Inspiration from Petra Pierre - Robertson

Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. There we were, talking about coconuts last evening. Yes! Coconuts! I woke up to prepare for a seminar but coconuts were still on my mind. So I blogged instead. I dedicate this blog to fathers and men (young, middle aged and mature). Coconuts can be categorised into three main stages of maturity: young (green) coconuts, mid-mature/ middle age coconuts, and fully mature (brown) coconuts. These stages are primarily determined by the age and development of the coconut.  All coconuts are the same, but the important difference is their age.  Based on their age these coconuts are harvested at their different stages of ripening. (AI assisted) This background fuelled analogies and forced me to blog, even though I have so much to do! Some Bible texts came immediately to mind. I will draw the analogies based on the stages.  Young (Green) Coconuts Proverbs 20:29: The glory of young men is their str...

Above all else, guard your heart... (Proverbs 4:23)   I had dumped my fake fruits in water. They were dusty. I didn't have the time to wipe them off one by one so I dumped them in a bowl of water. An easy way to clean them.  Big mistake. When i returned to them one hour later I found the pear full of water. I examined it closely. There was no visible hole. So how did the water get in? And how did it happen so fast? I turned it in all directions to see if a leak would alert me to a hole or crack. I could not locate one. The pear looked perfect on the outside. But it was clear that cracks existed that were almost invisible to the natural eye. I shook it up. The water did not budge. I deposited the pear in a container hoping the water would drain out. Now, fifteen  hours later I was still waiting for the water to drain out completely. It was so easy to get in. Now getting it out was hard. Perfect on the outside The analogy came instantly to mind. So many things easily creep into ou...

Lamentations 3:22, 23 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. I reached into the cabinet for wipes. None was there. A puzzled frown creased my forehead, I bought boxes. Where were they? I perused the shelves. Stocks were running low. I had bought a lot, but that had been months ago. For the past few months I couldn't find the time to get to the store, however, secure in my stored up stocks, I kept drawing down, and not replenishing. The symbolism came instantly to mind. I was also guilty of drawing down and not replenishing in other areas: Drawing down on last week's study. Drawing down on last year's faith Drawing down on yesterday's meal Drawing down on last month's sleep Drawing down on last year's exercise Drawing down daily on waning strength mentally, emotionally and physically. I was drawing down and not replenishing. My stocks dwindled, some had ...

...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair (Isaiah 61:3) The sky was dark. There was no trace of the sun. We boarded the vessel still hoping to capture the sunrise on the sea. It usually made a spectular portrait. But the ride started rough. I never experienced that level of roughness with this particular vessel. I went on the deck. The sky was dark. The water was a deep dark blue. There was no trace of the sun. The vessel swayed from side to side as it made its journey over the choppy sea. Scenic frosty pathway As I looked out over the terryfying loveliness of the wide expanse of the dark sea disturbed by the scenic frosty pathway created by the waters that were troubled by the powerful engine of the vessel, a song came to mind: Jesus Savior Pilot Me Jesus, Savior, pilot me, Over life's tempestuous sea: Unknown waves before me roll, Hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal; Chart and co...

Evil ones spy on the godly ones, stalking them to find something they could use to accuse them. (Psalm 37:32-33 TPT) I felt the eyes. I was in my backyard, chilling in the cool of the morning. The sounds of various tones of whistling birds permeated the air. Occasionally a rooster crowed. I felt the eyes on me. I looked around. The mouth was turned down. The stare was hard. The intent was not good. Stalking Thankfully a fence separated us. The eyes of the fierce dog remained focussed on me as I moved around the back yard. If the fence was not there, I would be in trouble.. I  thought of other eyes (1 Peter 5:8), focussed on us, stalking us, wishing that there wasn't a fence, so they could have their way with us (Job 1:10) Eyes that pursue wanting to destroy our influence, relationships, family, reputation, skills and accomplishments. Eyes of jealousy, envy, hatred, greed, power. Eyes that feed gossiping lips. Yes, destructive eyes are always on us. Evil ones spy on the godly ones, ...

Unfinished... I love building puzzles! 1500 pieces and up give me a puzzle rush! What keeps me going is the visualization of the end product; more specifically the scenic photograph on the box. I love nature scenes. I keep building in anticipation of the final product regardless of how gruelling the process is. Gruelling process During the process of building when all the pieces look the same, yet are all different in colors, shapes and sizes, I sometimes get frustrated. But, as the picture grows and the pieces fit, I am encouraged to keep building. Until that final piece is in, however, no matter how much work went into it, no matter how much progress I have made, no matter how beautiful the other parts appear, no matter how the 2999 pieces fit perfectly together, until the 3000th piece is in, the puzzle is unfinished. Unfinished Think of God as the puzzle builder and think of yourself as the puzzle. As much as you have accomplished, as good as you are, God is not finished with you y...