h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's Wednesday.

Listening to Sean and Jon. Sean is such a mensh.

Bit intense on the life coaching trip though. That's what so many of the Christian leaders I have known are doing now. Frank's a pastor, but Gavin's a life coach.

Still feeling a bit bleurgh.

Bless you.

As for me, I'm a Bible teacher. I'm supposed to go to church, and I really must make the effort to go; but I find it so terribly uncomfortable being around a bunch of people. I did tell this to R and asked him whether he would take me to his church so I wasn't alone, but he didn't answer. One Sunday, a long time ago, I went to a fellowship in Sittingbourne which was highly spiritual and I received a great blessing. My family were strongly against these people and I couldn't go again. My Christian walk has been uphill all the way, not just uphill, but like climbing a sheer rock face. That's how God's built my faith. Now, may he give me opportunities to serve - again. But even there, I get opposition from my own people. My written work is enjoyed in the townships; I hear good reports from those parts. But getting it distributed there is difficult. I've done my best. Still have a bunch of copies of Vol 1 here waiting to be distributed. I need to get rid of those before Andrew tries to get Words published. Ideally I'd like to get some of them up to Jo'burg to the hotel where I stay when I go there. Sanele is a believer and there are lots of them on the staff. I'd like to give each of them a copy of Words.

One night I phoned Room Service and proclaimed the Name of the Lord, and the girl on the phone said, Amen. You can do that in South Africa, you see, which is why I'm here. If you did that overseas, well you wouldn't do that overseas, because there are so few believers there.

Heard an amazing story about Malawi and AIDS. They had the worst AIDS stats in Africa, then the President's wife, who walks the Way, got the President to make everyone in authority stand up and tell the people the right way. And after five or ten years, now, Malawi has the lowest AIDS rate in Africa.

Listening to Sean's wisdom is so beautiful. Such pleasure. Brings a tear to the eye. I could listen to him all day. Of course by his standards I'm a total basket case. A complete failure as a human being. But that's not my fault, entirely.

I don't think there's time to get married and have children. I think I need to be getting on with what God's prepared me to do, not with what he hasn't. My heart has had to learn to rely on God's love, and on God's love alone, because there hasn't been any other.

Power cuts this summer... what a nuisance. Every time the power goes off I have to reconfigure the machines that use the wifi printer.

I'm quite happy to give God back the blessing of marriage and children. Let him increase his wisdom, love and grace in me by way of recompense. Let him give to others the blessing that would otherwise be mine. I don't want unnecessary trouble in this life. Legal action and all that. All three of my brothers have had to go through "legal action" and I've even had it threatened at me, even though I'm not even in a relationship! So let's leave the childbearing to others who want it, and let's get on with whatever ministry God wants to do through me instead. I'm 45... it's far too late to learn how to do all that stuff now. Let me rather concentrate on what I can do, than on what I can't.

Olga was SO wrong in what she did. Still, it's given her the opportunity to grow in faith, and learn to live in God rather than in her own natural goodness. I had to sacrifice my teaching ministry to help Olga grow. Let her grow, then, with God's blessing, into the Way of Jesus. It was a hard dealing but she was a tough nut to crack. If the Lord wants me teaching his people, he can arrange it any time he likes.

But I think I shall have to sacrifice family and so on, give that all back to God, in the hope of a name better than sons and daughters. For some were born that way, some were made that way by men, and some have done it themselves for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven... and those who can receive this, should. And I can receive it. Although I do need some help. Another housekeeper; but a believer, this time, would be nice. Last time was a nightmare. Total disaster. I gave and gave, and all she wanted was more. Paul says those who marry will have trouble in this life, and he would spare me that; and I wholeheartedly agree. If it wasn't difficult it wouldn't be a sacrifice.

Yeah, I've formally received that word of the Lord, because I can, and those who can, should, he says. It feels such a liberation!

Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

That's what Mark Twain said, and I think it's very true. They're doing a numbers game where you take 4 digits and make 24 out of them by various arithmetical operations.

Bless them, they're doing such a lovely thing in the morning show. Taking a couple of listeners out for breakfast on Friday. Sounds like the sort of idea Sean would have.

Well, I've avoided the prospect of "legal action" which someone promised they would take. That's excellent!

Ja well that's settled then. Let no man hassle me about it. God says he will give me a long life in exchange for giving him back the blessing of a wife and children. Lots of books please Lord! May Words from the Word be the first of a long series of Bible teaching books.

It's hardly a sacrifice although I do need some help around the place. I'm asking my Father for another housekeeper I think. Board and lodging in return for housekeeping, groceries, cooking, and basically looking after things.

Sean was funny this morning. God is confirming the deal we made this morning. Big time. Now I've got to get the legal activist out of my hair. Funny - twice in two weeks, the same threat. I hope that's as much as I ever see of that kind of caper. My brothers had to go through it all - that would destroy me. And the Bible teaches you can't even trust your wife. That's hard, but true. Look it up.

Getting a lot of flak from somewhere this morning. Getting it in while she still can, I expect. Have to release the pressure of all that ... what did the prophet call it? Which prophet? Zechariah I think, or possibly Zephaniah. You know, the vision of the woman sitting in a pot. Very strange. Welcome to my mysteries, says the Lord. The company of the prophets. He who doesn't marry, does better. So says Paul. He who can receive this, should, says the Lord. Ek voel asof ek weer vyf jare oud is. Die jongste. Sy het my geholpen. Yeah, Sean was funny on the radio. Still, I've got Words Vol. 2 being quoted for, for printing. Looking at about eight thou. I'll have to decide whether I can afford it. Because I might ... but then no, you see, if I wanted to publish Words Vols 1 & 2 together, then we'd have to do something about the fact that there are only illuminations for Vol 1. Thank God for blindness and folly, where would we be without them? In the burning firey furnace, for sure. For ever. Thank God for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Waar is ek nou? Buite voor die deur. Kom binne! Uit die koue en die reen. Kom daar is 'n plek vir jou bereid gemaak. Vyf jaar. So baie om te leer en so ver om te groei. So hoog as die hoogste bome. Kom binne et eet met ons. Eet, drink, slaap. Geniet. Moet heil word. Kom ons verbind jou veel wonde. Nes dit in die Profeet se Boek geskrywe staan, het hy ons gestuur om te verbind die gebrokenes van hart. Van die voetsool af tot die hoof toe is daar geen heel plek aan nie, maar wonde en kwesplekke en vars houe! Hulle is nie uitgedruk of verbind of met olie versag nie.

Finally got the message across: we die the death of Jesus, not our own death. We carry around in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the death of Jesus is infinite. Ours isn't. Ours goes clang. But the church doesn't consist of a lot of dead people going clang at each other. At least, not the New Testament church. So, learn it, Bob, and write it down if you have to, so you remember afterwards, and teach it! Spread the message! We are children of God. We have the authority to become children of God.

It's very simple. Many get it; but many don't, and it's time they did. We are grafted into the cultivated olive tree. Amazing how someone can read the Bible multiple times and still not get the message. Well, that's why God has to send teachers, I suppose. Bob and Olga, learn it well, so that you can become who you are supposed to be. You can thank me afterwards. ;0)

It's our participation in the death of Jesus. He doesn't participate in our death; we participate in his.

Andrew's just brought round the final proof of the book to check. There were a few errors; one, I decided wasn't worth bothering with. Leave an error in your work to show that only God is capable of perfection, that's what Prof Johnstone said when he preached in King's College Chapel, Aberdeen University; he was referring to the asymmetry at the altar end of the building.

Well, Andrew found a couple of places as well, which he's also going to correct, then, hopefully, we will be at the final stage of the printing. They cut the book wrongly in the copy we were given, so Andrew's going to be aware of that. But it all looks very nice.

I hope Madam doesn't mind the dedication of the piece I wrote for her. Let's hope she doesn't decide to resort to legal action over it. I sent it to her when I'd written it, and received no reply, so assumed she was OK with it. If she didn't want the dedication, then was the time to say. It's difficult when people don't communicate.