Liane de Witt

2015-04-06T04:11:00.000-05:00

This blog has a new address.

Visit us at www.letyourhearttakeflight.com

Book review: JOY! Magazine

2014-09-25T13:23:00.001-05:00

I'm very proud to see a review of Let Your Heart Take Flight in the October edition of the South African JOY! Magazine. What a wonderful opportunity for so many to learn about my book who would otherwise never have known of it; I'm thankful for it. I pray that my book will fly far and wide because of it.

If you are not in South Africa, don't dismay. For more about the book or how to get your copy (anywhere in the world) simply click here.

If you already have your copy I want to thank you for supporting me. I sincerely hope you are enjoying it and that God is sharing wonderful and intimate truths with your heart - taking you from glory to glory and strength to strength.

I am so curious to hear what God has done (is doing) in your life. Please share your stories (testimonies) with me. You can either contact me using the contact form or e-mail address provided on the right hand side of this page, or you can share your comments right here on What people are saying. Either way, I can't wait to hear how Let Your Heart Take Flight is making a difference in your life!

It's almost weekend. What a better way to spend it than to kick back and relax with a good book or (JOY!) Magazine ;) ? I hope you have a wonderfully blessed weekend.

It's finally arrived: CBA's International Christian Retail Show 2014!

2014-06-21T08:53:00.000-05:00

Until three months ago, if anyone had asked me about ICRS, my response would have been something like "...the International Christian what?" but today I am super proud and very excited to announce that my new book Let Your Heart Take Flight will be featuring in the 2014 show, starting tomorrow, 22nd to 25th of June. This is indeed, as the CBA banner rightfully states, cause to celebrate!

Why is the International Christian Retail Show a big deal? Because for years this event has been creating an opportunity for Christian resources and church leaders to meet, gathering thousands of people, products, services, media, authors, artists and craftspeople from across the US and more than 60 countries in one place. And this year the show will be celebrating its 65th year of worship, information, food, networking and - of course - great books. They must be doing something right, don't you agree?

My book will be on display with Westbow Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan. For more information on the show (including an events schedule) you can visit their website on www.christianretailshow.com, and if you're in the vicinity, why don't you peek in and check it out? I hear Atlanta, Georgia is an awesome city!

I am so proud and privileged to be part of this event and spreading the good news of the Gospel.

Do you have your copy of Let Your Heart Take Flight yet? If you can't make it to Atlanta you don't have to miss out. Simply click here - it's that easy. And remember, if you are a digital reader fan like myself, you can even have your copy signed by myself by simply clicking the authorgraph icon to the right of this post.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Don't despise the day of small beginnings

2014-06-10T15:49:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we're at the beginning (no matter how small that may be), sometimes we're in the middle and on our way there, and sometimes we're right in the middle of it and we don't even realize it. Then, of course there are times when we simply don't have a clue.

And then there's Godzilla and the "worm guy"... Sometimes God takes me to Hollywood for a Bible lesson.

Godzilla - Clip I Don't See It by ohmygore

Dr Niko Topodopeles (a.k.a. the "worm guy") wakes up as his plane approaches for landing in Golfo De San Miguel - Panama - and on the way from the dock to the base camp tent this conversation ensues between him and the Colonel:

Worm guy: "Look, I work for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission but accidents and spills are not my field."

Colonel: "We know."

Worm guy: "Do you know you've interrupted a three year study of the Chernobyl earthworm?

Colonel: "Yeah, you're the worm guy, right?"

Worm guy: "The radioactive contamination in that area has mutated the earthworm's DNA. You know what that means?

Colonel: "No, but I've got a feeling I'm about to find out."

Worm guy: "It means that because of a man-made accident the Chernobyl earthworms are now 17% larger than they were before."

Colonel: "17%, huh? Sounds pretty big."

Worm guy: "They're enormous. That's what I'm trying to say. I'm a biologist. I take radioactive samples and I study them."

Colonel: "That's great. Here's your sample (pointing down at the muddy ground) - Study it."

Worm guy: "What sample?"

Colonel: "You're standing in it."

Worm guy: "I don't see it. Where is it? I don't see it."

**Camera slowly zooms out to an aerial shot of a gigantic footprint with Topodopeles standing right in it** ...finally it dawns on him...

A time and a place for everything, including small beginnings

That moment when a dream/vision is born is very exciting. The possibilities are endless and emotions run high... And then the work starts. (ha-ha) Hey, everything big starts small, right? If you don't take the first step you will never get anywhere. In Zechariah 4:10 God says to not despise the day of small beginnings, for he rejoice to see the work begin (NLT).

In the movie Topodopeles had spent three years studying earth worms. Talk about humble beginnings; He started below ground level, but those three years were invaluable in preparing him for Godzilla. Likewise David started out a humble shepherd boy before he was anointed as king. Herding sheep sound pretty unimpressive but it prepared David for Goliath (and later being king of all Israel).

There's definitely a time and place for small beginnings. What we learn during those seasons is what makes the experience necessary, as well as worthwhile. I believe that God is always busy preparing us for greater things. We just don't see it because we don't know the end from the beginning like God does. Whatever you are going through right now, I can bet you God is busy equipping you for your destiny. You are learning and growing - even if the going seems slow. So don't lose heart. Keep your chin up, keep moving, doing whatever you can, and keep trusting God. He knows the plan and He's got you.

Don't settle, don't cement yourself in the small beginning

So we agree that small beginnings are good, right? But gosh! have you ever become so content with your small beginning that you get stuck in it, unable to move forward to greater things?

The beginning is not suppose to be it.The word 'beginning' is defined in the dictionary as the act or process of bringing or being brought into being; a start / a source; an origin / the first part / the initial stage of a developmental process. It clearly implies that something more must follow, and usually something greater/further developed.

For three years the 'worm guy' had been studying earthworms, and quite happily so, driving his little jeep through the bundus and singing in the rain. This was his life, he liked it and didn't see the need to change it. We've already established that those years were not a waste, but it was not his final destination either. These years were just one part of his journey. By nature we like what is familiar. It has a way of making us feel safe. We adapt, we get used to things but we should never settle. Imagine what Topodopeles would have missed out on had he rejected change and insisted on sticking with the worms? Imagine if David stayed a shepherd boy because he had bonded with the sheep fighting off the bear and lion, or if the Israelites just wandered in the desert till every single one died, or if Joseph died in prison? No, they were not destined to remain where they were. They were merely passing through, and so are we.

God is a "movin' on" kind of God. His is a journey of constantly being brought to it and then through it. He kept moving the cloud and the Israelites had to keep breaking up camp and following it. David eventually became king. Joseph's brothers eventually bowed before him, and Jesus went from being a baby, a boy, a man, to crucified, having died an rose again. The only constant is God himself, and the wise man makes sure to build his house on the Rock - Christ. (Matthew 7:24)

So don't settle where you are, looking around for anything else to steady yourself. Blessed is the man whose strength is in God, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. (Psalm 84:5 NKJV) What's been might have been great, or maybe it wasn't. Either way, God always has something new He wants to show you. Keep moving.

Every now and again you need to back up just a little

There are times when we are so deep in it that we simply can't see the wood for the trees. It is then that we need to take a little step back for God to help us see a glimpse of the bigger picture - to zoom out a bit and give us a new perspective. May He graciously help us to recognize it when we're right in the middle of it. May we not miss a single moment.

In conclusion I realize just how crucial both contentment and patience is in this journey called life. We need to be content where we are, yet patiently reaching, growing and moving forward on our way to where we're going. We need to make plans but stay mindful that the Lord's purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21) This journey takes time. There is no drive-through destinies. So don't let impatience or passiveness tempt you to fall in the trap of thinking maybe God din't have a big plan after all. If He says so, it is so! Keep moving.

And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come up brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn - Zion! God in full view!

(Psalm 84:5 MSG)

If you continue to advance one step at a time you will get the results you desire in the end. Stay focused, keep moving ~ Beau Henderson

Look up

2014-05-26T16:49:00.000-05:00

Prolonged difficulty and struggle has a strange kind of gravity about it: it seems to pull your chin to the floor. In that position it becomes quite near impossible to laugh or enjoy anything, and it makes it difficult to remember all that you have to be grateful for. It shrinks your horizon of possibilities and the size of your world to the sphere of your boots, eyes cast down, your head hanging in hopelessness.

I've been staring at my feet for a while when I finally felt God say: look up. I know I've heard that before, so I went to look up Abraham's story in Genesis 13.

When God told Abraham to leave his home Lot went with him. Both men had quite substantial wealth (large flocks, etc.) and the land could not sustain them living together anymore. The situation became rather tense and the herdsmen starting fighting among each other. Abraham, in pursuit of peace, suggested they rather part ways and gave Lot first choice of the land. Lot chose the prime spots and left Abraham with the second best leftovers. I don't know about you, but I might have felt a little done in if I was in Abraham's shoes. I get the feeling that
Abraham, after trying to honor God and do the right thing, got stuck with something that didn't seem like much of anything at all. He must have felt disheartened.

Look up!

But when the dust of Lot's leaving had settled, the Lord spoke with Abraham and said, Look up from the place where you are (Genesis 13:14). Sometimes all it takes is one moment. If you could just look up and in that moment catch a glimpse of hope. In that moment God can touch your heart and open your eyes to the wonder of all that He wants you to see. You don't want to miss a moment like that.

Just like Abraham God wants you to look beyond where you are right now. Maybe you feel like you've been left behind in the dust with no sign of life, nor any promise of rain and you wonder if the drought will ever be over. Take heart: it may be where you are but it is not where God intends for you to stay. He's prepared a way for you to move forward.

Look up.

Look up in your hopelessness so He can show you hope. Look up in your pain so He can show you His healing power. Look up in your anger so He can show you how to find freedom and peace. Look up in your confusion so He can show you the way. Look up in your sadness and despair so He can show you His comfort, and in your weakness so He can show you His strength.

Wherever the place you find yourself in today, I encourage you to look up. God's got something new to show you.

Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18 MSG)

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossiens 3:1,2 MSG)

As you look up from the place where you are today, may your eyes behold the wonder of what God wants you to see. May He fill your mouth with laughter and your heart with a new song.

Celebrate Spring 2014 with me!

2014-05-22T08:02:00.001-05:00

There's just something about Spring. You can't see it and you can't touch it, but you can feel it. It is a sense of hope and new beginnings.

Spring has a way of making people fall in love, with life and with each other. It inspires courage to make a change and to try new things. It makes you want to clean up a little and create order out of chaos. Like fresh new grass sprouting up after a field has been burned it empowers us to believe again that the hard times will pass and that something beautiful is within reach. I was born in Spring. It is my favorite season of the year.

This Spring is a little more special for me since I've published my first book in March of this year, titled Let Your Heart Take Flight: Parables for our modern age. Quite an appropriate title for Spring, don't you think? What a better time for a heavy heart to take to flight, to shake off discouragement, loneliness and despair, and start soaring above the hardship and harsh conditions of the past cold winter months of your life? It's like
getting a new haircut, or pampering yourself with a manicure or pedicure (for the ladies), or maybe a weekend away fishing for the boys. Whatever it is for you, we all need a little TLC.

This Spring you'll find exactly that in the Westbow Press Spring 2014 catalog: a little TLC for your soul. My new book will feature in here for the very first time this year, and I have to admit, I feel pretty proud.

Let Your Heart Take Flight will encourage and challenge you to rise to new heights in this season that awaits you. Like a good facial the Biblical truths will help cleanse your heart and mind of wrong thinking, exfoliate the dead skin cells of bad habits, and replenish the moisture of your spirit with the soothing words of love, kindness and comfort. It will also give you some tips and tricks on how to keep your character beautiful for longer.

By the time you're through you won't want to leave without having scheduled your next appointment, because (believe me) you'll be coming back for more.

So, I invite you to treat yourself. Get your copy here - available in hardcover, paperback and even e-book. I really think you will enjoy it! And if you do, be so kind to share the stories and help me spread the word. You can also get in touch with me. Let me know what the book has meant for you. I'd like to hear from you.

Celebrate Spring with me!

Leave a lasting legacy

2014-05-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

They looked like they knew each other, perhaps even travelling together, but no, they had only met a few minutes ago here at boarding gate 25 in an airport somewhere in Texas. The only thing they had in common - until now - was the ensuing flight to London.

Surrounded by a sea of iPads, cell phone, earphones and the like, these strangers were becoming friends, sharing stories of far away places, daring culinary adventures, cultural awakenings and inspiring friendships they have forged along the way. In some way I felt strangely invited to share a sneak peak of their adventures.

Something about the lady with the Italian accent intrigued me. She was pulling a strange looking trolley so I asked her about it. "Where are you from?" she asked, curious about my accent. She wasn't familiar with Johannesburg, South Africa per se, but at the mention of it her face lit up with a beautiful memory, so she told me about it.

About twenty years ago she went on a tour of Germany. At times the ladies were separated from the men. This afforded her the opportunity to meet - and subsequently befriend - a young lady from Johannesburg, South Africa. She told me how they just seem to connect, and actually became quite good friends. The farewell was a sad one but the memories sweet. However, twenty years ago social media was not yet as mainstream as it is now, and so, as a result, they had lost touch. She did not remember her name anymore but she remembered this:

"She was such a kind, kind young woman. I will never forget how kind she was."

I wonder if this mystery woman and friend would ever know the lasting impression she made on my fellow traveler... even twenty years later...

And I couldn't help but wonder how will I be remembered...

"And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance." (Ephesians 5:2 AMP)

The kind woman from Johannesburg has left a lasting legacy. What about you? How will you be remembered?

God can! Can you refuse to stop believing that?

2014-04-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

Seven years ago Gemma Sheridan and two of her friends set out for, what was supposed to be, the greatest adventure ever. Starting from their home town of Liverpool, they were going to cross the Atlantic Ocean, pass through the Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean, and on to the exotic island of Hawaii. And then things did not go according to plan... Not at all!

Following a series of traumatic events, including the loss of her two friends, Gemma was the sole survivor of their shipwrecked ordeal. Washed up on some deserted island, everything became about survival. In the earlier days Gemma had made a 10 foot SOS sign on the beach, but since no planes had flown over the island, it did not help. One thing Gemma did not do was give up. She spent much time building an even bigger sign in the hope that some day someone will find her.

Finally, seven years later something else also did not go according to plan - not Gemma's plan, anyway.

"Some kid from Minnesota found her SOS sign on Google Earth."

Gemma had no idea what Google Earth was...

(You can read more details of Gemma's experience on Newshound.org)

Gemma's story was such a tremendous inspiration. I don't know if Gemma knows the Lord, but I don't think that the "kid from Minnesota" found her coincidentally. I don't believe in coincidence. I do believe in a God of divine appointment; a very deliberate God, a God with a plan (Jer 29:11).

Whenever I read the Bible I am always amazed at the intricate details God pays attention to (and sometimes He would even explain the logic - interesting!) God thinks of everything and everyone - at the same time! I don't know of anyone else who has the uncanny ability to co-ordinate all of these universal elements into a flawless, spectacular plan the way He does.

In the same way God already knew every moment of your life before you've even taken that first breath. He also knows every detail about you, and He loves you! So He encourage us to not be afraid, to put our trust in Him, to ask Him for what we need - to have faith. He encourages us to do exactly what Gemma did: Not give up.

Whatever you may be facing today, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on the prize: Jesus. He is the beginning and the end, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Let Gemma's story inspire you.

If God could care enough to cause some random kid from Minnesota to spot a years old SOS sign with Google Earth, to cause a complete rescue mission to be organized with exact co-ordinates delivered on a silver platter (compliments of Google Earth) for some random woman from Liverpool who washed up on some unknown, deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean seven years ago, would He not also care enough to reach out to you and do something great for you today?!

You are not beyond His reach. And He has not forgotten about you. Whatever you may be in need of today - and maybe it even seems impossible to you - for God all things are possible. God can! Don't you dare give up on Him. Do what you can do and leave what you cannot do in His capable, faithful and loving hands.

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zech 4:6 NKJV)

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen 18:14 NKJV)

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26 NKJV)

If God could do it for Gemma, He can do it for you.