There Are No Big Decisions Two weeks ago my friend Michael’s brother passed away. He was younger than us. As one does after the death of a friend or loved one, I thought about my own demise. Or, maybe it’s just me that’s being macabre. I realised that I’m living an illusion. I act as if I am going to live forever. And I misguidedly think that this gives me licence to mess about and surround myself with inconsequence and minutia. Perhaps it would be useful to unpack death a little bit before I build an argument for living with intention and not meandering around like a brainless Amoeba. “I know, I know”, we don’t like talking about our own mortality. But, let’s play a bit and give death a form. Imagine that death is an entity that walks just out of your vision, behind your left shoulder. It’s ok, you can look over your shoulder and if you look really carefully (squint your eyes), you may just see him. He is a faithful companion and is always with you … every second of your existence. One day he’ll come forward and tap you on your shoulder and whisper gently into your ear, “It’s time.” It can be now, tomorrow or at a later date. You and I don’t know when the tap will come. And, when you are called, reflect on the moment just before the tap. Were you doing your best work? Were you awesome? Were you living your passion? Were you grateful? Were you the best version of yourself? Was that a moment of intent and purpose? Because we don’t know when we’ll be tapped, every moment should be lived with intent, purpose and awe. That’s why there are no big or small decisions. There are just decisions. And, every decision is important. We should make the decision to live awake and with intent, and we should strive to make every moment, including our last, a masterpiece. Because we never know, when we’ll be tapped on the shoulder as he gently whispers, “It’s time?”

1. Volksrust Recorder - Column / Rubrieke10 Recorder 29 May 2015
Change
Your
Story
With Jacques de Villiers
There are no big
decisions
Die eerste
biduur
Hand. 1:14 Hulle almal het eendragtig
volhard in gebed en smeking, saam met ‘n
aantal vroue en Maria, die moeder van Jesus,
en met sy broers. …
Wag op die Here in eendragtige, volhardende
gebed.
Dis moeilik om regtig die belangrikheid van
daardie eerste biduur in die geskiedenis van
die kerk te bepaal. Dit was ’n biduur wat in
direkte gehoorsaamheid aan ’n opdrag van
die Here Jesus gehou is en sou deur al die
eeue heen die een voorwaarde wees vir die
koms van die Heilige Gees en die openbaring
van sy krag. Hier het ons die geheim van die
sleutel wat die skatkamers van die hemel
ontsluit—gesamentlike, eendragtige gebed!
Christus het gebid dat sy dissipels een mag
wees, soos Hy en die Vader een was—
volkome een—sodat die wêreld sou weet dat
God hulle liefhet, soos wat Hy die Seun
liefhet. Toe Jesus hierdie gebed gebid het,
was die dissipels egter nog baie ver van so ’n
toestand van eenheid. Trouens daar was
onenigheid en struweling onder hulle oor wie
van hulle die belangrikste was. Dit was eers
na die opstanding en hemelvaart dat hulle,
gedurende die tien dae van eendragtige
gebed, so in ’n liefdevolle eenheid
saamgesnoer is, dat hulle waarlik die liggaam
van Christus kon wees en geskik om die Gees
in al sy krag te ontvang.
Wat ’n biduur was dit nie! Dit was die vrug
van die drie jaar opleiding wat hulle van
Christus ontvang het.Adam se liggaam is eers
deur God geskep voordat die asem van die
lewe in hom ingeblaas is. So moes die liggaam
van Christus ook eers gevorm word, voordat
die Heilige Gees met krag sou kom.
Hierdie biduur gee ons die wet van die
koninkryk vir alle tye. Waar Christus se
volgelinge in liefde en eensgesindheid
bymekaar is, volkome aan Hom oorgegee, daar
sal die Heilige gees gegee word as
versekering van God se goedkeuring en liefde.
En dan sal die krag van Christus openbaar
word. Daarom is een van die belangrike
kenmerke van die kerk die verenigde,
eendragtige en volhardende gebed wat baie
kragtig is en die werking van die Heilige Gees
tot gevolg het. Miskien lê die rede vir soveel
kragteloosheid in die gebed juis in die feit dat
daar te veel verdeeldheid en skeuring in
gemeentes en kerke is. O Here, maak ons
eensgesind in liefde sodat ons kan bid!
Aangehaal uit dr. Andrew Murray se boek
“Die Goddelike geheim”
Ingestuur deur ds. Jan Keyser
Volksrust Seme
Business Column
Willem Hüsselmann - 082 415 7725
Freddie Kapp - 017 735 4444
Johan Botha - 082 335 7274
Ashraf Moola - 082 588 5515
Ahmed Chotia - 082 554 4886
VOLKSRUST SEME BUSINESS CHAMBER
PRESENTSAENTREPRENEURSHIP
TRAINING PROGRAMME
Registration is now open until 12 JUNE 2015
Current business owners and future
business owners is invited to attend this
programme in partnership with theAHI.
This programme is sponsored by theAHI and
Volksrust Seme Business Chamber, and will
therefore be free to citizens of Dr pixley ka
Isaka Seme residents.
Learn how to develop a business plan and
how to use it to apply for finance.
Viable business opportunities will stand the
chance to get onto a mentorship programme
after successful completion of this training
programme.
Registration documents are available at
Lewensvreugde Boekwinkel, across the post
office.
For more information, please contact anyone
of our chairing committee members at:
For further information: Jacques de
Villiers jacques@jacquesdevilliers.com
082 906 3693
Two weeks ago my friend Michael’s brother
passed away. He was younger than us.
As one does after the death of a friend or
loved one, I thought about my own demise.
Or, maybe it’s just me that’s being macabre.
I realised that I’m living an illusion. I act as
if I am going to live forever.And I
misguidedly think that this gives me licence
to mess about and surround myself with
inconsequence and minutia.
Perhaps it would be useful to unpack death
a little bit before I build an argument for
living with intention and not meandering
around like a brainless Amoeba.
“I know, I know”, we don’t like talking
about our own mortality.
But, let’s play a bit and give death a form.
Imagine that death is an entity that walks
just out of your vision, behind your left
shoulder. It’s ok, you can look over your
shoulder and if you look really carefully
(squint your eyes), you may just see him.
He is a faithful companion and is always
with you … every second of your
existence.
One day he’ll come forward and tap you on
your shoulder and whisper gently into your
ear, “It’s time.”
It can be now, tomorrow or at a later date.
You and I don’t know when the tap will
come.
And, when you are called, reflect on the
moment just before the tap. Were you
doing your best work? Were you awesome?
Were you living your passion? Were you
grateful? Were you the best version of
yourself? Was that a moment of intent and
purpose?
Because we don’t know when we’ll be
tapped, every moment should be lived with
intent, purpose and awe.
That’s why there are no big or small
decisions. There are just decisions. And,
every decision is important. We should
make the decision to live awake and with
intent, and we should strive to make every
moment, including our last, a masterpiece.
Because we never know, when we’ll be
tapped on the shoulder as he gently
whispers, “It’s time?”
Because we never know,
when we’ll be tapped on
the shoulder as he gently
whispers, “It’s time?”
CMR NewsWakkerstroom Wacky Knitters under the guidance of Gwynne Lawlor
donated beautiful hand knitted jerseys to the CMR. We appreciate this
lovely gesture.
A top to toe warming winter stew
2.5 kg oxtail, chopped into 4cm chunks
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 medium leeks
2 stalks of celery
4 medium carrots
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 fresh bay leaves
4 cloves
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes
275 ml porter or red wine
Optional:
1 litre organic beef stock
Worcestershire sauce
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F and place a
large roasting tray in the oven and preheat.
Carefully remove the hot tray from the oven,
then add the oxtail. Season and drizzle over a
lug of olive oil, then toss to coat and place in the
hot oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden
and caramelized.
Meanwhile, trim and halve the leeks and celery
lengthways, then chop into rough 2cm chunks.
Peel and chop the carrots into 2cm pieces, then
place into a large ovenproof casserole pan over
a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive
oil. Pick, roughly chop and add the thyme and
rosemary leaves, then add the bay and cook for
around 20 minutes, or until soft and sweet,
stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, remove the oxtail from the oven
and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to
170ºC/325ºF.
Add the cloves and flour to the veg, stirring
well to combine, then pour in the tomatoes and
porter (or wine, if using). Add the oxtail and
any roasting juices, cover with the beef stock
or 1 litre of cold water and stir well. Turn the
heat up to high and bring to the boil, then pop
the lid on and place in the hot oven for around 5
hours, or until the meat falls away from the
bone, stirring every hour or so and adding a
splash of water to loosen, if needed.
Remove the pan from the oven and leave to
cool for about 10 minutes. Using rubber gloves,
strip the meat from the bones and return to the
pan, discarding the bones.Add a good splash of
Worcestershire sauce, season to taste and enjoy
with creamy mash and seasonal steamed greens.