MIRROR STUDY BIBLE Volume 3 of 3 Featuring the writings of Apostle John
I do not read music, but have often witnessed our son, Stefan, approach a new piece on the piano.
His eyes see so much more than mere marks scribbled on a page;
he hears the music.
His trained mind engages even the subtleties and the nuances of the original composition, and is able to repeat the authentic sound,
knowing that the destiny of the music would never be reduced to the page;
but is always in the next moment,
where the same intended beauty is heard
and repeated again.
The best translation would always be the incarnation.
I so value the enormity of the revelation of the incarnation.
Yet, before flesh, the Word was προς
face to face with God.
And fragile text
scribbled thru the ages in memoirs of stone, parchment and papyrus pages -
carrying eternity in thought
and continues to translate faith
to faith.
Now we have the same spirit of faith as he encountered when he wrote...
"I believe
and so I speak."
Conversation ignites.
"Did not our hearts burn within our being when he spoke familiar text of ancient times, in the voices of Moses and the prophets and David and Abraham,
who saw his day
and announced its dawn in our hearts.
The mystery that was hidden for ages and generations
is now revealed.
In dealing daily with ancient text,
rediscovering thoughts buried in time, I am often overwhelmed and awed at the magnificence of eternity captured in little time capsules,
opening vistas of beauty beyond our imagination- face to face with the same face to faceness of the Logos
and God
and us - conceived in their dream.
And irresistibly intrigued by the invitation to come and drink -
to taste and see -
from the source -
and to hear a saint reminiscing and reminding himself of the utterance of another earth dweller-brother, David, who wrote a song 1000 BC,
"Return to your rest, oh my soul.
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
I believe and so I speak."
And with fresh wounds bleeding from the many angry blows he was dealt with, Paul echoes,
"We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, 'I believe and so I speak.' We too believe and so we speak."
Let's celebrate the "sameness" of Jesus
yesterday - yes, as far as history and beyond time can go -
and today. This very finite, fragile moment -
plus, the infinite future.
Inexhaustible, beyond boundaries and the confines of space and time.
Lydia and Francois met on the 25th of August 1974, while he was working with Youth For Christ. She was sixteen and he, nineteen. The following year he studied Greek and Hebrew at the University of Pretoria for three years while Lydia completed her nursing training. In 1978 Francois also spent a year with YWAM.They married in January 1979 and are blessed with four amazing children, Renaldo, Tehilla, Christo and Stefan; also, three darling grandchildren Nicola and Christiaan. And 3 month old Lydie-Anne, daughter of our youngest son, Stefan and Yaël. With Christo and Keryn's Sadie arriving in July 2021. They pioneered and worked in full-time mission for fourteen years, during which time they also pastored a church and led a training facility for more than 700 students over a five-year period. During this time he translated several of the Pauline Epistles [The Ruach Translation], which were never published; although printed along with other booklets he wrote and distributed amongst their students.They then left the ministry and for ten years did business mainly in the tourism industry. They built and managed a Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve and eventually relocated to Hermanus where they started Southern Right Charters boat-based whale watching. In December 2000 Francois began to write the book, "God believes in You" which led to him being invited to speak at various Christian camps and churches. Since February 2004, they traveled regularly abroad and into Africa as well as South Africa. Francois has written several books in both English and Afrikaans, including God Believes in You, Divine Embrace, The Logic of His Love; these are also available on Kindle. Also, The Mystery Revealed and Done, which are no longer in print - although still available in Afrikaans.In order to focus their time on writing and translation, they relocated from Hermanus in 2015, to a remote farm in the Swartberg Mountains. They have since, also stopped most of their travelling. Lydia has written 5 amazing children's stories of which Stella's Secret, The Little Bear And The Mirror, Kaa of the Great Kalahari as well as The Eagle Story, are already published in print and on Kindle. Her most recent story "King Solitaire's Banquet" was released in December '20.Francois passionately continues his translation of the Mirror Bible, which will eventually include the entire NT as well as select portions of the Old. The 1st 250 page, A5 edition, was published in 2012. The 10th edition Mirror Study Bible is a 7 x 10 inch book, of 1194 pages, released in May 2021. The 11th edition is now [2023] available in 3 Volumes
