Stay connected, Stay up to Speed!

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SPRING

EDITION

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MINISTRY FOCUS

Limitless ……..……………………… 15

Young @ Heart.……….………..….. 17

SPECIAL FEATURES

Get Connected………………………… 2

Busy ? …………………….………..….. 12

Stay

connected

REGULARS

Page Turners ………………………… 5

From the Pastors Desk ………..…. 6

Comic Corner ………………...……… 8

Birthdays……………………………….. 9

Puzzler …………………………………. 10

Did you Know? ……………………… 16

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In this Spring copy of the church magazine we have transformed the name from

GrapeVine to ‘Plug In’ as we really want folk to use this magazine as a tool to

connect with each other. TVBC is made up of people from a number of diverse

age groups, languages and nationalities. The aim of our church magazine is to

connect each one with what is taking place in our church, its various ministries

and in each other’s lives. We want to help folk to share their walk with the Lord

in a meaningful and thought provoking manner. To do this we need input from

each one in our congregation which could be any of the forms below.

Personal testimonies

Articles about the church ministry you are involved in

Book Reviews (write a review on a book from our library)

Share a thought provoking article that you have read

Advertise a coming event in your ministry

Share a funny anecdote or story from our church life

Are you new to our congregation? Why not share a short testimony about who you are?

If you are a poet why not share that with us?

If you would like to share any of the above, please email through to the office at

assist.tvbc@gmail.com or tvbc@mweb.co.za. Or WhatsApp on 0812713651.

We are also open to any suggestions you may have to make this ministry more

effective.

These blocks will highlight certain folk for ways they

have served the Lord, by serving His people. If you

would like to thank someone please drop us a quick

mail or WhatsApp and we will add it to our next issue.

SERVING OTHERS TO SERVE OUR LORD!

EDITORIAL

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But Jesus looked at them

and said, "With man this is

impossible, but with God all

things are possible."

Matthew 19:26*

As we move through our

busy, hectic lives on a synchronized mission of daily events plotted out

in bold headlines on our calendars and "to do" lists, we realize the

importance we have placed on functioning technology to pull us along

and keep us gripped to our everyday schedules, while allowing us to

efficiently manipulate and accomplish many tasks in our daily lives.

Our cell phones and computers require charging and plugging into a

power source. We need cell towers, data plans, Internet providers,

power surge protectors, fire walls, and secure passwords - and that's

just to be able to be linked to everyone and everything immediately. It's

all for the purpose of making the busy even busier by allowing us to

cram more into our 86,400 seconds we have in a day.

Have you ever thought about how much trust and reliance we place in

these devices to run our lives?

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in

you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:5*

This Bible verse arrests me in my thinking and gives me great reason to

rethink everything.

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What if we stay plugged in and connected to our Creator with the same

unmatched enthusiasm? What if we were to give God the same

dedication, reliance and trust that we give to our small plugged in know-

it-alls?

Would we not have the most amazing life if we started our days

supercharged in the Lord and completely connected to the ultimate of all

power sources? The connection that is always reliable, the one that is

never subject to error, the one that can't break down or become

obsolete. The one source that can never be hacked, breeched, or

compromised! The highly functional, trustworthy, super intelligent,

miraculous, omniscient kind of connection that can conclusively never

fail!

God is the power source and by us being the branches stemming from

the vine we are plugging into God and simultaneously we become fully

functional as a result. We, as humans and Children of God, require the

recharging that we get from being connected to our very own Creator in

the same way we must plug in a lamp in order for it to give off light.

Without it's power source, what good is a lamp? It is just a useless piece

of metal, glass, and wire incapable of functioning in the purpose for

which it was created.

Likewise, what good are we? What

purpose are we serving if we aren't

plugged in to our power source every

day? We need to be connected to the

Lord to work properly and in the

direction of our divine purpose

through Him.

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? Are you available to teach once a month

in Bible Time? Please speak to Malia.

BREAKING NEWS! Malia Sharpley who has been a

helper and then a teacher in Bible Time has now

become the ministry leader. Praise the Lord!

We also need to be a light! Without our source, we too will be a broken

lamp in the darkness. God wants a "yes" from each of us.

Sometimes the greatest battle is not fought against outside opposition

but rather in our own choice to yield our will to God's word. We must

start our days filled with the word of God, seeking God and his

righteousness first and before anything else. Then we will be anointed

and equipped to handle all things through Him. He is unfailing.

Stay fully connected to the divine love and wisdom of our Heavenly

Father, by wholeheartedly trusting in Him. By praying, reading The

Word, and following His deep and divine purpose for our lives, we will

stay rooted in Him. Worship Him and surrender our days to Jesus Christ.

Without Him we can do nothing, we are nothing. Like a branch pruned

from the vine, it will surely die.

Stay connected to God and LIVE!

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

– Philippians 4:13*

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With a style all of it’s own, this

book uses vivid images to

show God’s power and His love

for all of creation—especially

children.

Since day one we’ve been demanding our

own way, and we're still constantly bom-

barded with messages telling us to “look

out for #1.” It sounds reasonable. But what

happens when we just end up feeling unsatis-

fied and empty?

Max Lucado takes the biggest lie we’ve all

believed and shows us truth that will bump

us squarely off the centre of the world.

You pick your clothes, friends and boy-

friends. You decide what to do and how to

act. You opt to do homework and chores.

You also deal with temptations such as ly-

ing, cheating, drugs and sex.

Elizabeth shares verses and principles

from God’s Word that give you sure and

easy ways to make the best decisions.

From our Church Library focusing this

month on the youth and children.

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From the Pastor’s desk…

“The missing puzzle piece…”

I grew up in a family that enjoyed making puzzles. On one occasion I re-member purchasing a 500 piece puzzle and upon arriving home with great enthusiasm and the help of others in the family we started to put it together. The Picture on the cover of the box was of a steam train pass-ing through the English country side. The intention was to mount the puzzle once it had been completed and hang it on the wall for all to see.

In day three of our efforts as we were nearing completion, there was great dismay as we realized that there was one piece missing. We checked and rechecked the box, we checked on the floor and all around to see if we could find it, but alas the piece was not there. Initially we thought maybe we could try and substitute it with another piece that was similar or even make our own. However this was just not going to work. You see that missing puzzle piece was unique and distinct in its shape and coloring. No other piece was going to be able to take its place. As we stood back to admire the completed project the grand vistas of the English country side were lost and not appreciated because your atten-tion was constantly drawn to the glaringly vacant place of the missing piece. That one piece was essential to the puzzle being a completed pro-ject, 499 pieces were good but they would never represent the full pic-ture without that one piece, the puzzle would never show off the gran-deur of the picture on the cover of the box.

If we use this puzzle as an analogy to represent God’s design for His church, when we stand at a distance to view a picture of what God’s church should look like we will notice that often there is not just one piece missing, but sometimes many pieces are missing.

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1 Corinthians 12vs18-21, we read: “But now God has set the mem-bers each one of them in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you”.

A little earlier in this passage Paul has been reminding the Corinthian believers how God has designed His church with different members with different gifts for the common good and building up of the “body” of Christ to the glory of God. Each member is unique in their design and distinct in their character, ability and gifting. No one can take their place in the “puzzle”. If that member is missing the whole “picture” will never be complete. In the case of God’s church, if that unique member is “missing” then the whole body loses out and will never portray God’s design for a functioning picture of His church.

So here is the question, and I am sure you have seen it coming, Are you perhaps the “missing piece in the puzzle?” Why not pause and reflect for a moment in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your evaluation. Are you fulfilling the responsibility of your unique and distinct place God has planned for you in His church?

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Dave

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Rushing Business

The little boy was quite impressed by the ticket office

at the planetarium which, as a publicity stunt, took

reservations for a rocket trip to the moon.

“I’d like a ticket,” the boy told the clerk.

“Sorry, young man,” said the clerk with a twinkle, “but

all trips have been cancelled for a few days.”

“Why is that?” The boy asked.

“Well, right now the moon is full,” the clerk answered

Looking Ahead

One raw morning in January, a snail

started to climb the trunk of a cherry tree. As he inched painfully upward, a

wiseguy beetle stuck his head out of nearby crack and called,

“Hey, buddy, you’re wasting your time; there ain’t any cherries up there.”

The Snail scarcely paused as he replied,

“There will be by the time I get there”

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01-Sep Chaylin Meyer

04-Sep Matthew Wade

05-Sep Ryan Saunders

08-Sep Kees van der Plas

08-Sep Jaden Marivadzi

11-Sep Riordan Smith

16-Sep Hayley Gimingham

16-Sep Laura McLeod

17-Sep Julian Gardiner

22-Sep Caroline Naude

23-Sep Michael Gimingham

25-Sep Aubain Bofunga

26-Sep Anthea Brandt

26-Sep Lesley Hayes

28-Sep Brian Choveaux

30-Sep Devan Liang

30-Sep Howard Little

The platypus twins have both

gotten lost trying to find each

other! Can you help find them?

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Do them

on your

own as a

family?

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Steps for carving out

time to spend with God

even when you don't feel

like you have any.

So how do we stay connected to God even when our lives swirl around

us at a rapid pace? How do we keep Him central in our hearts and minds

while we live our very busy lives? Here are a few ideas for staying close

to Jesus even when life gets crazy:

Start with Scripture.

My goal is to read the Bible every day—early in the day—so that every-thing else I do is seen through the Biblical lens of reality. Reading the Bible is one thing that keeps me grounded in truth and connected to God. I have found, for me, that when I start my day in the Bible, my heart and mind are better prepared to respond to God’s presence throughout the rest of the day—and I usually find that I am kinder in my responses to other people and more gracious with myself.

And yet, even though I know how important it is for me to read the Word in order to stay close to God, it is surprising to me that something so sim-ple can be so difficult to do on a consistent basis. So get creative if you need to. Do you commute to work? If you’re driving, listen to the Bible on audio. If you’re sitting on a train or on a subway, read the Bible on your phone or carry a pocket version of the Bible with you.

Listen to Truth.

There are a lot of voices swirling around us every day - voices that tell us we aren’t good enough, that we have to find love for ourselves, and that we need to be more attractive and make more money. If I listen to those voices too long, I get sucked into those lies. So I seek to

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fill my head with music and words that keep me focused on God throughout the day.

If you have access to an incredible amount of Christ-centred media options. Podcasts that point me back to Jesus in the midst of a crazy world, music that focuses my attention on Him and sermons that keep my mind grounded in truth—these are the types of things I try to fill gaps of free time with. They help me remember that in Christ, I am loved and that I have all that I need—things I constantly need to hear.

Pray Throughout the Day.

It is important to have regular time set aside to pray, but as in any relationship, ongoing com-munication is important. I often pray in shorter bursts while I’m driving, or while I’m walking across campus to my classroom, or while I’m picking up toys in the house.

I had a professor in college who prayed for a particular person each time he turned on a light switch, and I love that idea of partnering nor-mal, daily actions with intentional prayer. It keeps our hearts in conversation with God and invites Him into the normalness of our lives—which is right where He already is.

Pause When You Feel Overwhelmed.

In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

But it’s difficult for me to receive God’s peace if I’m so busy that I don’t make time to stop, even briefly, and ask for His help. And so this whole idea of pausing is an important one for me. There are often multiple times each day where I can start to feel overwhelmed, anxious or con-cerned—usually about things that are outside of my control. If I actually

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take time to pause and turn to God when these moments come, rather than letting fear or anxiety overtake me, I find that He is always offering me his peace, which is bigger than any fear.

I also have a couple of friends who I text if I’m feeling overwhelmed—I ask for their prayer and sometimes for their advice. What I’ve learned is that the time it takes me to pause and pray and ask for help is always shorter than the time it takes me to be worried about something for another five minutes—or five days!

Invest in Relationships That Help You Love Jesus.

In order to live any life—let alone a busy life—that still has God at the centre, I need people who are close to me to help me stay focused on Him. That doesn’t mean that all of our friends need to be Christians—far from it. It does mean, however, that we should aim to have a few deep friendships that flow out of a common love for Christ.

These are the friends in my life who challenge me when I’m living in a way that doesn’t line up with what I say I believe. These are the friends who offer to pray with and for me when life feels out of control. And these are the friends who bring me food when my kid is sick and bring me coffee when I’m too tired to make it for myself.

These are the friends who show me how Jesus loves me even when I don’t feel lovable—and they point me back to who God is and the truth that living with Him at the centre is worth everything.

This article is adapted from a post at annswindell.com

Thank you Ursula for your many years of service

preparing the communion elements. Thank you

to Zandile for taking on this role from this month.

SERVING OTHERS TO SERVE OUR LORD!

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Emilio Da Mata was baptised at the

Limitless meeting on 18th August

2017. He and Bethany both

became members on Sunday, 20

August.

Thank you Nathan Meyer for giving Sylvia Hagen,

one of our oldest members a helping hand when

we had our fire-drill.

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Almond Blossoms: this tree had

beautiful pink blossoms that the

Israelites used as models for engravers

to adorn the cups of the golden

lampstand.

Camphire (also referred to as Henna) was

a small plant that was highly scented and

used for orange dye.

Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is

the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all

people, and plants of the field to everyone. Zachariah 10:1

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they

spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not

arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27

In bible times flowers grew mostly in open fields, since flower gardens

as we know them were not cultivated. Flowers grew in crop fields and

in groves of trees around houses.

Song of Solomon mentions three flowers the lily, the rose, and the

camphire."My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the

vineyards of Engedi. I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys.”

The Israelites used flowers to adorn the inside of Solomon’s Temple.

1Kings 6:18 “The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds

and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. “

Flowers

In the

Bible

Did You Know?

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Young @ Heart

Spring Tea 12 September

10:00 am

Bring a hat decorated for spring!

Thank you Daine for helping get the sound working

at our bible time graduation party. We would not

have been able to play our game without you!

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