Alistair Shaw, Author at 1Africa

Star of Bethlehem

Faith
Jesus

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June 30, 2015

According to scholars of ancient scripts and Biblical research, these super smart people have dated Jesus birth around +/- 2000 years ago.

In the book of Matthew chapter 2 and verses 9-11, the Magi visit Jesus at His birth and bring Him gifts. They were led to the birth place by the Star of Bethlehem. If you’ve seen nativity scenes I’m sure you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Well, +/- 2000 later the star will reappear!! Coincidence, I don’t think so – God has a sense of humour.

Venus and Jupiter will make their tightest highly visible conjunction in 2000 years.

The reference to the Star of Bethlehem is with regard to the fact that there was a very similar ultra tight conjunction between the two — and close by the star Regulus (as this one will be), and high up in the sky (as this will be as well) — in 3-2 BC. Some astronomers have in the past speculated that this earlier conjunction is what the “Star of Bethlehem” referred to.

The two bright planets have already begun moving closer and closer together in the last evening sky over the past month, this convergence will continue until the evening of June 30, 2015. Those interested should look in the western portion of the evening sky to see the conjunction. Roughly an hour or so after sunset is probably a good time — but obviously there’s some flexibility there.

Relatively close to this conjunction will be one of the brightest stars in the constellation of the Lion, the star Regulus. As mentioned above, the ultra tight Jupiter-Venus conjunction back around 3-2 BC was also located near this very bright star.

While the tightest conjunction will be on the night/evening of June 30, there’ll be a week or so of impressive sights in the days before and after the conjunction.

On the night of June 30th the two planets will be so close together that they’ll appear to a very bright “double star” — with the outstretched tip of a pinkie finger reportedly being enough to cover both up.

Worth noting is that while the two planets vary considerably in size, they’ll appear roughly the same size in the night’s sky owing to Venus being considerably closer than Jupiter. For those wondering, Venus is the brighter one that moves around more (as it follows the Sun around on its path through the sky).

I personally think God is showing off here! 2000 years ago He gave us the star of Bethlehem, today (30 June 2015), 2000 years later, He gives it to us again, man, I love it! A good reminder that Jesus indeed did come to Earth.

Credits: Planetsave//Edited

The Element of Surprise

Alistair Shaw

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June 30, 2015

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We all enjoy receiving gifts. When it happens, it’s a heart-warming moment. Irrespective of what it is, it brightens our day and puts a smile on our faces. It could just be a cheap trinket worthless in value, yet priceless for the thought and effort involved. And if it so happens that it is a really expensive gift that cost greatly, then it’s even more appreciated and possibly something you’ll look after a little better than a plastic toy.

The element of surprise can be such a fun thing. Growing up, my parents often used to tell me to ‘close my eyes and open my hands’, I just knew I was getting something special, even if it was just a sweet or a chocolate – it was awesome because I knew I was loved.

But what about those nasty moments when someone pulls a bad one on you? Pranks can be a lot of fun, but possibly dangerous if irresponsibly done. Most pranks can be laughed at afterwards, but what if someone plots against you, something you never ever expected?

Sometime back I went through just that. Someone fabricated some pretty ugly things against me and accused me of all sorts of lies. It destroyed me at the time, emotionally I was a wreck. All this happened by the way, in front of about 20 people, kangaroo court at its best.

7 months later and I can freely speak about it without that feeling that someone just put a knife through my heart. Forgiveness restored me and God really made me whole again. He carried me through those very dark days and showed me how much He really cares for me. Now, I can almost hear some people saying, “But Al, if God really cared that much for you, why would He allow you to suffer such torment?” It’s simple, I live in a fallen world with fallen & sinful people, people just like me. God rescued me from disaster and gave me the ability to trust Him fully, in all things! God might not have desired for me to go through that experience, but on some level His hands are actually tied. Mankind was given the authority to rule over earth and all that’s within, and sin caused us to become corrupt, rude, lying, unforgiving and nasty people. Fortunately though, we don’t have to live under that curse anymore, there is freedom in Jesus. Now, I am by no means perfect, I just strive to be like Jesus and He chisels away at the rough edges in my life and smooths me out on a daily basis.

As dreadful as that experience was, I can now thank God for it. It made me stronger, not harder. It instilled great faith in me to depend on God and it reminded me of what really matters in life. Most importantly, it showed me who I never want to become, an accuser without accuracy and evidence – I never want to be the one to destroy someone else’s life like that.

Can you relate to my story? Have you been bewitched by the element of surprise? Please click the banner below and contact us today, we will walk a road with you to find healing and restoration in your life.

Winter Health Tips

Alistair Shaw

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June 29, 2015

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We all get the dreaded cough, sneeze or runny nose at times. Flu, bronchitis, the common cold, or even them nasty allergies – they all suck the life out of you and cause you severe grief. What’s worse is, if you have infection – it WILL spread. BUT, you have the power to limit the spreading of germs.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve encountered people who have coughed in my face – it grates me!!!!

When we were in diapers we were encouraged and taught to cough in our hands. Now, that’s a good place to start, but what happens when you answer a shared office phone, or touch the door knob which many others will touch? It’s one thing to avoid coughing in someone’s face, it’s another thing spreading those very germs by touching surfaces and objects with those very same hands you just coughed into.

There are a number of solutions that can limit those nasty little critters from infecting others around you. Winter health tips to make you smile!

Wash your hands!

People are lazy when it comes to washing their hands. Even if you’re not the sick one in the office you should be washing your hands often. If you know there are people coughing around you, you should be washing your hands more frequently, especially if you’re touching surfaces or shared objects where those infected people are in contact with.

Believe it or not, there is a correct way to wash your hands – a way which actually kills germs. You need to use a fair amount of soap and lather your hands for 20 seconds while rubbing vigorously, and if you want to be extra careful, use a nailbrush and clean those nails too – germs get in everywhere. Then rinse off with warm water.

If you don’t have access to s basin to wash your hands, then make sure you carry a waterless hand sanitizer of sorts, and regularly disinfect your hands.

Cough into your elbow

As I said earlier, coughing in your hand is a good place to start, but an even better solution is to cough in your elbow, away from people. No one will be touching you in the crook of your elbow, it’s a far better alternative.

Cough into a tissue

If you have to cough into your hand, then try your utmost best to cover your mouth with a tissue and throw it away immediately, then wash your hands immediately.

Avoid your face

Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth and nose. You can pick up germs and insert them into your system by putting your fingers in your mouth, it’s that simple.

I am by no means encouraging us to become a germaphobes, there will always be germs around us. What I am encouraging us to do is to be more aware of our surroundings and be careful not to spread the unwanted love.

Be smart, wash those hands!

Greatness Inspires

Alistair Shaw

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June 29, 2015

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I am inspired by greatness. Greatness as defined as something extraordinary or someone who has made great impact in changing the lives of others in a positive light.

Greatness isn’t some magical ability given to someone, it’s a combination of the following:

Compassion – the reason
Compassion for people, a genuine sympathy and empathy for those in need, those perhaps less fortunate than myself. It’s almost a call to social justice.

Hard work – the implementation
Sweat, tears, struggle, and many hours of sacrifice make for greatness. No invention or idea came into existence in an instant. There were hours and hours of research, trial and error and plenty of teamwork involved.

Positive attitude – the motivation
Greatness always puts others ahead, it puts them first. The reward is absolute joy! There is no greater reward than seeing your efforts making the lives of those around you improve. A positive attitude not only keeps you on course, it inspires those around you.

Greatness inspires, but it isn’t for the faint of heart – it’s reserved for those who really want to make a difference in people’s lives.

If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of people or a community, or just want to take a step towards greatness, click the banner below and we’ll help you reach that dream.

LED Water Slide!

Alistair Shaw

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June 26, 2015

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There is no denying it. We all have that thrill aspect about us. There is that something, even if it’s just one thing that gets us really excited about life. Now, I’m not talking about the obvious things like your family and friends, or your dream job – I’m talking FUN!

I love the outdoors! Camping, wildlife – you name it, I love it all! If I can get out, I’m excited! Occasionally I even partake in extreme activities like extreme rides at the amusement park, bungee jumping & every so often, cleaning my room! LOL.

I recently bumped into an article that really tickled me. If you enjoy water sports or water rides, you’re certainly gonna enjoy this one!!

LED water slide! I know right, the sound of it gets me going! Okay, let me explain:

It’s all happening in Bremerhaven, Germany’s Bad 1 Water Park. They call it the black hole or LED water slide. The slide starts off completely dark and then lights up with colourful LED’s throughout the tunnel which make it seem as if you’re traveling through a wormhole or teleportation tunnel or something from the future!

I told you it’s awesome!! Now, do yourself a favour and let your inner child out – check out the clip below!

God Loves You

Alistair Shaw

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June 26, 2015

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I love my birthday! Sadly this only comes around once a year. I enjoy receiving gifts and experiencing the specialness of the day, the feeling of being loved and appreciated – it’s really amazing! I think we all can relate in some way or another. It’s true that not everyone enjoys being fussed over, but we all do enjoy receiving gifts. Perhaps it’s receiving the perfect gift that you really wanted, or just simply the absolute effort that was put into the purchasing of it, the wrapping, or the making of it – if it were a hand-crafted gift. Appreciation goes a long way! I have also on occasion realized that there are times when I feel like I really don’t deserve the gift. Irrespective though, it’s been given to me freely without any hidden agenda – simply mine for the taking!

I find a similar scenario with God. He loves me unconditionally, constantly and without restraint. Sometimes I don’t deserve His love, but He never stops loving me! Do you fully understand what I’ve just said? God loves you! Without reason, without holding back, He is always ready to shower you with love. Now, to fully understand and comprehend this love would be next to impossible. But, 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4-7 puts it so beautifully:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

An exercise I enjoy doing on occasion is replacing the word ‘love’ with my name – it’s an excellent way to assess where you’re at in terms of the ‘love factor’.

The Bible says God is love. That means, just like a good parent who disciplines their child, leads and guides them through soft and strong words on occasion; so too God leads and guides us. Remember, we should never confuse our human understanding of the word love with God’s love – they are vastly different. Hollywood and the media paint a very scary image of love, I simply want no part of that kinda love.

God’s love corrects us, it causes us to become better people, and it completes us and makes us all warm and fuzzy inside! God’s love consists of forgiveness, understanding and undeserved grace.

The truth is we don’t deserve God’s love, no one does! But just like that birthday gift, He gives it freely, whether you deserve it or not – it’s yours!

If you want to experience God’s love for yourself, please click on the banner below and contact us today. We want to answer your questions and help you to know God’s love in a real, more intimate way.

Smartphone Tips

Alistair Shaw

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June 25, 2015

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Almost everywhere you look, people have a cell phone. From the most urbanized to the most rural – if there is connectivity, there will be a cell phone. What’s even more, most cell phone users are switching to smartphones. Smartphones have almost overnight completely taken over our lives, mostly in a good way!

The challenge with smartphones is that we store EVERYTHING on them. What happens when you lose your phone, or worse, when it gets stolen? Well, here are some smartphone tips to help you make the most of your phone.

Back Up Your Photos

Don’t leave the fate of your photos to chance with manual backups. The problem is we become lazy and we postpone our backups. Instead, set your phone to automatically back up photos online (if you have this function) so you’ll never lose any memories if your phone is lost or stolen. As a fail-safe, do your manual backup’s monthly, but be certain to actually do it.

Cloud Storage

With a new phone, you’ll want to make sure you are securely backing up all those contacts, photos, videos, texts and more. There are many options such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Verizon, just to name a few.

Alternative Browsers & Email Apps

It’s easy to stick to the defaults for core functions, but if you take some time to try alternatives, you might find one that’s better for your needs.

Mailbox is a great email alternative for iOS and Android, letting you dismiss emails with a swipe, attach files directly from Dropbox and set reminders for messages that you want to answer later. Gmail users should also check out Google’s own Gmail app for iOS as it’s better than the iPhone’s default Mail app for searching and for viewing long conversation threads.

For web browsers try Chrome and Firefox as both let you view any tabs you have open on another device, though Firefox is Android-only. Dolphin Browser gives you a desktop-style tab view and includes frilly features such as gesture controls and add-ons.

Protect Your Phone!

Life can be full of surprises, including some not-so-pleasant ones like bumps, scratches, drops and spills. Protect your prized investment with a rugged case to help protect against accidents. Some cases even protect against shock and dust. Hard-shell and impact-absorbing type cases will help keep your phone safe.

You might also want to install a location app in the event that your phone gets stolen. There are quite a number of them out there, some antivirus apps have that function too. Yes, antivirus is also important, especially if you’re trolling the internet. I use Kaspersky mobile and I’m so happy with it. Not only does it defend against viruses, it also has a call/sms blocker for those annoying scams.

Apps to spice up your life

You’ll also want to stock up on some cool apps for that awesome phone of yours. There’s an app for nearly everything—whether you’re trying to boost your productivity, get fit, have fun, plan a road trip or just make your life easier to manage. There are a fair amount of free apps as well if your pocket gets slightly empty.

Make it your own!

One of the easiest ways to make your phone reflect your tastes is customizing the wallpaper. You can choose a photo you’ve taken or one that’s preloaded to your smartphone. You can also visit an apps store such as Google Play™ and find countless options to download by searching “wallpaper.” You can also personalize icons, shortcuts, the list goes on! This is the real fun part, making your mobile uniquely yours!

These are just a few of my personal favourite smartphone tips to spice up your smartphone. Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Feel free to post in the comments section below!

Keeping Everyone Happy

Alistair Shaw

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June 25, 2015

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Have you ever been in a very busy restaurant where the tables are overflowing with clients and the restaurant is short staffed? Those poor waiters run around like headless chickens trying to remember orders, place them, deliver them on time; and doing all this while keeping everyone happy. Phew, I’m tired already!

We all have responsibilities, from the youngest child in the house to the adult father and mother. We have chores and cleaning duties as children, as parents we must work and generate income and at the same time be the best role models to our children by instilling great values and morals into them. It doesn’t stop there. We have plenty of other commitments that we need to fulfill. We have other family and friends who demand our attention, we have work functions, extramural activities as children in school, church or other organisations that we’re part of – and the list goes on.

I think too often we are like those spinning waiters, we run around wild trying to please everyone, trying to keep them all happy. We obviously have our core responsibilities that we cannot shy away from, that would be a terrible mistake. But we can manage our other activities better, we can also manage our time in a more sensible way. People who complain about not having enough time on their hands are most often those who consume around 2 to 3 hours of TV a day – that’s just one example of time poorly spent, but don’t judge the TV fanatic, you too have your time wasters 🙂

So what’s the solution to keeping everyone happy in this rat race? Take 10 minutes out of your busy schedule, divide a page in two sections and draw up a short, but thorough list of all your core responsibilities – the ones that you absolutely cannot live without on the one side. These would include your job, your family responsibilities, gym or exercise – things that are vital to your existence, etc. Then on the other half, draw up a list which would include all your time wasters – and be honest. You should include everything that is not essential to your life that you, in all honesty, could do without.

You are not superman or superwoman, you physically and mentally cannot please everyone, it will burn you out and you’ll come to despise the things you once enjoyed.

If you are struggling to get some balance and order in your life, why not contact us and we’ll give you some awesome guidance as to how you can live a slightly less stressful life. Click the banner below and contact us today!

Have You Eaten?

Culture
Film

Alistair Shaw

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June 24, 2015

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Sometimes our parents can be quite persistent or at times we might feel that they are overprotective. I recently stumbled upon this short comedy clip which pokes fun at that very thing – a mom who constantly asks the question : ” Have you eaten?!”

Sit back and enjoy this hilariously funny short clip by Tim Hawkins

Forgive and Accept

Alistair Shaw

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June 24, 2015

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Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny… C.S Lewis

Make no mistake about it, in this life you will endure some serious hardships, emotional battles, personal mountains that you have to climb and many other unplanned and trying endurances. Some of our conflicts are internal, but most involve other people. We argue, disagree, debate and engage in heated conversations mostly because of a difference of opinion or because the other person just doesn’t see it my way.

Whatever our conflicts, the end result of unresolved or unconcluded conflicts will lead to unforgiveness. Unforgiveness has a friend called regret. “If only I didn’t engage in that conversation, if only I didn’t say that”, or, “if only I said it this way – perhaps things would be different.” We sadly can never take back what we say, and once it’s out there, it’s out there.

I have found that resentment, unforgiveness, anger – all those ugly things we hold on to when we are wronged and hurt, can cause so much internal turmoil. This is soul destroying stuff.

Last year I went through a life shattering moment, a season in which I thought I was ready to give up and go home to be with the Lord. Honestly, it was so terrible I just wanted to die and be done with. Yes you guessed it. It involved people and terrible circumstances. My biggest difficulty with that episode in my life was that I had to forgive and accept.

Forgive the people involved by releasing them of every hold I allowed them to have on me.
Accepting that they were terrible people and that these were the circumstances I found myself in. I had to accept that they were not the people I thought they were and I had to accept the fact that they were now out of my life for good, never to return.

Sound devastating? Yes, it truly was. But now I look back and I can smile at the hardship, because now I have come to understand the power of forgiveness and acceptance. I forgive them for everything that was said and done, and I accept that they are who they are and that they no longer live in my orbit.

If you have difficulty with forgiveness and acceptance, please click on the banner below and embark on a journey of transformation that begins from within.

Alistair Shaw

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