“DEATH” I read on the front of the T – shirt of the teenager who came towards me on his skateboard. When I got talking to him he was pleased to let me read the whole sentence: ” DEATH our nations number one killer.”

I was anyway on my way to the Warehouse here in Kaitaia to buy something. I was so taken in with that writing on the T – shirt that I asked two shops assistents if they had T – shirts with that writing for sale. “No”, was the answer.

When I paid for my bottle of water at the checkout, I mentioned the T – shirt slogan to the checkout operator. But that is not all. A little bit later I entered the shop of my friend John to ask him something. During the conversation the T – shirt came to my mind again and John laughed also when I said to him: “DEATH our nations number one killer.”

Do people think that is funny. Is that slogan unusual?

DEATH is also called the “grim reaper”. DEATH is the international reaper. Death is the number one killer of all the nations.

Usually you have to wait until you come to the last pages of a book to find out who the killer is. But this is too serious. That’s why I am telling you right at the beginning who the killer is. The killer is the devil. You know that already? Good!

DEATH is in the hands of the devil. That makes the devil the killer. We fear the devil, the killer. He is holding us in slavery all the days of our lives.

Since death is in the hands of the devil and the devil has been sinning from beginning death is sin.

But the Lord Jesus Christ died for us and by his death destroyed the devil. We have freedom through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also our high priest and made atonement for our sins.

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Please read Hebrews 2:14-18; First John 3:8 in the BIBLE!

“For her birthday, she just wants cards, like American Express, Visa…”

(Coffee News, 17th August 2009)

“Kids sniffing glue in Cathedral Square

People pass by as if they don’t care,

Perhaps that’s why they are there.

Jean Douglas of Otahuhu

(Age Concern Newsletter, August 2009)

“GEBETE WERDEN NACH DEM GEWICHT UND NICHT NACH DER LAENGE GEMESSEN.”  C.H. Spurgeon

The big laminated poster stuck to the shop window is hard to miss. In big black letters “Matariki is our time for new beginnings” is written on it. Matariki is the indigenous Maori New Year. The Matariki date for this year was the 24th of June. The Matariki date for next year – 2010 – will be the 14th of June. The new moon can be seen for the first time on those dates.

“Time for new beginnings.” I like that. It is good to make a fresh start in life. Not long ago I went into a small office here in Kaitaia without knowing what it was really all about. It was the “Kaitaia Rape Crisis Centre” called “FRESH START”. (Women and Children FRESH START Support Group INC.)

I still remember the day of New Beginnings in my own personal life, when I made a Fresh Start. That was many , many years ago, but I will never forget that time.

The Bible, the Word of the Living God, is also talking about a beginning and a fresh start. We are reading about that in the Old Testament.

A number of years I found a precious book written by D. L. Moody in a second hand shop. If I remember correctly, it was in Moerewa near Kawakawa. (I have bought many of my really good books in second hand shops!)

The book by D. L. Moody is called “Sovereign Grace” and on page 101 he is explaining the verse in the Old Testament, the verse, which is talking about the beginning and the fresh start.

It is verse two of the well known chapter twelve of Exodus, the second book of the Bible. It is “The Passover” chapter.

In Exodus chapter twelve in verse two we read according to the NIV: “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.”

On page 101 and 102 D.L. Moody is writing: “In verse 2 (Exodus 12:2) we read, ‘This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.’

For 400 years they had been serving the king of the Egyptians, but God would not let them count those years. They must make a fresh start, as it were. So all the years that we spend in the service of the devil go for nought. LIFE never really begins until we have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Everything dates from the blood, and even the Jew has to own that the death upon the cross was the beginning of days.”

“Life never really begins until we have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ.”

That is also my experience. It happened to me on the second of September 1958, when I was eighteen years of age. It was a new beginning. It was a fresh start. Of course, at that time I did not understand very much, but it was a NEW BEGINNING! I really started to live!

I really started to live on the second of September 1958 and I am living now – more than 50 years have passed since the 2. 09. 1958 – and I am going to live forever with the Lord Jesus Christ in HEAVEN.

How do I know that? I read in the Bible, the Word of the Living God:
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.” First John 5:13

DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

Yes, we can know!!

A well known man here in New Zealand had a really awful childhood. The family had to go through some tragedies. When he was asked how he survived all the terrible things he gave this as his final answer:

“Without being silly about it, I like to think that there are a couple of stars in the sky, and that they have helped me out over the years.”

I like to read the “Quotable Quotes” in the paper called “Coffee News”. Do you think that quote will be added to the quotable quotes one of these days?

I really don’t know about a couple of stars in the sky helping us out. But I receive help from the God who created all the stars.

Listen to these beautiful promises from the Word of the Living God. (Psalms):

Psalm 121:1,2

“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 124:8

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 146:5,6

The Lord made also “the sea, and everything in them-“

Many years ago I heard an evangelist saying something like this:

“We do not belong to the optimists and we don’t belong to the pessimists, but we are believers.”

Today I read a quote by Albert Schweitzer:

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight …the truly wise person is colourblind.” – Albert Schweitzer

Coffee News 10.08.09

“IT IS ONLY WITH THE HEART  THAT ONE CAN SEE RIGHTLY; WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IS INVISIBLE TO THE EYE.”

Antoine De Saint-Exupery