From the editor

Andrew E. Smith

Dear Friends

Wesley said, “I am a spirit
come from God – and I am a spirit returning to God”.
The in-between stuff (living life) is a journey of discovery and
growth. Because we are finite – there is never a time we
can know everything about anything, and this is the basis for the
statement ‘keep an open mind’ (…you and I just
might learn something by mistake.)

One of the biggest challenges in
my life has been to accept new ways of seeing things. The hard
part is that we are secure in what we know, we believe the way we
view things often without checking out other options or
perspectives.

There is a special thought which
comes from 2 Thessalonians 2 – the context is the last
days, the falling away from the faith by many – and the man
of sin or antichrist being revealed. There in verses 10 –
12 it talks about deception coming upon those who love
‘unrighteousness’ and ‘believe not the
truth.’

Righteousness is based on
God’s time-line, not pressure-driven by our peers. It means
to be where God wants us, in His time. It happens over time, and
I realise that God will need to cut through our perspectives on
occasions to get the truth through to us.

Loving truth means that
we are bound to be found wanting, and if we are too staunch,
‘too right’ to learn – we will remain as we
are. Infinite God, will cut into the finite minds of His people,
and present truth if we will allow Him access.

I’m undergoing a quest for
truth at the moment – and part and parcel of this quest is
a real desire to relate to other people at more than just a
shallow level, getting beyond the customary small talk. One thing
I’ve noticed is that when people have ‘made up their
minds already’, relationships with them cannot be
grown.

“The unconscious wants
truth. It ceases to speak to those who want something else more
than truth” Adrienne Rich.

In all that you experience, May
you enjoy Jesus truth – He helps us to not take ourselves
too seriously!

Christian Love

Andrew Smith