|
Postscript: 1/22/12
Sometimes you just have
to stop and take inventory of your assets and see what
there is that Yahweh can use. You have to assess the
moment and make a declaration that you are either in the
zone for Yahweh to do something and then turn yourself
into the right degree for something to happen. There are
times when Yahweh will bring you face to face with
someone’s defining moment so that the thing you lack to
push you to the next impetus moment of your life will
bring you into the life of that thing.
In
actuality, it is the glory moment of Yahweh but you
become his vessel if you are in His moment and ready for
His defining instant of glory. Yeah, it is like that.
Someone’s moment can become your motivation for His
glory to shine. In light of the hope of something
happening you get pumped up and all of a sudden that
thing that was holding you back, perplexing you and
distracting you from the glory of Yahweh begins to pale.
Precedence has actualized itself again and you are back
on your game.
This is what
it takes to speak life again to your self and make
things happen when they are suppose to happen. It is
from this frame of mind that you are able to stand and
Yahweh can deliver. Now the desires you long for pales.
The personal gains diminish and the fortitude of gaining
the prize comes into place and you know again that you
can do it, almost anything and go almost anywhere.
Everything that was a hindrance is now behind and you
are ready to be used and used up and emptied and filled
again.
The harvest
is waiting and the kingdom is at hand and you will be
apart of the harvest if you keep the moment alive and
the past where it belongs, in the past. I feel I am fit
again for the kingdom work. All has been accessed and
the greater glory is yet to come and I am ready, steady,
GO!
Father, may
all that you have in store for me come to pass. May all
that you have in store for the readers of this entry
come to pass. May one person’s inspiration lead another
person into their zone and the destiny you have prepared
for them. May we not falter or waste the time given to
us chasing paper moons and needles in hay stacks when
the prize, the pearl of great price, is of greater
value. Let us therefore keep our eyes on heavenly things
that neither moth nor rust can diminish its worth.
▲
January 22, 2012
Praise Yahweh because He
is so redeeming. Lost time from trying to man handling
His part can cause us to delay His good plans for a
life, ours and others. Yet the grace and mercy of Yahweh
is so great He can do marvelous things out of our mess.
We are always within degrees of turning into Yahweh’s
grace or turning out of it.
It is when we become
silent and at peace with Him that we can hear clearly
His soft still voice of assurance that we are either on
the right track or the wrong one. I thought so many
things in life were like trying to find a needle in a
hay stack but I have come to realize that the things of
Yahweh are plan to see and there is no curvature in the
road that prevents us from knowing His will accept we
take things in our hands and try to manage it ourselves.
This is where uncertainty comes in and bears fruit of
doubt and mistrust and ill-manners. Outside of Yahweh’s
divine appointments we humans wreak havoc on each other
even with the best intensions.
If this is the case
where do we really belong? In the center of His will
where He hedges us in from all sides and where He can
begin to orchestrate with precision His perfect will for
us. How do we stay in the center of His will? Stop
allowing the world to give us its prompts and how to and
do’s and don’ts. Is this easier said than done? At times
it can be, but if we trust Him explicably then we are
assured favorable results at all turns.
Where is the center of
His will? Doing those things He commands us to do and
seeking His face diligently day-by-day. In a life
centered on prayer, study, taking care of our neighbor
as ourselves, that being also caring for the widows,
orphans, strangers we come in contact with and sharing
the good news with those that are lost to Yahweh. Does
that mean we have to forsake our basic needs? NO, those
are the things that Yahweh has promise to take care of
because we have to be vigilant about the evil that will
present itself in the way. What about human wants and
desires? He said He will give us the desires of our
heart and if we just try to be patient eventually those
desires will arise in our hearts at the appointed time.
What we often think we want we often come to find later
that it is not what we need.
Yahweh knows best
because He already knows how things will impact us and
how quickly our ideas of how things should be will
change. Today we think we need a car to get about in but
tomorrow circumstances will change that idea because
tomorrow you might received a promotion in your job that
will cause a move to somewhere that a car might not be
practical. Once I bought this winter coat and thought I
had to have this nice warm coat at all cost. A month
later we were transferred to a warm climate location and
I never had a need for that coat again.
Sometimes
the things we want the most presents in our lives, but
once they come in whatever shape or form we begin to
realize, right thing at the wrong time can sully a life
rather than be a blessing. If Yahweh intends a thing for
you it will come at its appointed time and there is no
doubt, no mistrust and no frustration. That thing will
be Yahweh sent with all the trimmings to boot and that
nice hedge to safeguard it.
For now,
let’s just keep doing His perfect will. What is His
perfect will again? Simply doing what He commands us to
do and all other things will be added. No matter how
lovely a thing that you try to carve out for yourself at
the wrong time, if that thing is for you it will
eventually find its way back. Yeah! His delays might be
preparation for us and that thing to be goodly and pure
toward the recipients.
Here is the
thing! Matthew 9:37 states, “Then saith he unto his
disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the
labourers are few’” You see, we have yet to seek His
kingdom before all things are added. Until the harvest
is brought in all other things can’t be added like the
word says. Seek ye first the kingdom of God means just
that. We are to seek out those people that will make a
decision for Yahweh and bring them in. It is not all
about personal growth and where we are with Yahweh. It
is also about His kingdom at large. Sometimes I too need
this stark reminder. Even the best intentions will throw
you for a loop out of His perfect will. The right thing
can be mishandled and the wrong thing can be acquired.
I am at
peace with family, friends and my ministry but am I at
peace with Yahweh when I try to take things into my own
hand looking through the haystack for the needle? Yahweh
knows very well where that needle is and when the time
is right He will just dump it out right in plane sight.
The needle could be funds for making the ministry take
off by leaps and bonds. It could be the right mate, the
right place to live or the right job etc. Things are
better managed by Yahweh so let’s just do what is
expedient to Him and leave the every day care to Him.
What is lost
can be found and in the things where you were once blind
sight will come again. Look to the harvest.
▲
January 21, 2012
What is it that we are
so preoccupied with that we can’t see the hand of Yahweh
in our lives clearly? Is it that we have forgotten our
first love and too busy trying to find our so call true
love that we can’t see real love? Are we so preoccupied
with business ventures that we have forgotten to take
care of Yahweh’s business thinking that we can make it
possible to do His work better? Who are we deceiving?
Are we so busy trying to take care of our family that we
are failing to take care of Yahweh’s? Did He not say
that the widows and the orphans are His?
Yeah, it is like that at
times. Sometimes we seem so involved in meeting our own
needs that we fail to take care of His needs. It can
become a bit obsessive at times and we waste valuable
energy. I have a brother in Yahweh who has requested my
intervention into a difficult situation in his life but
I have been a bit preoccupied wasting good energy on
things that Yahweh has my back on. Today I received a
call that brought me back to earth and to Yahweh’s
needs. This is the time of mentoring.
Personal needs of ours
are indeed important to Yahweh like finding a job,
marrying the right person, paying bills, having good
health and having food, water, a roof over our heads and
clothes on our back. Yet, those are the basics that He
said He has. Matthew 6:34 states this only too clearly,
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the
morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Yahweh has
the basics but it is the evil that presents itself in
the day thereof that we must be vigilant about. This is
where we miss our mark.
When do we stop the
madness of pursuing our wants or desires and see that
ultimately it is Yahweh’s needs that actually is the
catalyst in us coming into our own? The world delivers
to us in neat packages all the ways they feel we can
easily acquire our wants. We have ten and twelve step
programs, we have the Dotcoms and pyramid schemes and
the reality shows that are really design to teach us to
get it our way or skip the experiences that makes us
more worthy and prepared for what we desire. In
actuality, it is the process of getting where we need to
that makes things worth the while. Everyone says they
can connect us with more accuracy and in a shorter time
but really is that true or better for us? How do I learn
discernment if all the elements that would build that
process into me is eliminated? Am I then not setting
myself up for sure failure?
The reality is that we
have to stop this cycle of hitting and missing and get
back to the fundamentals and do things the old fashion
way. We need to learn how to use time rather than trying
to skip the time it would take to get things done the
right way. I think ultimately the short cuts bring us
into proximity sooner to failure than taking our time.
Taking our time we can avoid the failures. At the end we
find ourselves back where we should have been months ago
and our arrival delayed. We find ourselves going back to
Yahweh’s table and saying “Ok, I tried it my way how
about I just do it your way.” This is where I am again
and I know some of you understand what I am saying. All
we have to really do is be so involved in the will of
Yahweh, not busying ourselves with doing but actually
knowing His will and doing exactly that.
When I first went into
full time ministry travelling it had a great deal to do
with a personal situation that grieved my heart to no
end. I wanted in part to get away from a difficult
situation and blot that problem out and just rely on
Yahweh to fix things. I got so involved and sold out on
what I was actually doing that I had little time to
think about why I was grieving. Needless to say, after
several years of doing things Yahweh’s way before the
undertaking of my last mission trip Yahweh resolved my
personal problem without me having to do anything. Yeah!
He absolutely worked it all out and I had no part of the
resolution except that I became the recipient of the
blessing. How absolutely delightful! Now what makes me
go back again to that place I was before of trying to
fix things or make things occur that Yahweh already had
a handle on? Lately I have tried to take matters into my
own hands because I felt if it would be managed I had to
handle it myself. Shame on me! I should have learned
this lesson so long ago. Now problem solved and I could
not wait to pick up the next problem like it is mine to
solve.
He knows my
heart and my need and He knows when and where and how to
meet them all. We try to press the issues like we have
the power to make things happen. We think we are so
compelling and can by our strengths or weaknesses bring
about things but in actuality we can no more change
someone’s mind than Yahweh at times can change ours.
When we think we have finally arrived at a good
conclusion we realize the appearance of conclusion is
only a delusion and that the world is just as
mistrusting as we are. The things we want and crave
seems to be the very things that once we are close to
acquiring seem to slip away from us out of His timing.
Have you ever experienced fear when the thing you want
the most is near when you move heaven and earth to
acquire it, but when Yahweh brings that thing near it is
so peaceful, so easy, and you are so excepting of it?
What is
really the priority of a believer? To do the will of
Yahweh! The world gives us a small window to operate out
of and so we feel hard pressed to resolve things in that
window when Yahweh has given us time as a blessing and
we allows others to take that precious time and put it
in a box and tell us we have to do things by this time
frame or we are out. Time after all was made for man and
not man for time. When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden
it was for as long as they held true to their covenant
with Yahweh but once they ate time became a real
reality.
Haggai 2:9
states, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater
than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this
place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” Dig
this! Psalm 84:10 states, “For a day in thy courts is
better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in
the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness.” You see, one day of Yahweh’s will is better
than a thousand in our own. Who can say how good a thing
can be in a short time than the worst over a long time
but He who is in the will of Yahweh. Oh yes, this latter
house shall be better than its former.
After this last trip I
took a personal leave of absence without realizing it. I
think many of us are on a personal leave of absence from
Yahweh and don’t realize it. We get involved or not in
things that distract us because we feel we have earned
something. “Look Yahweh at what I have done for you now
can you give me some of the things I want.” Proverbs
16:25 states, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Death
comes in many forms, physical, emotional or even
spiritual. Yet He still says wait. “I know what you have
done, but you do not yet know what I intend for you to
do.” You see, it is that thing or things He still
intends for us to do that might be the situation or the
catalyst that delivers our blessings. We are
short-sighted. Yeah, I will be leaving in 2 months for
my next trip to Asia and I need my priorities straight.
I am getting there. Just keeping it real brothers and
sisters! This travel journal is about the journey in
more ways than one. I am sure some of you are struggling
with life’s issues as I am and wondering how you can
serve Yahweh and stay connected.
This is how. Keep on
living, keep on learning, and keep on growing. When you
falter just get back up and keep on rolling. Chuck out
the junk; put your clothes back in the suitcase and
truck for Yahweh. Don’t sweat the past because you have
a lot of sweating to do in the future that ain’t like
what you have experience before, but at the end of the
day there will be a nice long shower and fresh things to
put on and blessing to receive and off we go again until
He says well done thou good and faithful servant. Yeah!
Along the way you find the things you were desperate for
wasn’t what you needed at the time anyway. Sometimes you
find you have been spared from a worst mistake and other
times you find better is on the way. We are only degrees
away from the will of Yahweh but we must first turn into
that degree. Position yourself. Make that turn one
little degree and get back on track.
May Yahweh
give you insight and understanding at the place you are
at so you too can move on leaving those things that are
behind right there. If a thing is intended for you it
will come and though the vision tarries it will soon
come to pass.
▲
January 16, 2012
I spent the weekend at a
correctional facility in Abilene, Texas with 17 other
volunteers who help out in the Raymond Cantu Prison
Ministry. What an amazing time to see Yahweh bringing
many to salvation, recommitment and breaking up fallow
ground for the next time around.
The volunteers came from
every spectrum of life. Some were once convicts who have
been returning to the prisons to tell their stories and
testify about how Yahweh has restored their lives given
them families and jobs and homes again. They offer hope
to those that are going through the negative impact of
criminal life and helping them to have a change of mind
and heart by the grace of Yahweh. Some of our volunteers
were given the maximum sentences for serious offenses
but by the grace of Yahweh received salvation while
incarcerated and by some miracle were released early to
now return and preach what was preached to them.
There were others with
testimonies of a tragic life and how by salvation and
the mighty hands of Yahweh they were delivered. Some
couples were there because they have or are experiencing
a child being incarcerated and gave their testimonies of
how this impacts the family who are left to deal with
the repercussions.
For me personally this
weekend was a triumph. When I was in Tanzania and the
bus was moments from being hi-jacked and we escaped by
the grace of Yahweh I had an opportunity to share
further but I settled for the resolved of having a clean
atmosphere on the bus. When I found out the next day
that the offenders were all taken out and executed that
very night I often wondered if I had said enough besides
“Fear Yahweh” so that when the one on our bus came
face-to-face with his executioners he had a time to
repent.
I was torn being in the
prison so greatly the first day and finally was offered
the chance to speak. I confess my lost opportunity that
might have been the difference of salvation and hell for
that one man. But Yahweh gave me 300 plus inmates this
weekend to tell that story to and share what I could
have easily had done back in Tanzania. It was a
testimony to salvation and one of coming out of
self-condemnation. 50 plus prisoners came to the altar
at that moment and all others have told me it has given
them the hope to move on and allow the forgiveness of
Jesus to take root and to also forgive them selves.
Needless to say my own
self-recrimination has ceased.
There is always work to
be done in the Kingdom of Yahweh!
▲
January 8, 2011
I am currently preparing for my next
journey to Asia and updating the commentary page with
new articles. Work continues in Africa and as much as
there are many needs there I believe in Yahweh's time
all things will be provided. It is far from business as
usual as a New Year has begun. It is time to step up to
the plate and do the work we are called to do. I spent
this past Saturday at the Laundry Love outreach and what
a magnificent experience. The volunteers were each
assigned to an area in the laundry mat and so we were
all able to connect with the people we assisted with
their laundry. The month of December the ministry was
able to do about $700 in laundry for patrons. I am not
sure what it was this month. I met individuals form
Micronesia and India and of course Texas. Everyone has a
story and the very fact that for some individuals we
might help them with $30 - $40 of laundry funds it makes
a big impact with the way the economy is today. Many of
the families are unemployed and so the impact is
tremendous. One lady told me that at times she washes by
hand the essentials until she can get money to wash the
bulk. Of course you know that sheets, towels, blankets
and such heavy duty items don't get the care as needed.
Underwear and baby clothes are important. Sometimes it
is a matter of food or laundry. In this economy $30 -
$40 can get you to work or help pay a light bill. Let
your hearts be stirred and see what you are capable of
doing in your community to easy the burden of your
neighbors.
Next weekend I will go to a prison in
Texas to share the gospel. The group will go in on
Saturday all day and Sunday all day. it is very intense
and in times past I have come home sick because it is
near impossible to minister so intensively without being
physically challenged. I pray that you will encounter a
deeper walk and mission in this new year.
▲
December 29, 2011
The price of ministry is costly at
times but if we pursue the prize we will arrive
undaunted by life's aches and pains. I am certain that
in the end all we give up for the kingdom will be worth
it. The pain of things lost/surrendered will fade with
time. We only need to get far enough pass the moment of
impact and the light will shine ever brighter. Ministry
is not easy but I know it is worth it. "He will give you
beauty for ashes, strength for fear, gladness for
mourning and peace for despair." This year is ending and
with it let us let go and embrace what is to come. Do
not reach back, reach forward and He will wipe your
tears away, comfort you and clothe you in His glory.
Speak life to yourself lest you lose heart.
Father, I pray for all who read this
entry that they will know true joy that only you can
give in this coming new year. Help us to forgive those
that have offended us, harmed us and caused us to cry
tears of sorrow. Help us to be kinder, more
compassionate, giving and sacrificial to those that are
less fortunate than us. Continue to give us each our
daily bread and lead us away from temptations and keep
evil at bay. Let your kingdom come to our hearts, homes
and all those people we hold dear. Grow us in your work
and help us to be more cognizant of the things that are
dear to your heart. Look upon us with mercy and grace
and forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sinned
against us.
Blessed New year to all.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE!
▲
December 27, 2011
The year is drawing to
an end and it seems that as much as has been done it is
not enough. Many lessons have been learned this year and
I am sure there are many more to be learned in the
coming year and hopefully they will impact our lives
toward a closer walk with Yahweh. Personal lessons often
being the most difficult, nonetheless, can teach great
spiritual truths that will make the difference as to how
profoundly we adhere to a walk of holiness. We can
either take the pain of personal loses and let them
either break us or shape us. The latter is preferable.
Each of us must make a conscious decision on how we will
allow disappointments, mistakes and negative intrusions
from others impact our lives.
I am beginning to
realize more and more that anything bad works for my
better especially if I have not brought it on myself or
even if I have unconsciously given rise to the negative
situations.
This is true in our
personal lives as well as in ministry. “All have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of Yahweh” so to imagine
for a moment that because we are in business for Yahweh
nothing will go wrong is folly. No matter how sincere
and how rightly one order their work ethics or personal
lives the little foxes will find a way in. Never mind
those things. Ultimately if you keep your eyes on the
prize and know and hold fast to the destiny of your life
you will find a light at the end of the tunnel.
What I have found is
that the more things go awry; it is an opportunity for
Yahweh to bring you higher. If you don’t go through
something you will never arrive with your sword
sharpened and ready for the real battle. The real battle
is ahead of us not behind. Many of us die prematurely
because we have not learned to hone our sword along the
way. We become unfit or unprepared to do battle.
Deut. 20:1-9
[1] When thou goest
out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses,
and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid
of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. [2] And it
shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that
the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, [3]
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach
this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your
hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be
ye terrified because of them; [4] For the Lord your God
is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your
enemies, to save you.
[5] And the officers
shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there
that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it?
let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the
battle, and another man dedicate it. [6] And what man is
he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten
of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest
he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. [7] And
what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath
not taken her? let him go and return unto his house,
lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. [8]
And the officers shall speak further unto the people,
and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful
and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house,
lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.
[9] And it shall be, when the officers have made an end
of speaking unto the people, that they shall make
captains of the armies to lead the people.
It is preferable to go
through the small battles so that when the war rages you
have the chance of standing having done all to stand.
David had his mighty men of valor and when he came into
his kingdom reign he was able to withstand the enemy
because he had the experiences of battle, skirmishes,
warriors that learned how to stand their ground and had
already been sifted and passed the test – no fear, no
house to return to or wives that took them away from the
battle field. No fear, no thing more important than the
battle and a mind already set on do or die was the motto
of such men. David had the battles but Solomon inherited
the peace. It is this way for us as well. We must win
the battles so we too can inherit the peace or at least
leave it as an inheritance for those to come. Jesus is
our peace but we must win the day-to-day battles so we
can stay relevant to the cause of Christ.
His peace does not mean
we will not experience the bad of life or the negatives
of people we come in contact with, sinner and saint
alike. It means that in the midst of the good and the
bad His peace is our stabilizer. Although we might be
toss upon the waves we will not hear the cries of “man
overboard." Too often now we are hearing this cry in
ministry. We are abandoning the call and forsaking all
for things and wants and pleasures but a time will come
if you are faithful when you will be able to recognize
what is the motives us to abandon our pursuit of the
things of the kingdom. Ultimately it should be for the
greater glory of God and our fellow man that we abandon
our selfish pursuits whatever they might be.
I hope this coming year
we will all be cognizant of the things that are
presented in our lives and not allow our feelings or
emotions to get the better of us. Deliberately pursue
the will of Yahweh for your ministry and His destiny for
your life and you might be pleasantly surprise to find
that in your pursuing the things you thought were
germane to your existence as you think them to be were
of more value surrendered than gained.
Philip. 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung, that I may win Christ.
This is the way. You
give Him those things that can be easily sullied and in
turn He will give you the grace to shine brighter than
if you had attained those things you were so desperate
for. It is also possible to be so desperate for the
things of Yahweh that one can lose sight of Yahweh. You
can be desperate for love that you can lose sight of the
purity of love. You can be so desperate for a child of
your own that you can lose sight of the child who can
benefit from the love of a mom or dad who choose them
rather then bring them forth from their loins. Yeah, you
can be desperate to have the appearance of being blessed
by Yahweh, a measure of his favor on your life, that you
might manipulate others in their poverty to give when
giving more than they have is beyond their ability. I
implore you to not take chances with what you have
already in your hands given to you by Yahweh and
preserve the integrity thereof.
This is what this
journey is all about. This widow was lost but now has
been found because her life has been redeem and counted
as valuable because someone has taken on her cause.
Deliberately pursue the things of Yahweh.
Here is the work being done on Rose's
house. Due to much rain it had to be delayed and this
updated report contained photos and a summary of funds
used for the repairs. Rose still has not gotten the much
needed beds for her and the 3 boys. There is still some
more repairs that must be completed prior to getting the
beds since the structure of the house that is being
repairs is the back wall to the boys bedroom. We are
hoping by the beginning of the year the work will be
completed and then we can buy the beds.
We are also looking at purchasing 2
bulls for the widow's group which Rose is a part of.
Unfortunately some of the widows did not meet the
planting season which just passed because they did not
get their shambas (land) plowed. The cost of each bull
is $300 USD which we are hoping to raise so that the
next planting season the widows will be taken care of.
As you can see form the photos that the house is a mud
house with a thin layer of cement on the exterior of it.
The bricks which turned out to be more expensive and a
better fix is costly so the money to repair and
buy beds went completely for the
walls which still needs a bit of funding.
In the end when all is said and done,
this is what really matters and not the needs, wants and
desires of a single individual. The life of the many
overshadows the life of the one. Isn't that what Messiah
did for us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him shall
have everlasting life." The one life for the world.
We all can be a kinsman redeemer for
any widow if we make the choice to choose a way that
serve others rather than ourselves. It really takes so
little effort. Some change, giving up a fast food meal
here and there, choosing not to have a manicure or
pedicure or that new golf club etc.
May this new year bring a clarity of
mind and a decision that will go beyond your own
personal need and wants.
▲
December 24, 2011
Life for me has been an
amazing journey. I have come to realize that when we
finally get fully on Yahweh's program He really goes to
bat for us. He takes care of all our need on every
level. He designed us so He is every keenly aware of
every need, concern and feelings no matter how slight
they might appear in our conscience. Something amazing
happens when you come so close to losing your life and
find that in that instant you actually find life and the
real meaning of life. When you come close to the center
of Yahweh's will even a simple thing as a misguided
click on a laptop can propel you into the very desires
of the heart. Not the ones we invent for ourselves which
are motivated by our human passions but the real deal.
You know that destiny deal. When you finally figure it
out as you enter into the center of His will the destiny
deal kicks in and the latter house becomes greater than
the former house.
So many people try to
force the hands of Yahweh by inventing such doctrines as
prosperity and kingdom authority etc. But His hands
cannot be forced and you cannot emulate in any form or
fashion the destiny Yahweh has for you. It can only come
by way of obedience and a life bound to holiness in
every sense of the word. We practice writing our hopes
in pencil so when we enter into that gate of holy
splendor and submission He can erase and write in pen
what really impacts one’s life and the lives of others.
Yeah, we come in contact
with possibilities every so often that have the
appearance of realness and full of viable substance, but
the long and short of it is the appearance of a full
destiny driven life is not what it actually becomes.
Something inside the reservoirs of your heart resonates,
this is not enough, there is more and so we find
ourselves leaving good situations seeking for a shadow
of what could be but that shadow can not emerge as
anything tangible because we have long ago left the
path. That shadow can only materialize when we drop off
our human driven impulses and allow our souls to be
washed in His glory and the beauty of His holiness.
From there every turn
you make takes you one step futher along the path of His
divine destiny for your life. The funny thing about
destiny is that once you begin to experience it just the
inkling of being on that path will suffice no matter the
outcome. Another funny thing about His destiny is that
when other people choose to hitch themselves in part or
fully to their portion in your and their destiny it will
always suffice because in all things you will feel a
sense of contentment rather than resentment – the little
actualize is surmountable to the pretense of destiny. We
have learned to spiritualize our walk, His word and
where we are meant to be to the point that we practice
living on the superficial spectrum of life and don’t
realize it.
What can I say to compel
the reader of this posting that there is a better way
and a better hope? When you begin to recognize the small
glimpses into what can be, like a glimpse into a window
of your soul that you recognize instantly as divine
providence, and then hold fast to that glimpse, by
changing the path you have been on, make a u-turn, and
follow that glimpse of hope, you become your destiny.
Have you ever felt a impulse to just walk up to someone
and share the gospel and fear or shyness prevented you
but instantly you know had you followed through you
might have done something extraordinary in the life of
that person or even your own life. That one act might
have been that very catalyst that set you on the course
of divine destiny. You know you have blown it. Yet
something tells you that the opportunity might present
itself again and then you will be certain not to lose
heart. I believe that sometimes we lose our way or can’t
perceive which way to go and Yahweh intervenes and that
slip of the finger, that mishap click, that quickened
awakening in the night, that impression to change your
plans or pursue something other than where you were
headed seems to take shape notions that has taken up
residence in your mind. Then the confirmations begin to
present and you know undoubtedly that you have entered
some narrow current in a stream that is taking you to
exactly where you were ultimately meant to be.
The word of Yahweh is
meant to engulf us and become the substance of our
entire being, thought, word, deed. Whatever amount we
allow ourselves to absorb it will always be enough
because we can’t determine for someone else how much
trust to put in Him or how much relinquishing of their
lives to surrender to Him. We can only affect our part.
Our part married to dwelling in the center of His will
will always suffice.
Ministry is this way;
you can either do it your way or do it His way and be
fully submerged in it. Choose to do it His way. Let it
be done as He commands and with the utmost of integrity
and he will take His delight in us and meet every need
whether it is physical, emotional, financial, or
spiritual. He will meet all those need. And yes, along
the way, He will set His angels charge over you and
nothing can come nigh unto you to do you harm and all
those that are loved by you and are important to your
well being He will cover them with your love. Yeah, with
your love! They still have their choices to make which
might not be His will for them but along the way they
will experience your love for them. You see, He will
restore as you go. Yeah! It is like that. In the midst
of living out my life for Him He is living out my life
through me. Not a pretense of my life or a shadow of my
life but the way it was designed to be. And the best is
yet to come.
All this in
anticipation of the next journey to come.
▲
November 4, 2011 email Update:
Click
here for photos from this trip
I am happy to be able to write this
update from the Out of Africa mission trip. I can say
that it has been a success and although it did not carry
the team physically as far as I had anticipated it
continues as far as I had anticipated. The work
continues through others and by other means necessary.
There is still much to be done to see it completed like
having the books and cds translated and printed for
distribution. I believe that Yahweh will see this
through.
Since my last update from South Sudan
it has been difficult to do so until now for several
reasons. One, internet access is very limited and so
slow that it was near impossible to get a single thing
posted or email sent. The internet is so slow and the
updates to the website were moving like a snail and
sometimes not even available. Second, due to illness I
did not have the strength or wherewithal to move about.
As you know from the last update I had 3 bouts of
malaria in S. Sudan and of course that really drains the
life force out a bit. Trying to recuperate in Nairobi
turned out to be with the same impact as it was in S.
Sudan. No sooner I got over one thing I was sick again.
The last week and a half in Nairobi I had typhoid which
took the last battle to get anything done right out of
me. Praise Yahweh the day before Yvonne and I left for
the USA I returned to the doctor and Praise YAHWEH I am
malaria and typhoid free. Yes, I had taken anti malaria
pills and had my typhoid immunization but nothing is
certain with all the resistant strains out there.
Yes, we are in the USA since 7:20 pm
Wednesday Eastern time. I have waited until this moment
to complete this update because I have been waiting for
Yvonne to reach home before sending this. She is 11
hours away form Dallas. It is important to me that all
the team members reach home safe and sound before this
is sent. If you have read the updates on the website
that managed to get through you will realize that the
team had a few touching moments and one narrow call
where our lives were literally rescued by the grace of
YAHWEH and the Dodoma police in Tanzania. We are also
alive and relatively healthy by His grace. Milka has her
scar that still gives her pain on occasion but that will
take time to heal proper from the inside. We have all
lost a good deal of weight but for some of us that is a
positive. Yvonne came back wearing my clothes, and I
came back wearing some of Milka’s clothes. Thanks to
Yahweh we each had a size the other can move into.
Everyone except Yvonne had malaria,
our bodies, mostly Yvonne and I are littered with
mosquito, flies, bedbugs and no-seeums bites (no-seeums
are the bugs that bite you but you can’t seeum to
identify what kind they are). You can connect the dots
all over our bodies from the onslaught. We are thankful
for the doctors that we found who were believers and
treated us as well as could be expected and most often
without us having to pay which we nearly never had the
resources for. We really trusted Yahweh for the entire
trip which was accomplished by a prayer and a dime.
Three months of eating the same food daily which lacked
the basis nutritional value could have had worst impact
but thanks to prayer and vitamins we made it.
Yvonne has now gotten off the bus and
has been picked up by her daughter so I am sending this
email to say thanks for all your prayers and financial
support to the team. The team is looking forward to
seeing what else Yahweh has in store for us as we look
for ways to see its completion in the many other avenues
Yahweh has open for it to continue. I am not certain
when I will leave on mission again but Yvonne has
partnered with me to move as Yahweh leads. We have left
Kenya with a host of needs being met but they are many
more to be met. We left funds to complete the repair on
Rose’s home in Migori. Her inside and outside wall to
the house will be repaired and she and the three boys
will each get a bed. Finally after struggling with HIV
for 15 years and losing her husband and his second wife
to HIV Rose has been redeemed in the eyes of her
village. With the help she has received she is now look
on favorably now. She is no longer an outcast. The last
cow we purchased for the widows group there in Migori
which Rose is a part of just gave birth to a healthy
calf. We can officially say that 3 cows have been given
to the widows. I am hopeful that by next planting season
we will be able to buy two oxen for the women’s group so
they can plow their fields for planting. As it is they
have to wait until their neighbors complete their
plowing before they can be assisted which is not fair
because by the time they get around to these widows they
have missed a significant amount of the rainy season. A
set of oxen just for the 20 plus widows will help
significantly to ensure these women and their orphan
children will have food to eat. Some of these widows
also take in other orphans who have lost both parents to
HIV.
We have hopes of building a community
center in Migori as one of the local councilmen has
offered to donate land to assist the community. We need
to build a building and stock it with food and clothing
for distribution. We have hopes to offer community
classes in sewing, improving agriculture, some
vocational skills courses: carpentry, auto tech,
plumbing, electrical and solar wiring, welding etc. We
will need volunteers who are willing to travel to Migori
to teach these skills free of charge. The community
center has a lot of potential in offering classes in
nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, childcare etc. This
project will be repeated in the village of Malanga in S.
Sudan but we are looking to raise funds there to build a
vocational tech school to offer the youth there
opportunities for a better future. All of these
situations will put the gospel first and there are
practical doors to reach the lost and destitute of
Africa. The land for the vocational school in Malanga
has already been donated.
We now have 64 students on the school
fees project but little if any funds to help more than
10% of the students at this time. On this trip we have
paid fees for 8 students completely paying off their
fees for this school year. We have assisted one student
to stay in touch with her family and make provision for
her to send financial support to her mother monthly.
Calleb’s water tank fell while we were in Sudan and
thank Yahweh it did not fall while anyone was in the
yard. It was a tank containing 3,000 liters of water and
from what I heard the children put on their swimming
costume and went for a swim. The structure it was on
about 20 feet in the air buckled. Obviously it was not
designed to handle that much weight. Milka’s daughter
was sick and received medical expenses to be taken to
the hospital. Others received assistance to help with
raising their siblings. There are many young people in
Africa who have lost their parents to HIV and other
situations that are raising their brothers and sisters.
They have literally put their own lives on hold for the
sake of their siblings. We have had several deaths in
Calleb’s congregation and even among Calleb’s family.
Funerals are costly and so we have assisted but it is
with the living that we need to put our efforts. There
are more needs than we can possibly meet but every bit
counts because what we see as we help those we can they
are passing the helps forward. This is how we impact
change.
Pastor Jinga in S. Sudan needs
surgery on his legs and we are hoping to assist him this
month. He will have to travel to Uganda to have the
surgery. Pastor Jino is waiting for funds to publish and
translate the books and cds. I also need to send him a
recorder to facilitate making the cds in other languages
as the radio station is not always available to due to
the large traffic of people using the stations. When we
were in Burundi, Pastor Boniface’s wife was sick with
typhoid mostly due to the sanitary conditions in the
compound. We are hoping to buy them a gas stove which
will improve the situation considerably. We want to do
the same thing for Pastor Samson’s family in Rwanda.
Milka and Calleb have been invited
back to Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and S. Sudan to spread
the teachings. We need to provide transportation and
send funds to feed people in the villages they will go
to. As you see there is much to be done. The results of
our efforts are seen even before we departed from any
place.
Our last month in Nairobi Yvonne and
I spoke in congregations and I interviewed a lady for a
book which I hope to complete in about a year or so. In
the last congregation on Sunday I taught about marriage,
family and emotional and physical abuse. Milka was
invited back to do the teachings from the trip and this
time it will be a couples seminar so pray for an impact
there.
Well, here we are. All of us finally
at home but with concerns with what else must be done.
Please continue to pray for this ministry as we have
made contacts along the way that will help us to meet
some of these goals. Pray for CTWM as I try to get a
non-profit status, find volunteers to teach vocational
tech skills in Africa, and find sponsors for school fees
etc, etc, etc.
As for now I am going to eat healthy,
spend a great deal of time with my grandson, pray and
seek Yahweh for this mission year.
▲
October 30, 2011
This pass week Yvonne and I taught at
a women's conference. I also interview a first wife for
a book. Since I have been feeling sick since returning
from S. Sudan I went to the doctor on Tuesday and was
diagnosis with typhoid. I have ten days of anti-biotic.
Praise Yahweh the malaria is completely gone. I have
been extremely tired and although there is a significant
amount of abdominal pain I am doing well. Resting is the
most important thing I can do right now. On Wednesday
morning we will leave to return to the USA. There is
still many things to do.
▲
October 23, 2011
Teaching in Mathare on Sunday. I have
been trying to update the website but am having
problems transferring photos from Yvonne's camera to my
laptop. Internet access is limited and it will take to
much time and money to try to post updates here.
▲
October 16, 2011
Today Yvonne and I spoke at Wisdom
Celebration centre in Mathare Slum in Nairobi. Calleb
was attending a funeral upcountry.
▲
October 6, 2011
Today Calleb took
Yvonne and myself to Nairobi town to change our ticket
back to the USA but it would have cost us $500 USD which
we did not have so we will stay on in Kenya until we
leave on November 2. I will spend time updating this
website but it will not be published until I return to
the USA because the system here is so slow it will be
expensive and time consuming in the internet cafe. We
will speak in some few congregations while here and do
whatever Yahweh lays in our path.
▲
October 3, 2011
We travelled all day
through Uganda and into Kenya by night fall. Once we
arrived at the Kenya immigration Yvonne and I were told
that we had to pay for a new visa each because once we
travelled out of East Africa our old visa was void. What
a difficult situation as we needed 10,000 Kenya
Shillings and we were short 2,200. By that time I had
just exchange our Uganda money into Kenya shillings.
When I went to retrieve the money out of my jacket I
realize the money changer had switch the wad of money on
me and given me back only about 1,800 shillings. I made
a mad dash back to the other side of the border, Uganda
to find the money changer. He did not expect me to find
the missing money but because of having to get new visas
I discovered the situation. Praise Yahweh I found the
thief and demanded my money back. We still came up short
and but we were able to borrow the needed funds from the
bus conductor and no one was left behind.
While on the bus to
Nairobi a certain pastor boarded the bus to preach the
gospel. It is their custom to board the buses, preach
and collect an offering. Indeed this sort of thing
offends me as the bible says "freely we have received
and freely we should give". it is a money making gimmick
done all the time. I waited until he finished the
message and pray and put my feet in the way so he could
not go back in the bus to collect money. I stood up and
told the people not to give him money because the gospel
should not be peddled. I said the gospel cost him
nothing but was paid for with the sacrifice of Jesus. I
told him if he had purchased the gospel himself to show
us the nail prints in his hands and feet and the wound
in his side. Since he could not show any I said then
sir, you shall not pass. Finally a few of the passengers
gave their approval of what I had said and the man
turned away and ride the bus out to his place of getting
off. Unfortunately this happens everyday in Kenya. I had
been told that the gospel peddlers share a portion of
their take with the driver for allowing him to speak.
We arrived finally in
the late morning to Nairobi and boarded and then a
matatu back to Calleb's house.
Please do not think
that we have abandoned the mission as it is still
moving. The audio radio cds are being translated and the
book will be published as soon as we raise the funds and
it will be translated into 18 languages and sent north
into Africa. There are others better equipped to take
this message further than we can. Of course language is
a hindrance to us abut Yahweh has made great a way to
continue the work. Milka's audios have gotten much play
on the radio and as was mentioned before, BBC picked up
her first audio and reported on it and we hope as they
are re-aired they will continue to get the same
response.
Please pray that all
the work we hope to be completed in South Sudan and
north will come to pass soon.
▲
October 2, 2011
The team attended 4
different congregations. Myself, I taught at Four Square
Gospel Church, Milka taught at Pastor Peter's
congregation in Gudele, Calleb taught at Grace Bible
Church and George, Simon and Yvonne attended the
congregation in Jebel, Grace Christian Church. We all
had an amazing day. Truly Yahweh has done a great work
in this place. It so happened that on this Sunday
morning Milka's teaching on the Highway out of Africa
aired on the radio and everyone just about at the
congregation heard her and were touched by her teaching.
They were amazed that she was the speaker for the day.
Milka has a way of impacting people with the teachings
on hygiene, diet and sanitation. Where others have tried
and failed, Milka knows how to relate and inform.
After Congregation we
spent the evening breaking down camp and packing for the
next day's journey out of South Sudan. Milka's brother
and friends came to take us to dinner before we left and
what a great meal we had. The first real meal in a very
long time. They also took us to Pastor Jinga's home that
night as we had already broken down our camp and our bus
was due to leave at 7 am. Pastor Jinga was also
travelling with us to Uganda on the same bus so we
stayed there and Milka's brother and friends came and
took us very early in the morning to the bus stage.
It was a long ride out
of South Sudan.
▲
October 1, 2011
Today is Saturday,
Shabbat and it is our day of rest but we had a full day
as our time was coming to an end in South Sudan. Denise
a brother from Uganda doing church work in South Sudan
took 4 of us to the mountain in Jebel which was once
called Witch Mountain but now it has been renamed by the
believers, Prayer Mountain. We left the camp on a foggy,
misty morning and hiked about an hour to the base of the
mountain where Denise left us for a bit to get
permission for us to climb. It was about another half an
hour climb and we were are a comfortable rock ledge on
the mountain where we prayed and some of us read the
bible. We each took time to have our won private time of
meditation and then we left for other events of the day.
We met a certain pastor
who invited Calleb to teach at the next day's service
and then we travelled on to Gudele where we spent the
time evangelizing.
 12
souls gave their hearts to the LORD that day. There were
7 of us who travelled to Gudele about 40 minutes by
matatu (bus) for where we were staying. We split into
three teams and spread out to do evangelism. There were
many people who live and work in the village from Uganda
who speak English and then the Sudanese who usually
speaks only Juba Arabic. I was with Pastor Denise and
Milka. While I share the plan of salvation, Milka helped
the mother of the household pick her greens so she can
concentrate on the message being shared with her. Denise
interpreted in Arabic for me. What a blessing that a
certain young man, the one in the white shirt, had
received salvation the last time Denise evangelized the
community. He had promised to attend the congregation
but had not so far. he joined us for the sharing and
recommitted to attending service the next day. The two
ladies in the photo both accepted Salvation. We spent a
great deal of time after evangelism with Pastor Peter
who shared with us the need for Sudanese to be
evangelize and for the issues of hygiene and sanitation
to be taught. He asked for one of the team to come the
next day to share in the congregations so we promised
that Milka will return to do so. In Gudele, the
incidences of typhoid and malaria are extremely high.
Typhoid because the people take water form the stream
and they do not boil or add water guard. This is the
same stream where they bathe, wash clothing and use the
toilet in. This is a very common practice in S. Sudan.
It is very common to see people taking dirty standing
water and drinking it. He was desperate for someone to
make an impact on this way of life. Pastor Peter also
agreed to translation the book A Highway Out Of Africa
into 2 languages for us. What a blessing that people are
surfacing who can easily assist us with the
translations. Pastor Peter also works at a community
center that has a printing press and we are hoping that
he will be able to give us a better cost for the
printing of the book since it will be made free to all
who desires one. This is one of the ways the message
will go to all of Sudan.
After, we hurried back
to Pastor Jinga's congregation for the evening's bible
study where I taught on tithing and offerings. There
were many questions and I was asked to teach on the same
topic the next day. We had previously planned for Milka
and myself to attend Pastor Jinga's congregation where
Milka would be the main speaker. Since Milka would now
be speaking in Gudele, I would be the main speaker. The
team tomorrow would be attending 4 congregations.
George, yvonne and Simon would attend the congregation
in Jabel where they would distribute the sack of rice.
It was a long day and still another long day to follow.
Praise Yahweh we are greatly needed.
Let's see what
Yahweh will do this year!
▲
|
