Romeo, oh Romeo

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

This is what Juliet speaks as she is on the balcony at night of the ball in the Capulet house in Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
I think this will be the only time I mention the famous play. Why do I do so in the first place?
Because I found a name for the cat that comes to visit me often. He is a neighbor's cat.
As he started to visit me, I thought he is a girl (oh my) and I called him Princess. I must have given him an identity crisis - lol- but then I realised my mistake. The first words that came into my mind were: Lill' Romeo. That's how I named him since I did not know his real name.  A week ago, I found out who is the acatual owner. SO I went and introduced myself. I asked what his real name is.
I was stunned, awestruck, totally blown away when the owner said: His name is Romeo!!!!!!!!!
WHAAAAAAAT? That is so so cool! It is like he told me his real name and I heard him.ha!

My friends who visit  me also got aquainted with Lill Romeo. He is so gentle and really sweet. He loves to cuddle and to relax and chill. I don't mind having him around and he does make me laugh often
So this is my Romeo, sweet Romeo!

My first Dance Competition: The Valentines Matchdance

The theme was Valentines Day. That meant outfits in the colours red, black, white and pink. The dances that we could compete in were: Waltz, Vienna Waltz, Bolero, Tango, Box Rumba, International Rumba and Western Swing.

I chose Tango, Box Rumba and the Western Swing. I could not believe that I actually went for it with the few one on one dance lessons that I have.

My goal: have fun and dance for Jesus – enjoy and not get caught up in the competition-side of things.

It was on a Saturday (18^th of Feb) at 9:30am local time that my first competition started. I was so blessed to have support with me. Two of my friends had come to cheer me on: Jane and Edna. The are both dear to me. I had led them through the Genesis process 2 years ago. Jane even brought her camera with and became the unofficial personal photographer of mine. Grin! I had to wait for my turn and I got more nervous by the minute. Finally, I had to dance the Western Swing as my first dance – its a nice sensual dance that respects personal space. As I danced, I could feel my legs were like pudding. My second dance was the Box-Rumba and I was nervous before that one. I had just learned some arm styling and the coordination was not that easy. As we go on the floor, my ears hear a beautiful song and the melody put me at peace immediately. It was Hungry Eyes form the movie Dirty Dancing. I knew that that was Jesus. I said thank you and enjoyed this dance without thinking too much of doing anything wrong. That was my icebreaker and the Tango was a great time.

I could have done things better but that is always a fact.

My dance teacher was nice and encouraging. I did not place at all which made me a bit sad for a moment until I realized that I danced against 5 other couples, who had been dancing on that level (level 3) much longer that I have.

I loved the vibe and our studio was just so cool: cheering for everyone and creating a great atmosphere, caring for each other. I am thankful - what a great day! Thank you to Jane and Edna who made this so so so special! Thank you to Marelise and Karen for being my friends there and supporting me and encouraging me!

V for Jesus: My valentines Day 2012

Valentines Day

V for Jesus ;)

I have wanted to write a blog post for a while but life has changed a lot and it is even harder to find time.

Let me tell you about a great valentines day a week ago. It started off with a lovely pilates session. After that I got my car Snowflake ready for a road trip. During Pilates I had the thought to either go to Franshoek (a town 1 ½ hours away with strong French and Durch roots and beautiful scenery and rich history) or to Hout Bay to go see the World of Birds. I felt, Jesus and I should drive out to Franshoek. I got excited because I had never gone there by myself. It was already awesome to find the palce on my new aquired road map. Then on the road, I started chatting to Jesus and more and more as I drive out the out this area...I was amazed at the beauty that awaited me. I drove out to the Winelands and past beautiful estates. As I arrived in Franshoek, I found a really sweet litte street cafe where I had a garden salad and an orange juice. I heard a bird singing and as I turned around, it was the owner's bird. He was totally yellow with a red beac and his name was Nana. I had him climb my shoulder and giving me kisses. So I got kisses from a bird on Valentines Day - hehe GREAT!

Later I realized, I really had to come to Franshoek, but the Lord had honored my wish to see birds anyway! How great is that. It was an awesome day of just wondering around and talking to Jesus.

Finally! 12 years

Oh boy! I have nor written anything for qutie some time. Please forgive me. Whenever I got a great idea, I would start formulating phrases in my head and then I would not have the time to blog.

Happy New Year to you all! I can still say it, it is January..at least for another 11 days.

Today I want to blog on my 12 year journey as a born again Christian. I have somthing else to blog on a bit later maybe next week as my time allows it.

12 years in 2012

Yes, I invited Jesus into my heart in January 2000. I was living a total different life. I was engaged to be married. I had just looked at some bridal dresses and I was studzing for a few months in the French part of Switzerland. I can only stand in awe when I look back. My decision changed my life, turned it around: not for the worse but for the better. I started my walk, my exciting journey with an invisible God. Absolutely cool.

The number 12 speaks of God's order as my Pastor told me yesterday! I like that. 12 years full of memories. 12 years in which Jesus has really changed me a lot, healed my heart a lot and helped me to see who I am!

I 've had a change from the inside out! Watch the difference that a pciture can tell you already:

So here is the evidence

Some ecclectic memories from these 12 years:

*One night I was crying my heart out. I really needed healing and felt so desolate - that is  when I started to experience the peace of GOD

*0n the 23rd of June 2003 I got baptized out of sheer obediance. I had been baptized (sprinkled) as a baby and had accepted it when I became a Christian but God had been talking to me about baptism and after 3 years I gave in!

*God told me that my parents will be Christians during  my stay there in 2009 and it happened, so so amazing to see something beeing fullfilled I had been on my knees since 2000!

*One evening when I asked God why I bumped into Pastor Xavier all the time (I stayed in Gresham Oregon USA that time), God actually told me that He had put the continent Africa on my heart. I actually heard HIS voice resounding in my heart and it dropped me to my knees  and feet.

There is so much more but that just popped into my head out of all the awesome times and revelations

I am thankful for verse 24!

I got back into reading more in my Bible and I am so thankful for that. A week or two ago I posted that I was struggling with getting into the word. What I rediscovered since then is amazing. I went back to reading one proverb a day corresponding with the date. Today is the 15th, so I read Proverb 15.
Everday I ask the Holy Spirit to open up HIS Scriptures for me. And every day He showes me treasures: big or small...it does not matter but treasures nonetheless!

Today I am so glad about verse 24:

Proverbs 15:24

New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the prudent
to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

I need that verse and I udnerstand why it is so importnat to always look ahead and to march on, to walk higher, to let myself get challenged again because the more I rest I dont want to get up and walk more. The more I sit down, I start to think about old things...things I cannot change and things that distract me. With Distraction comes Compromise and after comproise I am already going down to the realm of the dead. One thing leads to another, one thougth leads to another and then .......

So that is why it is so important to stay of the path that leads upward. It is the path that leads to life. It is a continuous challenge and growth, it is a journey

Thank you Jesus for verse 24 today! 

About the weeds...

Last Monday  morning, I had the opportunity to minister to 35 older people from the old age home that I used to go to with Pastor Xavier. Some of you might remember this. I used to accompany Pastor Xavier every  month to  that old age home. It stopped when I had more responsabilities with leading Genesis groups. Pastor Xavier wanted me to have Monday off.

Every once in a while when he is unable to go to the home to minister, he asks me to. That makes me happy. I love challenges to minister and preach.

This time, I had 2 days to prepare. As I sad, I like challenges.

God and I had chatted about the weeds in my heart and what weeds there are in general all the time while I was working. This is what  I ministered to the older people at Vue Du Cap on the following Monday:

A weed is a plant in an undiseried place - it is a nuisance, a useless plant, a destructive thing. The King James Version of the Bible calles this hemlock in the Old Testament (Hosea, Zephaniah) and tare in the New Testament (Matthew 13)

We might all have had times to spend in a garden...may it be our own or someone else's. We water the garden, we prune the plants and we pull out the weeds.

Let's look at our heart as a garden and Jesus as our gardener. Now I want to go with you to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13 verses 24 to 30. It is where Jesus talks about the parable of the weeds.

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’

6 Truths about a WEED:

- they are persistent

- the are always growing

- take it out at the root

- be vigilant because a weed grows fast

- don't take out the weed to early -you must know what is the weed and what is the good plant

(there is more and you can add on to that!!!)

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear

I love that the disciples didn't get the fool picture of the parable in the first place. Well, most of them were fishermen. They knew their way around fishing and all the things about fishing....but farming  and weeds??? No wonder that they asked Jesus more about this parable.

Once, I worked in our church garden. Our Pastor had asked me to take out the big weeds and boy were they big. However, there was this one weed that I took out that also had some blosssoms. I was convinced it was a weed only to feel bad when the Pastor told me that I just had successfully outrooted a plant. Oh boy! But it looked sooo much like a weed.

When weeds grow slowly beside a plant, there is a tiem when itis hard to distinguish between the good and the bad.

Now transfer that into our lives:  the longer I walk in sin, the longer I let the weed of sin/temptation ect grow in the garden of my heart, the harder it is to distinguish what is good and what it bad.

Now go to your heart garden....look around. The gardener is always there...he is taking good care of it but he also needs your permission to pull out the weeds. In fact, it is you who needs to pull out the weeds, the gardener only helps.

How does yoru garden look like? Are there flowers? and what kind? what colors?

I always find a place where there is weeds growing...but I also see different patches of different flowers. One patch is full with the most beautiful sunflowers!!!

I want my gardener Jesus take care of my garden well and when he points out some weeds...I want to pull them out together with him.

In terms of FAITH I want to be like a weed: always persistent, always growing :)

their own countdown

Everyone has their own countdown...that is what I think. Don't we all have an event that we are looking forward to? For some it is a birthday - for another it might be graduation or a ball - it might be a person visiting (!!!!) or the next dance competition - it might be Christmas.... or it might simply be the next day since today has been a hard one.....

Who knows.

I want you to tell me about your countdown. What is it and how long until then?

One of my countdowns is the arrival of a dear friend from Oregon: Carina Austin. She will arrive in 44 days. I am so glad that I get a visit not only from a dear American friend but also from one of my dearest ones. So I am counting down 44 days now.

I am also looking forward to my birthday to be 34 years old which will be in 33 days. I am a birthday person and so I love to celebrate it and make that day special since it IS special :)

Thirdly, I am looking forward to that day when my mom will be in surgery for her right shoulder. I am looking forward to it because it is loooong overdue and I am glad she is doing it and that is in 12 days.

There are more countdowns as I am thinking about it now....but first I would love ot hear about some of yours!!

Counting down.......

Struggle in me

Spring and a part of summer is here and I really really like it. It is the time to have walks on the beach. I had one of Sunday late afternoon and I loved it so much. The place where I can instantly enter into worship  to the Creator God. I can instantly enter into a one on one time with Jesus. I am privileged to live in a place of uttermost beauty.

All that said, I do struggle quite a bit this time around...this season. I know how to get out of it. So it is not a struggle where I don't udnerstand God or HIS work in me. I do know.

I have not been able to have times with Jesus while reading in HIS word for a while. No regurlarity anymore and I can feel the difference in my life. I know how to get out of it and believe me, I don't write this to give myself a "religious punch". It is out of the yearning of my heart that I want to read more in God's word, not because I have to, not because it looks better if I did, not out of any of that.

Interesting enough...every time when I have had an extensive time in HIS word, HE refreshed me and HE let my soul exhale and rejoice.
I am in need of self-discipline to make it a regular time again to read in HIS word...to read continuously in HIS word.

SO this is the struggle I have. It is with myself, with my inner self.
 I battle the Kerstin that wants to sleep those 40 min longer in the morning instead of getting up.
 I battle the Kerstin, that is quiet happy to zap around the 4 different tv programs she has instead of spending time with Jesus.
I battle with the Kerstin that senses God's calling her and then forgets it a moment later.
I battle but I know that HE knows
I battle but HE is doing something in my heart.

I love HIS word
It is indeed alive and am on my way back to a regular time in this vibrant word!!!!

Falk, my Godson :)

I love my Godchild, my Godson's name is Falk and he will be 7 this year in December. I had lots of fun when I went to Germany recently. We played: I spy with my little eye and boy, Falk was pretty good hey :)
I love and miss this lill guy!

WOW

Every day I drive past this beauty of nature. Actually I cannot wait to have this bush in full blossoms again every year. Not is the time and I am driving past it so much. When I see it, my heart beats a bit faster and my soul just seems to open up and then a smile comes on my face. This picture does not do it justice.

The color (a mix of fuchsia and magenta) is so vibrant!!!!!!

Pachelbel - His canon and thoughts

Last week, Jesus put a very important, beautiful, refreshing and calming yet exciting piece of music on my heart. It is the canon in D by Pachelbel. The composer Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer and this piece is his most favorite one. The Caonon, first published in 1919 and then rediscovered later is frequently played at weddings. I love this piece of music....always have but last week it started to fill my heart in a new way. I ofund myself humming the music again and again. Here is a link to youtube to listen to it yourself. A canon is a great composition of music. It has a leader (the main melody) and 1 or more followers ( these are the same ore close melodies that start after the leader and follow it). It sounds beautiful. Why would it be played at weeding? I find one simple answer: two melodies of one kind , one flowing the other, both in the same tact/beat and stroke. That is how I see a married couple. Now let me backtrack a few weeks when I was still in the States. Friends of mine have this wooden figure of a dancing couple

Whenver I looked at it, my heart would sigh. I love the way she nestles her head on his right chest and he takes up her left hand and puts it on the other checst. There is sweet intimacy displayed. I had to take the apicture of this. And when I look it now, I can here the canon being played in my head....no in my heart. I want to dance like this, not only with my king of kings Jesus, b with the man of God that HE has for me and I am waiting.

Bits and pieces

I finally remembered my password to be able to update my blog. For days I have been driving around with lots of ideas of what I can blog about next. Now as I am sitting here I forgot most of them. I have been back to the missionfield, back to South Africa for nearly 2 weeks now. My trip to the States and Gmernay has been a great one. I was so glad to see some friends and supporters and I really relaxed a lot. Likeweise, I met new people and enjoyed that as well. The hifhlight for me was to be with my parents for 7 days. My mom took time off at work and we had the whole 7 days to ourselves. And yes, surely that was not enough but I was so happy for that time. Needless to say that I miss them now more than before. Life being back is interesting. We are moving from spring to summer quickly, the wind is strong and I am really tired. I can sleep a lot. I have arrived somehow but am still arriving in ministry. Let me tell you of a wonderful thing that happened yesterday: I was asked to preach at an old age home. It is the one I used to go to every month with Pastor Xavier 2 years ago. It felt like coming home. Those dear people welcomed me with a traditional hug from every one :) I had felt thes tirring of the hOly Spirit to preach on weeds. Yes WEEDS. So I did. Jesus is the garnedner of the gardens of our heart. With HIM we can pull out every weed from the root. Jesus touched the people and it was great to be witness of HIS doing so. I guess it is part of being ready IN AND OUT of seasaon. I will again more about other things that fill my heart, otehr things that I observe here and otehr things that make me smile/laugh/or cry.