Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house.
Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbour.
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
Be the living expression of God’s kindness, kindness in your face,
kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.
– Mother Teresa

Special thanks goes to Tony Drake who has made this album possible. What a privilege it is to be associated with such a talented musician. To sing to such well orchestrated music is so rewarding. Thank you for your equal enthusiasm in supporting this album.

The purpose of this album is to take you from your hurried schedule of activities & to let you pause for a moment to reflect on the many different circumstances in which others share this world of ours. To give thought to the joys & sorrows of lifes experiences, how important love is in this world & how grateful we should be for what we have. More importantly, behind each of the songs, whether of love or faith, we need to constantly search for more & more evidence, in strengthening our faith, of Who Jesus Christ really is.
Recently one evening, while listening with my family to a selection of songs identified as possibly suited for a new album, I came across one of my favorite gospel musicians Ray Boltz’s Christmas album on which is the very moving song titled The Gift. I played this song over & over again, picturing this very sad Christmas scene which so many people will be experiencing this Christmas. The images & message of this song were so profound that I had this urgency to share this experience with others through this album.
I hope that many of these songs will sow a seed of increased love & faith, especially during this Christmas season, when we celebrate the most wonderful gift we have been given in the birth of Jesus Christ.
I have been privileged in being able to celebrate Christmas throughout my life with family & friends, enjoying extravagant Christmas dinners & being lavished with expensive gifts. But looking at my past good fortunes, & without appearing pious, & also not taking away any of the Christmas joy I have experienced, I ask myself “Was a lot of this joy as a result of my thanks to God for giving us his son Jesus & sharing this special time with those who are unhappy, experiencing no love, the lonely, poor, imprisoned, sick & lost”.
My answer is No, my focus was far from Jesus Christ. I have throughout my life been very inconsistent in my faith. When times are good, Christ does not feature prominently in my thoughts & activities. During tough times, He is my best friend, He suddenly becomes important for me to get through the day. Why am I being so fickle? How can I say I am a Christian when really the strength of my faith depends on how life is treating me?
The so called hard times that I have experienced in comparison to the majority of the world, is frivolous. This inconsistent & insecure existence I need to address.
I was fortunate to come across Tim Lahaye’s book “Why Believe in Jesus” which has helped me along my crooked path and I share with you his message so that you may choose the right path to happiness today and joy for eternity.
We all have a choice in this life. At the one extreme are the ardent evolutionists, evangelists of atheism who tell us there is no God & no life after death. Opposing them are those who have absolute faith in the existence & teachings of Christ, the Son of God, many of whom have layed down their lives for Him.
To those of you who have doubts about Christianity, & particularly about Christ, don’t be afraid to admit them to God & search for answers in the Bible. God doesn’t expect us to believe blindly. To the contrary, He expects us to use our minds. God challenges us to use reason in determining what we believe. The apostle Peter said “we do not follow cunningly devised fables”.
Honest skeptics should examine evidence of the real identity of Jesus. They will find that there is far more evidence for believing the claims of Christ than for rejecting them, more answered questions than unanswered ones.
We need to find out the most important question to mankind, Who is Jesus Christ? Our eternal destiny hinges on our response, we can either be saved by believing in Him or we are on our own for eternity. If He was the Son of God in human flesh, as the bible presents Him, then He could be the only way to Heaven. Why is Jesus, who had little formal education & ministered for only three & a half years, the most influential person in history?
We owe it to Jesus, ourselves & the ones we love to urgently act so that we may share eternity with them.
I hope that this album results in you questioning your life & adjusting the course that it is taking so that you live peacefully & bring joy to all those that you touch.
This album will be distributed freely to hospitals, centers for the aged, prisons, churches, homes & institutions for the needy & underprivileged with the message that with all your suffering & loneliness you & I have equal access to the Greatest Gift. Funds raised from the sales of this album will be given in support of the above.
I wish to thank the following friends who have sponsored this album, and supported its message:
Lilian Bron-Davis, Bart & Tara Das, Mike & Sue Diepeveen, Frank & Phil Dillon, Pam Golding, Janet Hardie, Uri Mitrani, Richard Moolenschot, Tony & Pat Moolenschot, Andre & Gail Nel, Reiner Noell, James Sedgwick, Peter & Maria Venter, Cathy Wijnberg.
You are all very much part of this album as evidenced by some of your messages:
For God loved this world so much that He gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life – John 3:16
(Peter & Maria Venter)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…- 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
(Tony & Pat Moolenschot)
Christmas is to remind us about giving. The old adage always works, “in life if you want more, give more!” If you feel alone, give love and attention to others in abundance and it will come back to you in wonderful ways. (Uri Mitrani)
Religion tends to limit free thinking, rather than inspire it. I believe in a higher order, in the responsibility of mankind, in the regulatory function of the individual. I also strongly believe in respecting the freedom of others. The quality I admire most is courage. The courage to be honest, fair, soft, hard, tolerant and intolerant. The courage to speak up and be oneself. I think it is all a question of integrity. I abhor basic dishonesty, jealousy and prejudice. Happiness, to me, means harmony. The sudden flash of inspiration of thought, shared with another free spirit. Happiness is the feeling of warmth and love in another person’s eyes. A state of mind, not perpetual, more like an orchid in the wilderness. (Lilian Bron-Davis)