This was my take away yesterday.
I could not but wonder about the person who actually twisted the crown of thorns for Jesus. I tried to twist tiny soft thorns and I pulled blood! And it stung!
They placed the twisted crown (excuse the pun) on his head and then took the reed that they placed in his hand beforehand and beat the head of Jesus: securing this twist - twisting a crown, twisting truth, twisting thorns, twisting reality. It must have burned on many levels too. Gosh, the head of Christ must have felt like... fire, and Him saying no to wine that could dull the pain... even more astonishing to me.
A new friend for Maycee! Meet Basie
Oh yes! He is sweet... super cute, extremely soft and a clever boy. If you were in Gr1 in the 80's, you will remember "Baas en Mossie" I was looking for Mossie... but then Baas came. I guess he figured I needed a man in the house :-)
One thing I am not doing with Basie, is that I will NOT teach him to fetch the ball!!
News on my prolapsed back
Imagine: You have a paper or plastic drinking straw in your hand. You bend the two ends to each other and.... "knak"
"Knak" translated is "to break" or "to crack" but it is not the same as "KNAK" because you do not break or crack a straw when you bend it, causing that unmistakable, irreversible weakness in the straw. In Afrikaans we "knak" the straw.
This photo shows how it looks on my x-rays two years ago, and I really thought that this would not happen again. Yet, I was standing next to my bed when out of nowhere, my back just said "knak" For a moment I froze. For 5 days I could not sit. I am standing as I am writing this newsletter... and just grateful I can still continue making the YouTube series because it is 80% standing, taking photo after photo.
I had a very serious back operation when I was 15 years old that took me out of school for one year. I had a fusion of L4 with L5. It is the disc above this that is prolapsed again.
For 30 years my back really stayed good. I had a special mattress in Thailand for 8 years and it was most likely (apart from my motor bike) the item that stung the most, having to give it away.
Here are two photos of my two options if I can raise the funds to help my back while I sleep. It is for the Looooong haul... It has to be a mattress for a prolapsed back.
Currently I am sleeping with two pillows under my legs to get sleep in.
If God troubles you about this one in your spirit over the next couple of days... please follow the prompting! Just make sure you note "for the bed"
If you feel you want to buy it anonymously and courier it to my house, it will be to 2 Voortrekkerstraat (next to Bali), Stilbaai, 6674. #0607170429.
On an INTENTIONAL MEAL note!
This is my invitation to them...
We are 6 friends that decided to come together the first Friday of every month. What do we do? We do a "Come and Dine with me" three course meal like on the TV show...
Out of the 6 we represent 4 houses. I am next! Come this Friday... I will be making a 3 course meal... but I cannot tell you what it is! When my friends arrive - it will be a surprise. Seeing that our very first come together was with a person that set the bar so HIGH... we've been having the most amazing meals ever since -once a month-.
I encourage you that if you have friends "you never see cause there is not time" then... this is a brilliant way to stay in touch!
Until next month,
- read your Bible every day
- pray! and include blessing an enemy
- have a meal with friends at your place
- and practice His presence all the time.
Sarah Anna-Lise
Matt. 5 Verses 43 to 47 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you; ... For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?