Newsletter

Newsletter

January 2010

Dear Friends,

My yearly Christmas letter was written and ready to send, but I was once again down at my son's but this time without internet access... so I apologize for the lateness of this greeting

May you have the spirit of Christmas which is peace,
The gladness of Christmas which is hope,
And the heart of Christmas which is love.
May the splendour of this season remind you of
Him who is worthy of all our praise
And may God bless you
with His abundant
store of riches and love
throughout the Christmas season
and

"This has been a very stressful year for the whole family; it started last December with Glenda being bitten on the foot by a white-tailed spider, very poisonous, she could have lost her foot, as well of all the problems it caused, at times bringing her whole system down. While she was still receiving treatment, she and Grattan were reassigned to the Salvation Army Training College to take up the position of Dean of Studies and Educational Officer, and they had to move from West Australia back to Victoria. (For our international friends, the equivalent of moving from California to Florida). The move was not easy with Glenda on crutches and exhausted from fighting the poison, but as a family we were glad because it brought us closer together.

Within a short time of arriving in Victoria Glenda had to have emergency surgery at which time it was discovered she had cancer. The rest of the year was taken up with radiation and chemotherapy to which she had a sever reaction to. These treatments have only just concluded and we are praying that she will get a favourable report from her last tests.

The very day that Glenda was told she wouldn’t be having anymore treatments Grattan was found to have a tumour on his leg. It was removed mid November, and turned out to be benign, but he was on crutches for nearly a month. Your continual prayers for him and Glenda are appreciated.

All this has meant that I (Nesta) have been spending a lot of time back and forth helping were possible. Glyn has had to manage on her own, which was a bit of a trial for her, as she doesn’t like to cook. She is still working for the phone company, which, from what see has said, is focusing and rewarding customer service more this year. This has meant less stress for her.

In May Glyn had a conference in Canberra with Stampin’ Up, a craft, card and scrapbook supplier. She invited my sister Merrelyn (who also enjoys cardmaking) to go to the conference as her guest. So Merrelyn and Malcolm her husband came across from West Australia and had a holiday with us. While they were here Malcolm graciously assisted in making some household repairs and installing a water tank for us.

I still have my Bible Study group, fitting it in between trips to help out Grattan and Glenda. Also I still write devotions for the website at www.granest.com, unfortunately I haven’t always been able to write them monthly as I had in previous years. But I am still very thankful for these opportunities of ministry.

I pray that you have had a very blessed year and that you will know the joy of the season in your hearts. "

Nesta

September Devotional

ARE YOU A PALM TREE CHRISTIAN?

Psalm 92: 12 says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…” As I read this during my devotions a few weeks ago, I thought how unusual this statement was but then I continued to read the article. I had to agree that there was not only a picture of devoted Christian living but also a challenge for everyone who claims the name of Christ.

I have lived in both tropical and semitropical areas and am familiar with how graceful palm trees are in their slender beauty. Until I read this article, however, I did not realize that the palm tree is very different from other trees. As one investigates the make up of the palm tree, we find that the life of the palm comes through the center or heart of the tree drawing its sustenance and moisture up through the roots. Other trees have the sap flowing up the outside between the bark and the wood of the trunk and up into the branches while the palms have the sap rising through the heart of the tree. Another interesting fact between the palm and other trees is that if you ring their bark, completely severing the bark, the tree will die from the lack of the water supply being transferred up the trunk. However, the palm is not effected by surface injury, for the palm’s life flow does not lie so close to the surface, thus surface damage will not harm it. The only way that a palm can be killed other than by disease is to completely cut it down.

The person to whom the term ‘Palm Tree Christian’ is applied is one who is not affected by their environment but rather draw their life-giving strength through the heart. Romans 10: 10 so aptly states, ‘For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness’ Through the heart they draw from the life-giving Word and live out a vibrant witness to the grace of God.

There is yet another characteristic of the palm. It cannot be grafted on to any other tree. To attempt this will result in its death. If we claim to be, and are living as ‘Palm Tree Christians, we cannot be joined to another. We must be consistent in our commitment to Christ by our day by day living. We cannot transfer our commitment to others. Our faith is very personal. We can, however, by the way we live, show forth the beauty of Jesus. This only comes from the inner source of His life that flows into our hearts from Jesus, the life giver.

God of the gallant trees
Give as Thou givest to these.
We are the trees of
Thy planting, O God.
We are the trees of Thy wood.
Now let the life-sap run
Clean through our every vein.
Perfect what Thou hast begun,
God of the sun and the rain.

August Devotional

“Learn of Me"

Matthew 11:29

“Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.”

It is rare for us today to see a yoke of oxen pulling a wagon or a cart, but in some third world countries this is not an unusual sight to see an ox doing so or else being hitched up to a plough as the field is being prepared for sowing.

As I pondered on these words of Jesus, “Take My yoke upon you”, my mind went to the way in which a young

ox is so carefully trained for the task of bearing the burden of the plough or cart. An older ox that has experienced the weight of the load is yoked together with the one that is to be broken to the yoke. The older animal is harnessed up tight and is in fact taking the full weight of the load while the younger animal walks side by side with the burden bearer. The time comes¸ after having become used to the yoke, and the younger animal is strong enough to begin bearing the load, the load is then gradually transferred until he is able to take the entire weight of the load himself.

The more I thought about the words of Jesus and then relating His words to the picture of the oxen yoked together, I could not help but see the gracious way in which Jesus invites us to come and be joined with Him as He said, “learn of Me.”

Just as the young animal shares the yoke with the older animal and learns what it means to bear the responsibility and burden of the yoke, so too Jesus wants us to come and take His yoke and He will gladly share with us.

What is it that He wants to teach us? He wants to share with us the truths of the love of the Father, the joys that come through living for Him and with Him, the wonderful truths that He is always with us and will never leave us as we continue to daily walk with Him.

There is one big difference between the oxen that are yoked together and that of the yoke of Jesus. The younger animal has to learn to be able to bear the burden and quite often is left to carry the burden alone. With the yoke that Jesus bids us come and share with Him, we are never left to carry the burden alone – He is always there to help us to bear the load of the burden that has been placed upon us.

When the burdens of life fall upon us, as they surely will, we can be assured that Jesus will be there to help and to encourage. What does He say in Hebrews 13:5? “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The latter part of our verse from Matthew says, “and ye shall find rest for your soul”.

We can rest in the assurance of the truth that He will continue to be with us through all our trials and difficulties – never forsaking us even when we so often feel all alone. He is always there to help and share, guiding us and taking upon Himself our burdens so that we will not stumble and fall by the way.

Far too many of us forget this truth and think that we can handle, in our own strength, any situation that we are called to face and then we wonder why things go wrong. The reason that we stumble and collapse is that we have broken the contact and support of the Lord’s yoke. By breaking that close contact with the Lord, we have failed to allow Him to give that complete support and comfort and guidance that is so necessary for us to be victorious in the trial of the situation we are faced with.

May we each one look afresh at our relationship with the Lord. Let us make sure that we are still maintaining that closeness to the Lord where we can share His yoke and assuredly know that He in faithfulness is sharing our load and making the burden that has been placed upon us easy to bear. Even in the most severe difficulties we are called to face, we can have His complete assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “No temptation (or trial) has overtaken you except as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Why? Because Jesus is there to help carry the burden.

There is a chorus that we used to sing which says,

Keep on believing, Jesus is near.
Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear.
Keep on believing, this is the way.
Faith in the night, as well as the day.

Remember Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light and ye shall find rest for your soul”.

Believe Him when He says, “My yoke is easy.” It will never be a burden to us for He is the burden bearer.

In early June 2004 Nesta did a Mission trip to Cuba,

Cuba Mission Trip

Please keep us all in your prayers

Glyn

granest@granest.com

Looking back to

Papua New Guinea

Please remember all of Dr. Graeme's work is now available on this site.


	Granest Publications Site Index Newsletter \| Devotions \| Study Archives \| About Us \| Memorials \| Photos E-mail us General e-mail .... granest@granest.com Requests for Monthly Bible Study by e-mail (Starting Acts Of The Holy Spirit Soon)... studies@granest.com Nesta ... nesta@granest.com Newsletter January 2010 Dear Friends, My yearly Christmas letter was written and ready to send, but I was once again down at my son's but this time without internet access... so I apologize for the lateness of this greeting May you have the spirit of Christmas which is peace, The gladness of Christmas which is hope, And the heart of Christmas which is love. May the splendour of this season remind you of Him who is worthy of all our praise And may God bless you with His abundant store of riches and love throughout the Christmas season and "This has been a very stressful year for the whole family; it started last December with Glenda being bitten on the foot by a white-tailed spider, very poisonous, she could have lost her foot, as well of all the problems it caused, at times bringing her whole system down. While she was still receiving treatment, she and Grattan were reassigned to the Salvation Army Training College to take up the position of Dean of Studies and Educational Officer, and they had to move from West Australia back to Victoria. (For our international friends, the equivalent of moving from California to Florida). The move was not easy with Glenda on crutches and exhausted from fighting the poison, but as a family we were glad because it brought us closer together. Within a short time of arriving in Victoria Glenda had to have emergency surgery at which time it was discovered she had cancer. The rest of the year was taken up with radiation and chemotherapy to which she had a sever reaction to. These treatments have only just concluded and we are praying that she will get a favourable report from her last tests. The very day that Glenda was told she wouldn’t be having anymore treatments Grattan was found to have a tumour on his leg. It was removed mid November, and turned out to be benign, but he was on crutches for nearly a month. Your continual prayers for him and Glenda are appreciated. All this has meant that I (Nesta) have been spending a lot of time back and forth helping were possible. Glyn has had to manage on her own, which was a bit of a trial for her, as she doesn’t like to cook. She is still working for the phone company, which, from what see has said, is focusing and rewarding customer service more this year. This has meant less stress for her. In May Glyn had a conference in Canberra with Stampin’ Up, a craft, card and scrapbook supplier. She invited my sister Merrelyn (who also enjoys cardmaking) to go to the conference as her guest. So Merrelyn and Malcolm her husband came across from West Australia and had a holiday with us. While they were here Malcolm graciously assisted in making some household repairs and installing a water tank for us. I still have my Bible Study group, fitting it in between trips to help out Grattan and Glenda. Also I still write devotions for the website at www.granest.com, unfortunately I haven’t always been able to write them monthly as I had in previous years. But I am still very thankful for these opportunities of ministry. I pray that you have had a very blessed year and that you will know the joy of the season in your hearts. " Nesta September Devotional ARE YOU A PALM TREE CHRISTIAN? Psalm 92: 12 says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…” As I read this during my devotions a few weeks ago, I thought how unusual this statement was but then I continued to read the article. I had to agree that there was not only a picture of devoted Christian living but also a challenge for everyone who claims the name of Christ. I have lived in both tropical and semitropical areas and am familiar with how graceful palm trees are in their slender beauty. Until I read this article, however, I did not realize that the palm tree is very different from other trees. As one investigates the make up of the palm tree, we find that the life of the palm comes through the center or heart of the tree drawing its sustenance and moisture up through the roots. Other trees have the sap flowing up the outside between the bark and the wood of the trunk and up into the branches while the palms have the sap rising through the heart of the tree. Another interesting fact between the palm and other trees is that if you ring their bark, completely severing the bark, the tree will die from the lack of the water supply being transferred up the trunk. However, the palm is not effected by surface injury, for the palm’s life flow does not lie so close to the surface, thus surface damage will not harm it. The only way that a palm can be killed other than by disease is to completely cut it down. The person to whom the term ‘Palm Tree Christian’ is applied is one who is not affected by their environment but rather draw their life-giving strength through the heart. Romans 10: 10 so aptly states, ‘For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness’ Through the heart they draw from the life-giving Word and live out a vibrant witness to the grace of God. There is yet another characteristic of the palm. It cannot be grafted on to any other tree. To attempt this will result in its death. If we claim to be, and are living as ‘Palm Tree Christians, we cannot be joined to another. We must be consistent in our commitment to Christ by our day by day living. We cannot transfer our commitment to others. Our faith is very personal. We can, however, by the way we live, show forth the beauty of Jesus. This only comes from the inner source of His life that flows into our hearts from Jesus, the life giver. God of the gallant trees Give as Thou givest to these. We are the trees of Thy planting, O God. We are the trees of Thy wood. Now let the life-sap run Clean through our every vein. Perfect what Thou hast begun, God of the sun and the rain. August Devotional “Learn of Me" Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.” It is rare for us today to see a yoke of oxen pulling a wagon or a cart, but in some third world countries this is not an unusual sight to see an ox doing so or else being hitched up to a plough as the field is being prepared for sowing. As I pondered on these words of Jesus, “Take My yoke upon you”, my mind went to the way in which a young ox is so carefully trained for the task of bearing the burden of the plough or cart. An older ox that has experienced the weight of the load is yoked together with the one that is to be broken to the yoke. The older animal is harnessed up tight and is in fact taking the full weight of the load while the younger animal walks side by side with the burden bearer. The time comes¸ after having become used to the yoke, and the younger animal is strong enough to begin bearing the load, the load is then gradually transferred until he is able to take the entire weight of the load himself. The more I thought about the words of Jesus and then relating His words to the picture of the oxen yoked together, I could not help but see the gracious way in which Jesus invites us to come and be joined with Him as He said, “learn of Me.” Just as the young animal shares the yoke with the older animal and learns what it means to bear the responsibility and burden of the yoke, so too Jesus wants us to come and take His yoke and He will gladly share with us. What is it that He wants to teach us? He wants to share with us the truths of the love of the Father, the joys that come through living for Him and with Him, the wonderful truths that He is always with us and will never leave us as we continue to daily walk with Him. There is one big difference between the oxen that are yoked together and that of the yoke of Jesus. The younger animal has to learn to be able to bear the burden and quite often is left to carry the burden alone. With the yoke that Jesus bids us come and share with Him, we are never left to carry the burden alone – He is always there to help us to bear the load of the burden that has been placed upon us. When the burdens of life fall upon us, as they surely will, we can be assured that Jesus will be there to help and to encourage. What does He say in Hebrews 13:5? “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The latter part of our verse from Matthew says, “and ye shall find rest for your soul”. We can rest in the assurance of the truth that He will continue to be with us through all our trials and difficulties – never forsaking us even when we so often feel all alone. He is always there to help and share, guiding us and taking upon Himself our burdens so that we will not stumble and fall by the way. Far too many of us forget this truth and think that we can handle, in our own strength, any situation that we are called to face and then we wonder why things go wrong. The reason that we stumble and collapse is that we have broken the contact and support of the Lord’s yoke. By breaking that close contact with the Lord, we have failed to allow Him to give that complete support and comfort and guidance that is so necessary for us to be victorious in the trial of the situation we are faced with. May we each one look afresh at our relationship with the Lord. Let us make sure that we are still maintaining that closeness to the Lord where we can share His yoke and assuredly know that He in faithfulness is sharing our load and making the burden that has been placed upon us easy to bear. Even in the most severe difficulties we are called to face, we can have His complete assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “No temptation (or trial) has overtaken you except as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Why? Because Jesus is there to help carry the burden. There is a chorus that we used to sing which says, Keep on believing, Jesus is near. Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear. Keep on believing, this is the way. Faith in the night, as well as the day. Remember Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light and ye shall find rest for your soul”. Believe Him when He says, “My yoke is easy.” It will never be a burden to us for He is the burden bearer. In early June 2004 Nesta did a Mission trip to Cuba, Cuba Mission Trip Please keep us all in your prayers Glyn granest@granest.com Looking back to Papua New Guinea Please remember all of Dr. Graeme's work is now available on this site. Back to Top