Versoeningsveldtog – Sing ŉ nuwe (Suid-Afrika) lied!
Die kerke van Suid-Afrika, in samewerking met organisasies wat die leiers van die jeugopstande van 1976 en die diensplig-generasie verteenwoordig, beplan die Sing ŉ nuwe (Suid Afrika) lied!- versoeningsveldtog met die doel om eenheid te bevorder en genesing in ons land te bewerkstellig. Die inisiatief vorm deel van die oorkoepelende proses waarmee die Suid Afrikaanse Raad vir Kerke en haar lidkerke op reis is – Die Suid-Afrika waarvoor ons bid!
Sendeling in die Werksplek
Posted on	 Tuesday, 29 March 2016
So baie maal hoor ons die woorde: “Die omstandighede en situasie by die werk veroorsaak dat ek nie my geloof met ander mag deel nie.” Wat moet ons as Christene in hierdie situasie doen? Moet ons ŉ lae profiel handhaaf, so probeer leef dat ander God in ons kan raaksien (nogal nie altyd so maklik nie!)? Of moet ons openlik wees oor wie ons is en wat ons glo?
As jong meisie is Fransien deur ŉ gesinslid gemolesteer. Die veilige vesting van haar ouerhuis het verander in ŉ tronk van gruwels waaruit sy moes vlug. Vir twintig jaar het sy as hawelose geveg om aan die lewe te bly – verwerp en gestroop van alles wat haar mens gemaak het. Sy het onder die rivierbrug gebly waar sy honger dae en koue nagte moes deursukkel met weinig meer as die klere aan haar lyf en die hoop op ŉ beter toekoms.
Men’s World Day of Prayer – The importance of Prayer
Why is it sometimes so difficult to pray to God? When we go through a season of spiritual drought, our prayer life is often the first Christian discipline we neglect. And the less we pray the more difficult and awkward it becomes. Looking at the heroes of faith in the Bible, and especially the example set by Jesus, I must admit that prayer does not always get the attention and priority it deserves in my own life.
These three truths may help us to focus our minds on the purpose of connecting with God through prayer:
Wêreld Biddag vir Vroue – Laat die kindertjies na my toe kom
Op 4 Maart 2016 kom gelowige vroue van regoor die wêreld bymekaar om voor God neer te buig en saam oor 'n spesifieke saak te bid. Met vanjaar se tema “Laat die kindertjies na my toe kom” hoor ons Jesus se stem en opdrag om die kinders van die wêreld van God se groot liefde te vertel.
Die uitreikproses na 'n kind raak nie net die kind nie, maar ook die persoon wat die liefde en hoop uitdra. As jy in die blink oë van 'n kind die wonder van God se liefde sien weerkaats, raak dit jou hart en groei jy nader aan jou Skepper. As jy 'n hart het vir kinders en graag na hul wil uitreik, bied CLF die volgende hulpmiddels:
"Uiteindelik Vry" Boekbekendstelling
CLF is die trotse uitgewer van die boek Uiteindelik Vry geskryf deur vader Michael Lapsley, SSM. Hierdie publikasie is die Afrikaanse vertaling van die bekroonde boek Redeeming the Past wat in 2013 die Andrew Murray/Desmond Tutu-prys gewen het.
Last modified	on	 Thursday, 18 February 2016
Onderhoud met oom Hannes van Eyssen – Agent van Christelike Lektuurfonds
Posted on	 Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Dit is ’n baie warm Dinsdagoggend wanneer ek aan oom Hannes van Eyssen se voordeur klop in Bellville waar hy en tannie Helmine al byna 9 jaar woon. Hulle hartlike ontvangs laat my sommer dadelik van die hitte vergeet en dit word ’n heerlike kuieroggend om die eetkamertafel. Oom Hannes en tannie Helmine sal op 30 Maart 2016 al 53 jaar getroud wees en die liefde en respek waarmee hul mekaar hanteer is voorwaar ’n voorbeeld om na te streef.
CLF / Cordis Trust skep ŉ kreatiewe ruimte
Posted on	 Monday, 21 December 2015
Waar sien jy meer penne as op 'n ystervark se rug? Die antwoord is natuurlik by 'n skryfskool! En wat 'n uitstekende ervaring was dit nie om vanjaar CLF / Cordis Trust se skryfskool in Paarl by te woon nie.
Ek het op 30 November by die Joie de Vivre gasteplaas in die Kaapse Wynland aangekom en nie geweet wat om van die volgende paar dae te verwag nie. Hoekom woon mens 'n skryfskool by as jy alreeds kan lees en skryf? Daarbenewens het 'n hittegolf die omgewing getref wat my laat wonder het of ek die week gaan oorleef. Maar ek het gou ontspan en tuis gevoel tussen die vrolike geskerts en opgewondenheid van die ander deelnemers.
Een Miljoen Beloftes van Hoop
Hoe vereenselwig jy God met siekte, veral met siek kinders?
Dit is die gedagtes wat deur my kop maal wanneer ek die besoek saam met CLF aan die Tygerberg Hospitaal gedurende September 2015 meemaak.
Ons parkeer voor die hospitaal en neem die hyser na die derde vloer, waar ’n pienk beer op die muur voor die ingang van die saal jou groet - die enigste aanduiding dat dié wat ons vandag besoek, kinderharte het.
God’s Special Love for Women
Posted on	 Tuesday, 25 August 2015
The title of this article might lead you to believe that God favours one gender over another – this, however, isn’t the case – a dreary thought for those of us who so love to bathe in the satisfaction of affirmation. Nevertheless, the freedom that this truth brings can be liberating; even more than you would expect…
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son…” (John3:16). To God ALL people are significant. In fact, the Word says that He doesn’t have any favourites. “Then Peter began to speak: “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism”(Acts 10:34). It is imperative at this point that we understand that God does not prefer women to men.
The fact of the matter is that God’s love is so inexplicably profound that He is able to demonstrate it in ways that leave us feeling small, yet so special. Our perception of and capacity to love is so limited that we cannot reproduce it or fully grasp the depth and breadth and height of it, but through His Spirit we are blessed beyond measure to have the privilege to experience it.
On a Mission: The GREAT Commission
During 2012, my husband and I had the privilege of acting as prayer intercessors for friends of ours (Beau and his wife, Heidri) who had been called on an outreach to Algeria, a country notorious for Christian persecution and intolerance of any missionary activities.
The daily testimonies that stemmed from this outreach (from before they embarked up to the time they returned) encouraged us greatly and grew our own faith in God’s Word and promises immensely. This made me realise how one outreach to a different country, could impact so many people, even those that stayed behind to pray and intercede.
This in turn reminded me of our great commission to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:5) and how each Christian should be living this out in our daily lives. An outreach starts at home, grows into your immediate community and, if you are so called can extend into different continents, but the commission stays the same: To preach the good news to ALL creation by shining the love of Jesus into the lives of others!
Last modified	on	 Tuesday, 28 July 2015
From then until now – a spiritual journey
Posted on	 Thursday, 18 June 2015
A relationship is a very personal and unique journey and even more so when that relationship is with God. He knows each one of us more intimately than we could ever attempt to understand, and whether we are aware of it or not, He journeys with us through each stage of our unique relationship with him.
So, that got me thinking of my own personal journey, and how my relationship with God has progressed, from childhood through to adulthood, but there were definitely certain key things in my childhood that later shaped where the journey took me as an adult.
In September 2000 my children’s father passed away unexpectedly.
I was unemployed with little money at my disposal, yet it marked the beginning of an exceptional journey in my life. A journey, where God taught me first hand who He is, a life-changing experience. He taught me how to ask what I need through prayer. I have no doubt that God loves His children and that He is our Rock and our Fortress. He will never leave or forsake us. He rebuilt my life and the lives of my children completely and blessed me with a wonderful marriage. He can change any circumstance!
Onderhoud met Prof. Piet Meiring
Prof. Piet Meiring, teoloog, dominee en veelsydige skrywer van Christelike lektuur, lewer ook ’n beduidende bydrae tot die Christelike Lektuurfonds (CLF) deur boeke soos Suid-Afrika, land van baie godsdienste en Sê “Ja!” vir versoening.
Ons het dit reggekry om ’n tydjie in hierdie veelsydige man se dagboek af te knyp om ’n paar vrae te beantwoord. Ons hoop ons lesers geniet dit net soveel om hierdie onderhoud te lees, as wat ons dit geniet het om met Prof. te gesels!
Marriage, a daily revelation of God’s love
Ever wonder why so many marriages fail?
God is the original Author of marriage, with his Word guiding us to make our marriages stronger. When people enter into marriage without submitting it to God, it almost always lands in a downward spiral that sees people deviate so drastically from God’s intention for marriage that divorce has become the norm.
This year marks the 18th year I’ve known my husband, of which we’ve been a couple for 7 years and married for 4. We have a beautiful 16-month old son and, though not without our fair share of challenges, we are blessed beyond measure. If there is one constant I’ve learned throughout this marital journey, it is that God is good – always, despite (or especially) when circumstances may try to dictate otherwise.
So, this is what marriage is teaching me:
To rebuild weak foundations
We live in a fallen world and because of our own sinful nature, everything that God created that was meant to be pure and holy has become twisted in our own efforts to uphold these truths. Take, for instance how the Bible (NIV) continually describes love, in sharp contrast to how it is experienced in the world we live in:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. - Philippians 2:3
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. – 1 Timothy 1:5
Whereas we base love on: ‘Because’; what others can do for us; me and ‘my needs; and how we feel at any given moment.
So in order to love the way God really intended it, we must first learn to redefine our own definition of what it really is, to enable us to build on a Godly foundation of love.
Once we get this, our hearts can align to the process of sanctification and transformation to become more and more like Jesus, in everything we do (including our marriages). The moment you think, “I have arrived”, you need to reflect and realign your heart again, because it will always remain a process where we have to stay close to God.
I recently saw this quote by Dave Harvey regarding raising children, but thought it just as suitable in the context of marriage:
“I thought parenting was going to portray my strengths, never realising that God had ordained it to reveal my weaknesses.” – Dave Harvey
How true, but this is exactly why we have to identify and work through these weaknesses so that our marriages can become a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church (us.) Healthy marriages not only point us to Christ, but it is also a silent (or sometimes loud) testimony to our unsaved friends, extended families and finally, our children.
It’s in how we talk about our spouses when they are not there, and how we respond to them when they are. It’s in how wives choose to honour their husbands and how husbands show love to their wives, even when we don’t feel like it (Ephesians 5: 22 - 33). Showing them a godly response versus how the world would respond.
As man-made calendar entries tend to do, Valentine’s Day has just become yet another over commercialised day of the year, when people spend a fortune to buy over priced gifts, restaurant dinners and weekend getaways - trying to overcompensate for the lack of practically showing their love and appreciation throughout the other 364 days of the year.
But, it is also as good a time as any to recommit your heart and your marriage to God afresh, resolving to point your loved one to Christ everyday by unconditionally practicing patience, exhortation, sacrifice, and servant heartedness.
Tagged in: christian Literature CLF Gods Love Marriage Marriages Fail
Bequests The Gift that keeps on Giving
Few people talk about death and giving in the same breath.
The former engenders a sense of closure while giving is about new possibilities and beginnings. Throughout life, giving is a powerful motivating force. And in death, its application in a few words on a piece of paper can mean the difference between a mere end – and a lasting legacy.
Tagged in: Bequest Donation Gifts Giving
16 DAYS AS A TRIBUTE TO GOD’S MOST LOVED CREATION
It is often said that a woman was not created from the superior part of man. Why?
So that she might not be above him, however also not from any inferior part, because she wasn’t meant to be below him to be trampled. She was created from his side, from one of his ribs, so that she could be equal to him; and from a part near his heart, under his arms, to show that she should be affectionately loved by him, and should always remain under his care and protection. www.biblegateway.com
Tagged in: Bible CLF Creation Woman Abuse
Susan Goosen Onderhoud
Susan Goosen, bekende skrywer, opvoedkundige en ma van drie, lewer ’n beduidende bydrae tot die Christelike Lektuurfonds (CLF) deur boeke soos die Vertel, Vertel!-reeks en projekte soos Een Miljoen Bybels vir Een Miljoen Kinders.
Dit het alles begin toe CLF haar gekontak het om die boek Kom Stap Saam, geskryf deur Annalou Marais, oor te skryf. Sy het dit baie geniet om saam met CLF te werk en van daar af het die geleentheid vir meer projekte ontstaan. Sy glo dat CLF hulself onderskei van ander uitgewers deur goeie en bekostigbare geestelike materiaal te versprei aan alle Suid-Afrikaners, iets wat haar baie na aan die hart lê. Volgens haar het geestelike leesstof al in die verlede so baie vir haar beteken, dat dit vir haar ’n groot voorreg is om by ’n organisasie betrokke te wees wat daarmee gemoeid is. Sy geniet dit vernaam om met die CLF-span te werk omdat hulle kreatiwiteit en passie aan die dag lê in alles wat hulle aanpak.
Tagged in: CLF Kom Stap Saam Onderhoud Susan Goosen Vertel Vertel
CLF ondersteun godsdiens in skole
Die Organisasie vir Godsdiensonderrig en Demokrasie het Christene regoor die land in rep en roer deur hul hofaansoek dat ses openbare skole landwyd hul Christelike etos moet laat vaar.
Hulle voer aan dat die Grondwet godsdiensvryheid waarborg en dat daar teen leerders gediskrimineer word wat aan ander godsdienste behoort of geen godsdiens beoefen nie.
In verweer het die betrokke skole aangevoer dat geen leerder verplig word om aan enige aktiwiteite van ’n Christelike aard deel te neem nie. Ook dat opvoeding gekenmerk word deur ’n sekere etos en leerders daarsonder, blootgestel word aan ’n omgewing sonder morele waardes wat aanleiding kan gee tot kriminele neigings en ander wandade.
Die saak, wat ŉ waterskeiding saak vir geloofsvryheid in Suid-Afrika kan word, sal heel waarskynlik eindig in die Konstitusionele Hof.
Tagged in: christian Literature Public Schools Secular Society Spiritual Leader Word of God
The role of Christian Literature in a secular society
In a secular society, where the Christian faith is often frowned upon, shifted out of public schools and where it is evoking a lot of public debate when pitched against evolution and science, spiritual leaders need tools in order to stay grounded in their faith. They also need tools to promote spiritual growth, prayer and a deeper understanding of the Bible.
As a non-profit institution in a secular society, Christian Literature Fund took up the challenge to spread the Word of God despite much hostility from the modern world.
Marriage Kom Stap Saam CLF Giving Sexual Education Susan Goosen Creation Secular Society Educate Onderhoud Gods Love Woman Abuse Marriages Fail media Spiritual Growth Donation christian Literature Public Schools Jesus Christ Social Issues Word of God Gifts Drugs Bequest Bible Vertel Vertel Digital Age Spiritual Leader