an afternoon with Simon and Sandra
an afternoon with Simon and Sandra
Fortitude Valley, Brisbane – 21 February 2018
the parable of the sower
And Jesus taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:2-20
the parable of the sower
And Jesus taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:2-20
from jerusalem
from jerusalem
The Holy Sepulchre is in the centre of a circular group of mostly orthodox churches, all under a large dome. Each church has a time of guarding the sepulchre. Here is an example of one.
Under this ceiling sculpture is where the crown of thorns were placed on Jesus.
The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where according to tradition they Lay the Son of Gods body after His crucifixion. Here He arose from the dead.
Inside the Holy Sepulcher. According to tradition Jesus’s body was laid on that stone. I laid hands on it and lit a candle for my family.
A lot of the ancient walls surrounding the Holy Sepulchre are have crosses carved into them from pilgrims that have come from all corners of the earth throughout the ages.
The Church where the pilgrims from the Austro- Hungarian empire would take communion while visiting Jerusalem.
Sculpture from an archaeological dig in Jerusalem. Looks like from the top of a column. Note the cross in the hand. It was excavated under a lot of earth.
The birthplace of John the Baptist.
I made some friends in Israel. I’m.in the middle of the two soldiers.. I endeavoured to share Christ’s love with as many Israelis as The Holy Spirit brought me into contact with.
from witnessing
from witnessing
Picture of me just when I became a Christian, Kathmandu, c.1979
In the 1990s the Lord told me to go to Cambodia. I went three times to minister. The first time Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge still held sway over a lot of the country. It was a very dangerous place to go.
Me and my friend Beau who gave his life to Christ.
Picture of me when I was ministering in Fortitude Valley.
