Dean Cothill

Tag: christian friends

  • What is the meaning Christmas?

    What is the meaning Christmas?

    The raw real life meaning of Christmas can be found by examining the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus and the reality of their lives and His Birth. Similar to ours, I mean otherwise what’s the point of some dude who was born 2000 years ago?

    According to the Gospels, Mary was a young woman living in the small town of Nazareth (Sources suggest around 400 people) in the Roman-occupied region of Palestine. She was engaged to be married to man by the name of Joseph, a carpenter. However, before they were married, Mary was visited by an angel who told her that she would give birth to a son who would be the Son of God. Mary, who was a virgin, was understandably shocked and confused by this news. Despite her doubts and fears, Mary eventually agreed to become the mother of Jesus.

    Joseph, meanwhile, was faced with a difficult decision. When he learned that Mary was pregnant, he knew that he could not marry her without facing disgrace and shame. However, he also did not want to abandon Mary and their unborn child. In the end, Joseph decided to marry Mary and support her through the pregnancy.

    As the time of Jesus’ birth approached, Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to Bethlehem (around 600 people in population) to be counted in a census ordered by the Roman Empire. It was during this journey that Mary went into labor and gave birth to Jesus in a stable, as there was no room for them at the inn.

    The birth of Jesus was a simple and humble one, far from the glamorous and luxurious celebrations that Christmas has become today. It was a raw and real life event, marked by hardship and struggle, but also by faith and hope.

    The family and I love hiking and walking on the beaches and forests in our surrounding local spots and the other incredible parts of our country. South Africa honestly wins. It just does. Beaches. Mountains. Forests. We got them. So this morning it was raining, “cold” – by South African standards and so misty. But the kids were up at 05:30 and game for a hike with dad… S

    So what do I do? I gear UP! I get all the boots, jackets and beanies in the world for everyone. Daniel really quite content, long pants and jacket with shoes. He’s ready to run and get going… Lizzy on the other hand. NOPE. Would have none of it. Red dress. No shoes. Let’s go. She fought me, challenged me, wanted none of it and so what do I do? I let her obviously. I mean. I’m not gonna fight a toddler.

    AND OFF WE WENT.

    I WANT TO SAY THIS AGAIN… The birth of Jesus was a simple and humble one, far from the glamorous and luxurious celebrations that Christmas has become today. It was a raw and real life event, marked by hardship and struggle, but also by faith and hope. Our Christmas’s have become sanitised by the malls and Christmas lights we have put up. Excuse the commentary on the times, but everything has been sanitised, am I right? Everything in our lives exists to “protect” and keep us “comfortable”.

    • Cold outside, what we do?
    • Warm outside, what we do?
    • Raining, what we do?
    • Going for a run, what you do?
    • Going to the mall, what you do?
    • Going hiking, WHAT DO WE DO?

    We wear shoes ALL THE TIME, when was the last time you felt grass, sand or stones under your feet? Stood on a thorn? When was the last time you felt rain on your skin? Not on your rain jacket? When was the last time you got your hands dirty, in the sand and the soil of the earth?

    Throughout his life, Jesus would continue to challenge the social, political, and religious norms of his time. He preached a message of love and compassion, and taught his followers to be humble and to serve others. He also faced persecution and ultimately suffered a cruel and brutal death on the cross, but his message and teachings have endured for centuries and continue to inspire and guide people around the world.

    See I think Jesus gets it: that kids get it. In Luke we read…

    “People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”

    The raw real life meaning of Christmas, then, is about more than just presents and holiday cheer. It is about the birth of Jesus, a man who would go on to change the world with his message of love and compassion. I wonder if Moses got into the same kinda “rut” we do, same road, same, path, same trees, same river, same road to and from work, and what does God say to him when He get his attention? Take your shoes off, FEEL the earth, feel the sand, FEEL the dust of the earth, FEEL the soft gentle tickle of the grass. This ground here, in THIS moment, IS HOLY it always has been and you just need to take your shoes off more… It is about the humble beginnings of a life that would inspire and transform countless people. It is about the raw and real struggles of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and the enduring message of hope and redemption that they bring to us all and let’s see if this Christmas, we can learn something from a small child.

  • The Mother Nature of God

    The Mother Nature of God

    As a spiritual guide and teacher, I often encourage people to think about God in new and different ways. One way that can be particularly powerful is to think about God as a Mother. Before someone throws a stone at me. In the Hebrew and Christian Bible, God is usually described in male terms in biblical sources, with female analogy in Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 123:2-3, and Luke 15:8-10; a mother in Deuteronomy 32:18, Isaiah 66:13, Isaiah 49:15, Isaiah 42:14, Psalm 131:2; and a mother hen in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34.

    BUT when we do this, it can bring the world to a standstill – it’s as if the feminine aspect of God dilutes the miraculous, when in reality it embodies it.

    We often celebrate when Jesus turns water into wine, but when women turn their breasts into milk, we often react with discomfort or even disdain. This demonstrates the ways in which we devalue the feminine and maternal, even within a religious context. The broken body of a man is celebrated every Sunday, while the broken body of a woman is often hidden away, as if it is something to be ashamed of.

    It’s no surprise that the word “mother” is often used by men as a way to demonize those who don’t conform to traditional gender roles, and to shame those who challenge authority. But when we think about God as a mother, she is neither quiet nor compliant. She leads with confidence, she questions authority, and she commands respect. And perhaps this is the problem – seeing God as a mother means seeing God in ourselves, and that can be uncomfortable. It requires us to confront and challenge our own biases and limitations.

    But to disentangle God from motherhood is impossible, and to disentangle God from womanhood is sinful. Seeing God as a mother brings us one step closer to understanding the divine within us, and it’s in that understanding that we are truly reborn. It allows us to embrace the fullness of who we are, and to recognize the inherent divinity in all of creation. It requires us to recognize the sacred in the mundane, and to find meaning and purpose in the everyday.

    But when we think of God as a mother, she is neither quiet nor compliant. She leads with confidence, she questions authority, and she commands respect. And perhaps that’s the problem – seeing God as a mother means seeing God in ourselves, and that can be uncomfortable. But to disentangle God from motherhood is impossible, and to disentangle God from womanhood is sinful. Seeing God as a mother brings us one step closer to understanding the divine within us, and it’s in that understanding that we are truly reborn.

  • Why we called to climb the highest mountains…

    Why we called to climb the highest mountains…

    Hello friends, welcome to todays daily bible verse and story. On the Daily with Dean is a short inspirational devotional that I hope inspires you and sparks something in your soul. Have you ever wondered what it means to be a friend? A true Friend?

    In the scriptures we read many time about brothers and sisters in Christ, friends in the faith. Even as you read that I’m sure you can start thinking of a few people that come to mind. Some people that have always been a call away, this people that send a text right when you need it, those people who always seem to be a step ahead to give you exactly what you need.

    When my family and I go on holiday we have to put our two dogs in the kennels down the road at Sardinia Bay Kennels. So we go away for a few days and when we come back I take them to the beach right after I get them from the kennels, they smell a little, are a little dirty and actually could do with some free open spaces and just run wild. So I take them to the beach, I take them to the greatest beach in the world, I take the to Sardinia Bay.

    So when we get there its all high energy and the dogs both actually go just nuts. So my son Daniel and I get them out the car and we charge for the water. A crazy charge over the dune and we all running at full speed down the dune to the water. We get to the water, the area is clear and I can let the dogs of their leads. AND OFF THEY GO!

    Running. Playing. Swimming. Splashing. All the joy in the world. We all just loving it. Daniel and I are walking and swimming in the water, the dogs are living their best lives and just taking it all.

    So we start wrapping up and start making our way to the car, which means we have to get up that dune. So I leash up the dogs. We gather our things and we start walking.

    At first it’s easy, we’re still chatting and the dogs are coming off their high. I see Daniel is a little bit behind me and walking on his own path next time. As we keep going and as the dune gets a little steeper things get a little harder. All things that are uphill are worth while. So Daniel and I had been hatting but slowly we talk a little less and now we just focusing own trying yo get up this dune, even the dogs taking some strain.

    So we keep walking, and I turn back to see that Daniel is now walking in my footsteps. If you’ve climbed a sand dune you’ll know that its easier to walk in the sand steps of other people.

    In our lives, in our work, in our marriages, in friendships, something very special happens when someone says, “No way, me too.” Something very special happens when someone says, “Walk in my footsteps, lemme show you where to step, lemme man it easier for you…”. It was the moment that a friend of mine, named Richy for the sake of this story said to me “Bro, I’ve been where you are, and you’ll get through this…”, a Peace and a Rest settled on me. Isolation turned into connection. I felt connected.

    Jesus climbed a few mountains, and he took some committed friends with him.

    1 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2 and taught his climbing companions. 

    In Matthew 5 we see that Jesus climbed, and I just love that he did it with some climbing companions.

    So what mountains are you climbing? Whether at work, school, university, your home life, where are you going? and maybe more importantly, who are you going with?

    Who are your climbing companions? Who is walking with you? Whose steps are you walking in? Whose walking in your steps?

    My daily prayer for you, may you come to know that you are not alone, that Jesus is climbing with you, he’s guiding and assisting your steps and will not let you fall.

    Grace and Peace

    D