God to unlock it in my life.

About 10 years ago, I wanted to paint something special for each of my children, as the Lord had given me one word for each child when they were born – my original idea was to just paint the words.  My dear sister, an art teacher, bought me acrylic paints, brushes and canvasses and told me to “have fun” and experiment – I have yet to paint on those 4 canvasses because, they need to depict the words in a way that will be meaningful to each child, but they opened the door for me to take the leap and begin to experiment and learn.

In 2010, we moved from Bellville to Noordhoek, and it was then that got to paint my first painting – I bought a canvas and painted The Fruit of the Spirit Tree.  The Lord told me to paint His Word so that my children would see it – and so, I, untaught and totally experimentally did just that, using my favourite tree in Noordhoek Common as my subject matter. I painted a tree and wrote the nine fruits of the spirit in its branches, then hung it up on a wall in my house.  Over the years, I painted a few other pieces too, each one depicting a passage of scripture or a verse, and each hanging where we can see it and be reminded of God’s word.

For the past 4 years, I was blessed to take art lessons once a month– sporadically – with a wonderful teacher who has the same philosophy as my sister “have fun”, and who has taught me to use various mediums.  She also has a wonderful phrase that she loves to quote, which often comes to mind – “walk free, sister”.  It was here that I let go of the fallacy of “perfectionism” and embraced my own expression in what I drew and created.

I would not call myself an artist, maybe I am more what they call, “a creative”, because I do enjoy creating things that have meaning and expressing myself in and through arts and crafts.  I guess, I have learned to just have fun! 

At the end of 2019, I told the Lord that it would be nice to have a full-stop – a complete break from everything.

Having three teenagers and an almost 12 year old, made life very busy, especially when you are home-schooling, and then you have all the extra-murals plus all the activities and interests, and you are driving them all over the place, not to mention everything else that you need to do too.

It was an extremely busy life ….

And then came the completely unexpected … LOCKDOWN …

So, lockdown for me, has been just that – a full-stop – and more than that, it has been a period of time that has launched me into a new direction and the beginning of a culmination of God’s work in and through my life.

I shared my story with a friend the other day and she laughed and said, “So, it’s your fault we’re in lockdown?  You asked God ….”

I had time to think … to just be … to hear … to stop.  Full Stop.

I had a lot of time to pray for our country, asking God to help us and expose anything that was not of Him and release His spirit in South Africa.  I was able to complete two prophetic paintings that I had begun earlier this year about things the Lord had shown me about my life, personally.  One of my prophetic pictures I had painted was a lighthouse, as the Lord told me that I am to be a Lighthouse. 

At the beginning of June, as I prayed, I wrote this in my journal – “I sense that something is about to give way in the Spirit realm.  Breaking open.  Release.”  The Lord gave me a picture of South Africa with chains around it, but the chains were breaking, and I just felt so impressed in my heart to paint it.  I printed a colouring map of South Africa on a sheet of paper and painted it as the Lord showed me to do it and wrote the verse in Psalm 107:14  “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces” and a prayer “Break the chains of slavery over this nation, Lord.”

I thought “well this is lovely” and took a photo of it and shared it with some people who are close to me.  Then, I wondered what to do with this picture – I could put it up on my wall, but it’s just a little A5 page with a picture on it and I would have to frame it.  So, whoever comes to visit me will see it. 

I decided to ask the Lord, “Lord, what do you want me to do with it?”

And He said to me, “Post it on Facebook”, which I did, simply sharing it with my “friends”.  Some friends asked if they could share it and I said they could, thinking, that is awesome I hope they will be encouraged by what the Lord showed me.

Two days later, the Lord gave me another scripture and told me to write it inside the map of South Africa and so I did, and I posted it too.  The next day, He gave me another verse and told me write it in the map, but this time to give it some colour. Each day, He would lead me in what to do, sometimes I would get a picture for the next day or for a picture yet to come.  It was like a dance – me following the Lord’s lead as He guided me through this unknown territory.

In that time, the Lord impressed on my heart to take my father’s poem that he wrote a few years ago, “South Africa, Bow!”, and paint it.  I knew I had the poem somewhere as my father had asked me to set it to music when he wrote it.  I asked the Lord to show me where it was that I had put the poem and He lead me to my music basket at the piano – there was the poem with the chords I had written in my sheet music folder.  I spent the next few days painting the poem as the Lord showed me what He wanted me to paint.

It was during this week that the Lord began to speak to me about South Africa and the missionary roots of my family here.  He asked me if I would commit myself to South Africa and choose it as my mission-field.  He also told me that I would need to close the backdoor that I had kept, to go to other countries if I did this.  I responded to Him with a heart of surrender that His will be done and that, yes, I would commit myself to this beautiful country of my birth.

This led to my 5th post, and my 2nd picture of South Africa – a Lighthouse shining, with roots anchoring it into the land, inside the map of South Africa.  “Put down your roots.  You are here for a reason.”

As of writing this, tomorrow will be 7 weeks (49 days) since I started on this journey, and almost on a daily basis the Lord is giving me His heart and the truth in pictures of South Africa and truths from His word.  Every picture has a map of South Africa on it and words of encouragement, straight from the Word of what God is saying over South Africa – prayers over South Africa, declarations over South Africa and a call to put our faith, our trust and our hope in Him.

It got to a point about 2 weeks ago that I felt that God wanted me to do something more with my pictures – not just share it on my Facebook profile, but to actually share it on a page dedicated …. specifically for South Africa and to include prophetic poetry and pictures and artistic expressions of God’s heart for our country from others who have been carrying His heart for our nation.  So, I messaged a friend I have made on Facebook who is a wonderful prophetic artist and poet.  She encouraged and walked with me on the journey and we started a Facebook page called “Expressions of Prayer and Worship”- prophetic prayers, decrees and declarations over South Africa. 

My heart is to encourage the church to hold fast to what God has said, because God does not lie.  Whatever promises He’s made to us, will come to pass.  As we press into God and pray and trust Him for a miracle in our country, we will see that miracle, we will see Him change the tide.  We have seen it once before, and this is no different.

Lockdown Letters is a collections of stories, poems and artworks by South Africans from all walks of life, compiled to commemorate Lockdown 2020 – Lest we forget.
Lockdown Letters is available from Sela Books at R150 per copy. sela-books.co.za

Kraamsaal van Genade

Book Review: Kraamsaal van Genade by Mariska De Bruyn

Kraamsaal van Genade (or Labour Ward of Grace, in English), is Mariska De Bruyn’s testimony of God’s grace. Bennie and Mariska’s son was still born and this is the story of her journey of grace.

The honest reflections of her experience as a young wife, awaiting the birth of her firstborn. The raw honesty of heartbreak as she grappled with the fear, the loss and the emptiness of letting go of the hope and longings of her heart to raise her son. These give the reader insight into the pain of the loss of a baby, stillborn.  But, it does not end here …

Mariska draws an analogy of her experience and shares how the Lord dealt with the pain, the fear and the bondage of her soul that she was carrying (as a woman would carry a baby to term).  The final giving over of these burdens, one’s soul being layed bare before the Lord as we allow Him to deliver us of our fears.

Finally, the author shares a compelling vision of fighting  and overcoming in the spirit, bringing her to a place of experiencing victory.

This is a book with a message of HOPE.  This is a book with a call to FIGHT.  This is a book with a key to VICTORY.

  • Face your fears
  • Fight the lies
  • Embrace your call
  • Have courage to step out in faith like Deborah in the book of Judges
  • Break every curse, lie and bondage the enemy uses to hold you back
  • Be fearless
  • You can live victoriously

AVAILABLE FROM https://sela-books.co.za/

Contact Sela Books https://sela-books.co.za