IS YOUR MARRIAGE FIRE PROOF?

marriage is under trial

Allowing fiery trials to define your marriage, not destroy it. 27/6/2016 Have you ever felt like your marriage is going through a fire? What does it really mean to lay down your life for your spouse? At weddings we all hear the bride or groom say their vows, for better or worse, in sickness and in health. On the day they are just words and you never really think that one day you might need to live them out. I know for me, on my wedding day I was so excited to marry my wife Tammie that I didn’t even think twice about our vows. She looked so beautiful and she was such a babe, who thinks about the sickness and in health, or the richer or poorer stuff at that … Read More

Just Keep Swimming

Do any of you remember the movie “Finding Nemo”? I am often reminded of the little fish called “Dory”. Her motto in life was “just keep Swimming”. To be honest that is actually good advice. No matter where you are at in your life, there is wisdom in that statement. Just keep swimming- just keep going – don’t ever give up. This is especially true when things aren’t going the way you planned it to go. In the last 3 and a half years I have had to remind myself of this many times. Although, things have improved a lot for me health wise, life has been far from normal physically and everyday life is hard. I still have difficulty doing what I used to do. At times, this has … Read More

Trust God in Hard Times

trusting god in hard times

Trust God in hard times. As a Christian it’s so easy to say that we trust God.But what about trusting God in hard times? What happens when life doesn’t go the way we would like or the way we expected? Maybe you have had a bad medical report, a relationship fall apart or lost a business. Is God still trustworthy and is He still good when something doesn’t go the way we wanted? It’s easy to trust God in the good seasons of life, but is that really trust? Are we really trusting God through trials?  Knowing exactly the way a situation is going to turn out is not trust. In life there are times when some things just don’t make sense. I’ve found that if I based God’s goodness and faithfulness on … Read More

UCB2 This is my Story interviews Testimonies of a Good God by Byron van der Merwe

This is my story with Ruth Oreilly smith UCB2

Hey all I hope it’s been a great start to 2019 and you have already set some goals and plans in place for the year ahead. This week, Tammie and I were given the opportunity to be interviewed on the Ruth O’Reilly Smith show on UCB2 radio. What a great privilege and opportunity it was to share our story of God’s goodness with her and her listeners. If you want to take a listen to the interview, here is the link. Blessings Byron and Tammie  

Have you ever had any Psalm 23 Bible study questions?

Psalm 23 Bible study questions

Psalm 23 Bible study questions and bible study, part 1 of 3   Psalm 23 Bible study video by Byron van der Merwe Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known Psalms in the Bible. Being only 6 verses you would think there isn’t to much to study in Psalm 23. Yet this psalm is filled with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. In this Psalm 23 Bible study questions, Byron breaks down verse by verse and gives insight into how this scripture practically applies in today’s world. So, get out your notebook and Bible and come and spend the next 15 minutes in the word of God.   In this video, Byron looks at verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 23. God is our Sheppard and when we follow Him we will never … Read More

So it’s been a year

14 December 2016 So today it’s been a year since the start of the most intense physical battle for my health I have ever been in. A year in the greater scheme of life may not seem like a lot, but when you have to live with something for 365 days night and day, a year can feel like a really long time. What started out as a swimming injury that should have taken a few weeks to heal has turned into a whole year of immense pain, mystery and at times doubt as to whether I have what it takes to walk through this. Looking back over this year I’ve been admitted to hospital twice including spending a night in the intensive care unit. There have also been three … Read More

Christian encouragement. Sometimes we just need to be real.

Christian encouragement Is social media a reflection of real life? Now don’t get me wrong I like social media as much as the next person. It’s a great place to catch up with people you would otherwise have lost contact with and is also a good central platform to communicate with those you would normally catch up with on a regular basis. But with all the plus sides to social media , I think there can also be a few negatives. In general, people only ever post the “high light reel” of their lives. The best, filtered pictures, in the perfect location with the perfect lighting. Some people even become obsessed with portraying the image that they are living the perfect life. The trophy wife, the best behaved kids, the … Read More

Testimonies of God’s Goodness

Hi everyone I am  pleased to announce the start of a brand new blog series called “Testimonies of God’s Goodness”. The series is inspired by my book “Testimonies of a Good God” and the idea is to get people sharing their stories of God’s goodness in their lives. This week’s story is from a good friend Izzi Stock. She is an amazing lady and has such a great testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness. I know you are going to be blessed by it. Ps- Be in touch if you have a testimony of God’s goodness that you want to share, I would love more people to be a part of this series. Blessings Byron I was 11 years old when I prayed a prayer. Mrs Williamson, our P7 teacher, … Read More

Don’t Despise the Day of Small Beginnings

don't despise the day of small beginnings

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings   We all want to live big lives of significance that change the world in some way. Perhaps you feel like you have a product, a ministry or a business in you that can help change the world in some way. Well, we were all made for greatness in some form or another and God has great plans for all of our lives. 1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us that what no eye has seen nor what any ear has heard the great things God has in store for those who love him. However, greatness starts off small. No significant work started off huge. Everything in life starts off as a seed. Jesus told us in Mark 4 that everything in the Kingdom of God … Read More