15 minutes away: 18th June 2008, Nathenje

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

18th June 2008, Nathenje

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BLOG ON THE PASTORS BOOKSET, PLEASE DO!! ITS THE ONE BELOW!!

So here I am. I am not my usual self as I am wearing a traditional outfit. I feel very odd for a few moments but then it all fades away. Alas, the jeans are so much easier. I have dressed up for my Father, for myself and for the chiefs I am ministering to.

We wait an hour as they sort things out (there was a miscommunication and some have gone to another venue). You learn patience here in the communities. For one, people here tell time using the sun and so as winter comes in, time is usually misjudged. If you think I am making all this up, one of the chiefs explained this to me as he apologized for the delay. Looking at the overcast sky, there was no telling what time it was. It is interesting to note that in the era of cellular phones, that there are still people that use the sun to tell time. Imagine an overcast day and that your only way of telling time is the sun. What do you do? Some of this is over my head.

We were thirty – eight in the room; Felix, I and 36 chiefs and their spouses. We took off from where we had left off and our subject was ‘the new creation’. This was an exciting lesson. They were excited and as people getting to know each other, we were more at home with one another. Every time we speak about being a new creation in Christ I am overwhelmed. It doesn’t matter how many times we talk about it. When the eyes of someone in front of me are suddenly (or gradually) opened, I am in awe. Every time I speak of it, I experience more and more of the new creation. To be able to tell someone that God has created a whole new THING in us. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, which has never existed until the time that Christ Jesus, our Lord, rose from the grave.

There was an altar call at the end but no one came. Yes, sometimes it happens that no one comes forward. There was a definite conviction – it was there, in the atmosphere. Our prayer was that He that began a good work in them will finish it…

There is a wonderful old chief. He is the postcard type of man. What do I mean? He has a beautiful white beard, a cane and a strong handshake. He is close to his eighties. When I held his hand, we both began to laugh. It was joy. It was beautiful. There are so many beautiful brothers and sisters in the kingdom. We are so wealthy… so rich in relationship, in love. Oh, that we could truly understand that the greatest treasure God has entrusted us with is His people… nothing is worth more to Him than the ones He died for – gave His life for. You and I are responsible for the life of another. May we be found faithful in loving and treating HIS treasure with honour.

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THE QUARTER HOUR DIVIDE

15 minutes away from where i live there is a whole other world. a place where pastors struggle to feed their families and a bible is a rare and much sort after thing. fifteen minutes from where i live there are people who have never laid hands on a bible. fifteen minutes away the body of Christ lies abandoned as the more exposed part adorns itself with flashy jewelery and expensive trinkets. fifteen minutes away we watch unaffected as the cancer of ignorance keeps our own bound and imprisoned as we ask for more and more of the anointing. only fifteen minutes away. only fifteen minutes away is where i believe you will discover Jesus!

BIBLES, BIBLES, BIBLES

hey there

I THOUGHT OF CHANGING THIS MESSAGE BELOW BUT AFTER READING I REALISE THAT 2011, IT READS AS RELEVANT AS 2009, SO ASIDE FROM CHANGING A TYPO THIS MESSAGE STILL RINGS TRUE....

i must begin by declaring the utter faithfulness of our GOD. in our Word Search, we have seen many miraculous things. we have distributed thousands of bibles. so, yes, let us rejoice in this for your prayer and finances have brought the light of the word to dark places.

nonetheless, my beloeved brethren, let us not grow weary in doing good. sometimes it seems like it is a bottomless pit but it is not. every bible is a lifew changed but many more remain. WE NEED BIBLES. sometimes i think of creative ways to make this request but i fail always to word it any more clearer than i do now.... people need to hear the Word of God! People need the WORD! join us and support our vision to get a bible into the hands of each person who desires to grow in Christ!

smile, you must, because it is not by might nor by power that we venture into this...but by the Spirit of the Almight Living God!

fisherman's training

it was a combination of conversations that got the whole thing started. looking at the condition of pastors in the villages, something had to be done. one such conversation brought up the idea of loans without interest. this is how 'fisherman's training has come to be. the target was ten pastors loaned MK10,000.00 (US$66.66) over 6 months to start a business, or in most cases, fund an already existing one and cause it to grow. 'business' means vegetable gardens in 90% of the cases. it began with 2 friends contributing and then a third. by mid march 3 pastors had received their assistance. then... one donation for 10 more pastors and our target was reached and surpassed.
the loans are payable over 4 months (the first 2 are grace months). after that, it turns over to the next group and so on... with this, comes the dignity of working for one's food and indeed FISHING FOR YOURSELF!!!