1 December 2010

“You can’t change the past,

but you will ruin the present

by worrying about the future.” Anon.

It is amazing how worry can consume your life and really ruin the present. I think about 90% of our worrying is about things in the future. And many times we say to ourselves when things have worked out, “ Why did I worry so much!” I believe that God really wants us to enjoy each and everyday as it comes along. It is therefore for this reason that He says in His Word, “do not worry about tomorrow…” Matthew 6:25. When will we learn to trust Him in such a way that we can truly enjoy each day without worrying about some issue that is in the future.

The Catholic Sisters who stay in Mbala approached me for help. They were receiving two 20 foot containers from the UK and needed them to be offloaded here in Mbala. Well the challenge is, is that we do not have any forklift truck or crane to remove them. So it was using other methods!!!! No this did not mean using magic but just sheer strength and ingenuity. It amazes me what can be accomplished with so little modern technology.

Firstly we had to unload the containers and then move each container onto another truck that would be able to get the container into the position it was going to stay. This required ropes, my patrol and trucks carefully reversing and driving forward in unison. Quite a challenge!! To add to the challenge part of the work was done in a torrential downpour. It did make things slide better. Well it took most of the day, but we were successful at the end. The next morning I felt muscles I never knew I had. As a good friend of mine says “ failure is not an option”.

Earlier this year I felt that I really needed to attempt to try and visit each of my students homes and pray for them and their families. Visitation is considered so important here. This last weekend we started the programme by driving out 120Km on some of the worst roads I have been on. My poor little Isuzu was bashed and bounced for 4 hours. But what a joy we hade visiting. Then onto another village about another 100Km away and a lot more bouncing and bashing and another 4 hours later. Did I feel tired that night. Had a wonderful evening in Chibote and spent the next morning visiting 5 homes. Now it is customary that when you visit a home you must have something to eat. Well I thought I was going to explode after 5 sittings. But what a joy it was and I learnt again how important these small things like visitation mean, not only to the family but to the community. I just love it!!!!

We still have two other places to visit but the next week I will be preaching at a Graduation Service for Fiwale Bible College in Ndola and then flying down to Johannesburg to attend the REAP Conference. I am looking so forward to the good teaching and preaching. So remember me in your prayers as I ride my bike down to Ndola and Lusaka and back home. (+-2000Km)

I am sure that I will have lots to write about when I return. God bless.

19 November 2010

“We find courage to stand,

when we kneel before the Lord.” Anon.

Wow! Have these last 2 weeks been a rollercoaster ride. Our rural ministry came to a close well before the first real rains and that was a great answer to prayer. It was a joy to spend time with the students this year as we studied together.

Then just having planned what I was going to be doing during the rainy season we were throne a curve ball when the owner of the the farm we are renting gave us three months notice to shift. His desire is to return now and live on the farm. Well thinking of moving a house is one thing but moving a farm is quite another. Firstly, there are not too many farms around with access to piped water at the house and electricity. And secondly if you found one they would probably want the earth in rent.

Well, not surprisingly God provided us with a 140 Hector Farm just 2 Km from our current location with water and electricity. At present we rent a 15 Hector farm. Yes moving is going to be the challenge, but at least we have a place to move too. It is going to be sad saying goodbye to our little homestead of 8 years, but it seems the Lord is wanting to extend our boundaries. Thank you all for your prayers!!!!!!

Then on Wednesday this last week I was invited to attend one of our employees’ wedding in the village. It was really a mix of some Western and Traditional Traditions. Lots of dancing and sing!!! I think for me what was very interesting was the importance of the wedding cake at the ceremony. Lynne baked it for him and I took it out on the morning. Well I was a little late but that was ok as they could not start the ceremony without the cake. One person had cycled a good few Km to go and phone me to find out if I was coming, with the Cake! What a learning experience! Every aspect of the ceremony had the cake involved. It was ceremoniously cut up into small pieces and then when anybody participated in the wedding they were given a piece of cake. Even if you presented the couple with a present you were given a piece of cake. It was given to you on a fork by the Matron of Honour, and she had to place it in your mouth, without you using your hands, touching the cake. To cut it short I was glad I was number 6. The same fork in the mouth of about a 100 people!!!

Please do pray for us as we begin to plan this enormous move. Our family has really felt a little unsettled this past week. God bless and thank you!

3 November 20101

“The best gift for the younger generation is a good example from the older generation” Anon

Age is something that is very relative. We never really want to believe that we are getting older. Somebody in their 40’s think they are very young compared to those in their late 50’s and 60’s. But those in that age bracket believe they are young compared to those who are older. Well the other day somebody commented on how grey my hair is getting and then that same day I came across this quote. What really struck me is that we are never too young to be an example as there are folks always younger than us. We are also never too old that we cannot learn from somebody older than us. So whether we believe that we are young or old there is always a lesson to learn.

We closed off our Bible Schools for the year with our final meeting. Unfortunately only three students arrived but we decided to continue anyway and it was a real blessing. Sometimes we can get so hung up about numbers and seem to forget that God can use a single man to change the world. These folks were so keen to learn. Later this month I hope to visit my students in their homes. It may be a bit of a challenge as some of them live 160Km into the bush and on very bad roads. Hopefully the roads have not gotten too muddy yet and that the streams will still be negotiable with our little Isuzu.

We are still trying to plan one more seminar for some folks down on Lake Tanganyika. I met with these folks last year doing a course of Bible Studies over the year and they would like to learn about Christian Leadership. We have already had one of these seminars in a village quite close to us and was a great inspiration to us all. Leadership is so important and especially in the Church.

And so we await the rains. It is hot and muggy and all we look forward to is that first good shower to bring us some relief. We have just started to construct a small paddling pool for the children. Hopefully it will be finished in the next few weeks.

15 October 2010

“Grace is everything for those who deserve nothing” Anon

The words of the great hymn Amazing Grace ring as true today as they were when they were penned. We sure deserved nothing except the absolute wrath of God, but through His mercy and grace we may be called children of God. Let us never forget that we actually deserved absolutely nothing from God!

This week we had a wonderful week of teaching. We had a Bible School this week and continued to teach on Stewardship, ie being good stewards of all that we have because it actually all belongs to God.

One of the students actually cycled 160Km on his bicycle to come and be with us. What dedication! It is such an honour to teach folks who are eager to learn. We also had a few drops of rain and this has caused all those plants that have laid dormant for most of the year to suddenly flower. The bush is so terribly burnt from the fires and in between this decimation you see these beautiful little flowers. They will only be with us a short time and then will die off until next year. It is such a picture of what God can do in the life of a person. A life that is completely ruined can begin to blossom when he places his trust in Christ and allows the power of God to transform him. What a lesson!

We are also in the silly month as we call it, where it gets rather hot before we get the long awaited rains. Here Charley feels the heat as she practises her violin. I think it is a time where we would all like to walk around with very little clothing on.

God bless.

9 October 2010

“Forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on…” Philippians 1:13

Very often, if not always our baggage from the past seems to have a huge effect on our today and our tomorrows. Many times we are enslaved to our past in so many ways and this causes us to be enslaved to our present and future. But Paul writing to the Church at Philippi says we need to put the past behind us and strain for a different future with different goals, heavenward goals.

Sadly, most of our energy and goals are spent on the temporary, which is so effected by our past, but Paul says that God can change that. He speaks with experience as his life and life’s direction was changed on that road to Damascus many years ago. God can get us out of the rut that our past has cut for us.   Allow God to redirect your life for a greater purpose!

Just returned from a wonderful session teaching at a women’s conference being held here in Mbala. These ladies travel vast distances, up to 70Km to come and be mutually encouraged in the things of God. Unlike the men they have to bring nursing babies and all!

This up coming week we will beholding another Bible School here on the College Land. We pray that lives will be changed for His Kingdom.

We are also in the process of building a guest wing for our house. Up here it is a bit of a challenge. We have to make and burn our bricks. The concrete stone is broken up by hammer and hand. No ready  mix cement! Mixing the concrete by hand is no easy task for the guys, especially during the hottest month of the year.

3 October 2010

“There are no unimportant people in the Body of Christ.”Anon.

As I was reading this quote during my devotions this morning I was again reminded that every single Believer has a part to play in the extension of God’s Kingdom upon this earth. No person in the family of God has nothing to offer or do in the service of the King.

So often life in this world paints a different picture where we are only of any use if we have the right qualifications for the task, i.e. academic or practical experience. This makes a lot of folks seem useless as they may not have access to the academic facilities or have ever worked, thereby having no experience. But being in the service of the King is different. He is constantly teaching and leading us. Academic training is being done in hand with practical living. The only criteria that the King desires is that we are available and willing.

I get so encouraged when a group of folks arrange a few days of teaching and desire to learn more so that their lives and those of their congregations can grow in the things of God. This last month I was given the privilege of being able to spend three days teaching some church leaders on Godly Leadership. It is always a challenge to put feet to the theological principle where leadership in their culture is not servant leadership. But we trust that the time spent together will bear fruit in years to come.

It was also a very great honour for me to preach at one of the sub chiefs funerals and have some senior chiefs present. These burials are very traditional and do not happen very often. The last sub chief in this area passed away 20 years ago and so a big part of the people had never witnessed a chief’s burial. To be honest I had really very little idea of what was happening. The only thing I can say is that they bury the chief sitting up in a cave dug in the ground and not traditionally lying down in a mat or casket. Unfortunately no photos were allowed to be taken. But what a learning curve for me!

This upcoming week will be a rest and repair week. Its weeks like this that I need to repair vehicles and rest a bit from ministry. Although the evening classes will continue they are test weeks so I will not be teaching. Thank you for your prayers and God bless you.

 

13 September 2010

“To return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.” Anon.

We have the saying up here,” You get nothing for nothing”. This means that nobody is going to give you something without alteria motives. In our part of the world we receive a lot of aid from various donor organisations, but in most of the times there is always the fine print as we say. And generally the world runs like this and this becomes expected.

Yet Christ expects something different from His followers. We give not to receive, we do good not to just receive good in return. No we have a higher standard of which is expected of us. But thanks be to God who has given us His Holy Spirit to help us to achieve this high standard. This is why returning good for evil is truly Divine.

This past week we lost a Legend in Mbala. Chris past away on Friday morning at around 4am. He may not mean much to many but to us he had become a father. He left South Africa in 1958 and only ever returned once. He never married and had absolutely no family that we could trace. So as he grew older and was unable to help himself he kind of became our responsibility. The community saw us as his family and so also the burial became our responsibility. However having said this the whole community helped in an amazing way to make the burial possible in such a short time. He is now buried on his farm.

Then just yesterday a Chief in our area past away and so later today I need to go to the funeral house to pass on our condolences. There just seems to be so much death this last week. Even one of Joel’s newly born guinea pigs drowned in the drinking bowl. 

But praise be to God death is not final for those who believe in Jesus. God bless.

3 September 2010

“Prayer should be our first response

rather than our last resort.” Anon

Oh how often we live in with a mindset that we will try all that is humanly possible before we commit it to the Lord in prayer. Perhaps our reason may be that we do not want to disturb God over what may be solved with human wisdom. Sometimes we maybe a bit proud and not want any help. Or we may just simply forget and only when we are really in a pickle with no other possible solution we turn to the Lord as a last resort.

I must say that this happens to me a lot when I attempt to repair things from our vehicle to our tumble dryer. I start out all gung ho only to be humbled when I can’t. Sadly it is only then that I ask God to give me direction and wisdom. I should really do that right at the start!

This morning we said goodbye to the ladies as they started their journey home. We do pray that they will put feet to the theory that they have learnt. Mothers and wives are very influential in the home and it has been stated that they determine the mood in the home. May these ladies be Godly examples in their homes.

I will have another wonderful opportunity to preach at our local Church on Sunday. may the Lord use His Word to lead us further along the road of sanctification. God bless!

31 August 2010

“Our needs will never exhaust God’s supply.” Anon

Wow how time has flown since I last wrote. So much has been happening. I take refuge in that our needs can never exhaust God’s supply! Out here where physical needs are so big in comparison to what we have, I sometimes feel overwhelmed!. Oh Lord what can I do! Then the Lord reminds me that it is not what I can do but what He can do! A big difference. Man can never meet the supply of the demand, there will always be a shortfall, yet when we learn to trust in God, His supply is inexhaustible. But we must not forget that His supply is for His purpose and not our own. Our task is to determine what His purpose in the situation is. So often man wants to step in to relieve pressure of a burden that we see, but God maybe wanting to use that burden to teach the person a great lesson. Our human effort denies the person that lesson. So everyday living amidst the needy, the question is what is God wanting me to do in this situation?.

These last few weeks the family returned from Lodge sitting and Lynne really needed a break. So she had the wonderful opportunity of heading off, backpacker style, to the Island of Zanzibar and had a good break away. I was the one this time to keep the home fire burning and the children fed and washed. It was a great time to be able to spend the complete day with the children.

This week we have a Ladies Bible School and we are  privilege again to have Renata come and teach them. She converses in Bemba fluently, which really helps with teaching the Ladies as very very few of them understand English. I will hope fully have a picture for you before the end of the week.

 

 

 

 

17 August 2010

“To understand God is impossible,but to worship Him is imperative. Anon”

For some it is a major hurdle in life to realise that one can never understand God in all His Glory. Why the miracles we see every day, like the birth of a baby, and the disasters that wrack this earth, like the flooding in China? Some of our questions will never have answers to them as the Source of our questions is way beyond the understanding of mortal man. Instead of understanding Him let us just worship Him in all His Glory and Majesty.

What a wonderful time we had this last weekend as 650 of us descended on the Annual Baptist Conference of our district. It was an awesome privilege to be able to preach to folks who come from very far and wide. They were also able to baptize 20 folks, some of whom come from very remote areas. The theme was “Revival” and my prayer is that we all left revived in the Lord.

This next week Lynne will be out travelling with a friend for some well deserved rest. I will be at home keeping the home fires burning, which have been quite literal this last weekend as we had very little power. It will be a wonderful time to catch up with all the things around the house. I have posted some pictures of the this years conference for you to enjoy. God bless!!

10 August 2010

“Knowing about God is fascinating, but knowing God personally is life changing.” Anon

Oh the difference in just knowing about God and really knowing God!!. The first is so intellectual and dry and forms the foundation for so many debates within our society, but the second takes a life that once was doomed to failure and disgrace and transforms it into what God originally intended for man to be. The picture in my mind is God taking one of my girls lifeless dolls and lovingly breathing life into it so that the once lifeless doll becomes alive and vibrant, having personality and emotions, being able to express love. What a contrast!

Last week we were to hold a Bible School but had to postpone it as many of our students were selling their maize to the government. The government buys maize from the rural farming community to store as reserve maize in case of any disasters in the up coming growing season. Good in principle, but takes time. Farmers sometimes have to wait months to get their money. All of our students are farmers and so this time is important. We will meet again in September.

It is also wonderful to be back home in Mbala as a family after Lynne’s temporary management of a Lodge on the Lake. She did such a fantastic job!!!!

This coming weekend I will be out at a local church conference that is held in a central village location. If people ask me to explain what it is like I compare it to a refugee camp with make shift shelters and cooking fires every where. But what a wonderful opportunity of being able to share the Gospel. I have been given 4 sessions to speak. I have posted a picture from a previous year to give you an idea. Please do pray that the Lord gives me wisdom and strength. I will post some pictures next week.

29 July 2010

“ We all grow older, but we do not all mature. Some age like wines, others turn to vinegar. Some turn sour and others sweet. The deciding factor is, do we dwell on the negatives that life has thrown us, or on the positives of God’s gracious grace?”

How we grow old seems to me to be a choice? Do we dwell on the negatives or do we delight on the positives? I have met folks that come from both camps. The one’s with the positive outlook seem still to be making an impact in the world for Him. The folks from the other camp, well I will leave you to answer that! I guess the choice is ours everyday.

This last week has been a wonderful time on the lake, with the family again. We had a wonderful time with the students. Five of the seven students that came had to cycle about 70Km to come to the school. I get overwhelmed at times how vast our district is. We have a student the has to travel 140Km by bicycle to come. What a commitment!

This week we have had some beautiful weather on the Lake. It has been great doing school and playing on the sandy shore in the afternoons. God is so good!!!

At the end of this week I will be returning to Mbala again to host the next Bible School starting on Monday. God bless you!

22 July 2010

“The Bible gives us a picture of who we really are.” RBC

When the Prophet Nathan confronts David about his adultery and murder he does so buy first telling David a story. The injustice of the story infuriates David and wants the punishment and restitution metered out. Only to be struck by the words of the Prophet,” You are that man!”

This is the character of the Bible. For some they love it as it always tells us the truth about our lives and standing before God. But some hate and despise it, because the picture the Bible is showing them of their lives, is not what they want to see. And so the Bible has become a love hate relationship to mankind. What kind of picture does the Bible reflect of our lives?

  This week has been an exciting week so far. At present we have 7 folks staying on the College land working through a Bible School. Some have travelled about 78Km to be with us for the week. It has been a wonderful joy to be able to spend a few hours with them everyday looking at the subject of Stewardship. The subject has provoked many questions and we have had a good time of interaction. Each time we have a Bible School I learn so much from the folks as we interact.

The family is still on the Lake and I do hope to join them towards the end of the week. I have a number of things to do before I go so I ask you that you will just keep me in your prayers.

17 July 2010

Generosity stems from the heart that has experienced God’s grace. Anon

If there is among you a poor man of your brethren . . . you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand. —Deuteronomy 15:7

Life is so relative, the rich are poor when they compare themselves to the super rich, the poor are rich when they compare themselves to the super poor. Living in a community where you are seen as being rich having what may seem to others as an endless supply of cash, places tremendous pressure upon you. How do you go about fulfilling the above Scripture, where it is impossible to meet all your neighbours needs and also provide adequately for your family?

Not only are you wanting to give in a way that will help, but also you are not wanting to create a dependency that brings about greater harm than good. I share with folks that one of the hardest things here is to give to people in a way that will build into their lives and not create further struggles down the road. These are some of the challenges I think most missionaries face daily. Lord give us wisdom I pray !!!

It has been wonderful down on the Lake for a few days. Next week we look forward to another Bible School taking place. May we grow together in the things of the Lord. I also need to do some work around the house and both our small car and my bike are not running at the moment.

God bless.

13 July 2010

“Don’t just spend time,

invest it.”

“Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time.” Col 4:5

TIME !!!!! How often we say that we have so little of it! I often ask the Lord why He only made 24 hour days and of that why we need to spend time sleeping? There are just so many things to do and we just do not seem to have the time to complete our daily lists.

Yesterday was one of these days for me where the list was just longer than the time I had to do it in. Two days ago our prized cow gave birth to a beautiful calf. Praise the Lord for His blessing! However, we have a challenge with the mother in that she always struggles with a retained placenta. So after my morning run with Steve, I had to do the JOB. The JOB entails placing your arm down her poop canal to massage the uterus and then clean your arm and place it into her, you know what, to clean out her uterus. Not a topic for the breakfast table. It was then off to Chris, the old man that lives on his own, to deliver 50 chicks with feed. It is just to help him and give him some meaning for his day. Two hours later I am back at the house drilling some holes for Joel’s swords that he is making. Then it is packing all the goods for the trip across the lake. I am already 1 hour late and can’t seem to find enough egg trays to transport the eggs. Half an hour later I find some sponge that will work and head off for the 38 Km drive down to the harbour.

Well its off load all the goods for the Lodge, that the family is looking after while the managers are away, and head off to the filling station to load up 200L of fuel and 50L of Kerosene. It is then onto the boat and across the Lake, about 40min, to the Lodge. Great to see the family again. What an interesting day!! Now I just ran out of time to finish tiling our new shower, but maybe next week. Through out this day my desire is that in all this busyness God may be glorified as I rub shoulders with the world. God bless.!!

8th July 2010

“The greatest blessings come to the one who freely gives and expects nothing in return.”

Anon

As we enter August the pace of ministry seems to increase and we just are so thankful that we have so many opportunities that the Lord has opened for ministry. I believe that the greatest gift we can share is the Gospel, where a life can be transformed by the inward working power of our Lord.

At present we are busy running a Ladies Bible School. Last year I had a number of my students ask if we could not arrange a special School time for their wives. They commented that they were learning so much but that their wives were being left out. And so we started a wives Bible School programme and it has been so well received. We are so fortunate that we have a lady teacher, Renata, who willingly comes and spends time teaching the Ladies. Ladies are very influential up here in different ways to how we would see it. She certainly has a way of making an impact in the home, church and society.

My family is still at the Lodge on Lake Tanganyika, lodge sitting. They have also been very busy with a number of guests coming and going. I look forward to joining them tonight for a few nights before I return. As many of you are aware we only have two games of the World Cup left. This outreach has been such a great success in so many areas. Thank you for your prayers!!!! It comes to a close on Sunday and I look forward to our lives getting back into their usual routine. But oh it has been so worth it!!

 

5th July 2010

“If you adore Christ as Saviour

you won’t ignore Him as Lord.”

Anon

How is it that so many want Jesus as their Saviour but fail to take Him as their Lord? Do we do this because we fear death and the consequences thereof? Is having Christ possibly just an ace in case Heaven and Hell is real?Oh we miss out so much when we ignore Him as Lord. God designed us to worship!!! Sadly we have chosen to worship the temporal instead of Jesus who is the eternal. The best life, is a life where Christ is in the driving seat. Let us surrender to Him not only as Saviour but as Lord as well.

I praise the Lord for the wonderful ministry these last two days. On Sunday I was able to preach at Chipanda Baptist Church, which is a rural church about 15Km from our house. It was great to share from Hebrews 5 where Adam is compared with Christ and how sin and death came through one man, but eternal life also came through one man, Christ.

On Monday afternoon I was able to speak to the youth at the Youth Conference in Kowa Village. Eight Churches in the district had sent their youth. What a wonderful time!! Pray for those who made a confession of faith, that it may be real, not only taking Christ as Saviour, but Lord as well.

3rd July 2010

“In the drama of Life, God is the director behind the scenes.” Anon

Wow!! these last few weeks have passed by quickly. We were so privileged to have some visitors from Hilton Baptist in South Africa. What a wonderful time of fellowship. They spent the morning holding a Holiday Bible Club at Luse Orphanage and then in the afternoon and evening they started to repaint the inside of our house. And yes they brought up all the paint for the whole house. The rooms that have been completed look so good.

The day they left we received a call from some very good friends of ours, who manage a lodge on the Lake. They had to make a very urgent trip down to South Africa as their mom was not well at all. Because of this turn of events in their lives they asked us to Lodge sit while they are away. Now we also were fortunate to do this last year and we had such a blast. The difference this time is that the place is really busy with lots of guests coming and going. The ministry still also has to continue and this coming week we are having the pastors wives come for some training. And so Lynne and the children are Lodge sitting and I am still up in Mbala continuing with ministry. I will pop down every so often to see how they are all doing.

We thank the Lord that we are still showing the World Cup Football and that every night the Gospel is being preached. We continue to stand on His Word that His Word will not return void. Seeds are being sown!!

And so things are quite busy at the moment. But I do take comfort in the fact that God is directing the course of our lives and that all things are for good to those who love Him. I am glad that He is the one in control!!! We just need to be obedient and walk in the path that He has laid out for us. He is the one that gives us the strength for His tasks.

God bless!

13 June 2010

“God put us on earth to shine as lights, not to get use to the dark.”Anon

These last two days have been so busy as we prepared to set up all the kit to be able to show the World Cup Football on two big screens. Every night for the next month we will be projecting the 20:30 game and then using the interval to reach out to the fans with the Gospel.

So far we have a had a number of people coming to the viewings. In about a week we will offer a Bible study before the game to those who are interested in learning more about the Gospel.

Today I was given the opportunity to preach at the Baptist Church in Mbala. What a joy! The question I posed was “is there more to life than just living and dying? Did not God create us for something more?” Life’s purpose only really starts when we surrender our lives to God and His will for our lives and then life begins to take on meaning. Romans 12:1-2 shows us this so clearly.

The team from Hilton Baptist Church has started on their journey to us. At the time of writing this they should be on the road somewhere in Botswana. We are looking so forward to them spending 10 days with us.

11 June 2010

“The call to serve Christ includes the call to suffer for Christ.” Anon

Wow these last few days have been a bit hectic. On Wednesday morning I was able to share with the folks at our local World Vision office. The devotion was titled “Who is our Master?” These days the cry of the world is “It Is All About Me!”. This comes out in the music, best selling books and various forms of media. Sadly we find that this understanding has also crept into the Church where we see God as a convenience to just meet our needs. The idea of us being a servant to Him is shifting further and further away from our Christian belief.

This week we were also holding a Bible School here on our College land. What a joy to spend time with folks in discussing the things of God. I learn so much from them!! We discuss a Biblical principle and then see how we can apply that into our lives. So many questions arise of situations that our brothers face in the village. And so based upon the principle we have learnt we discuss a possible solution. Wonderful stuff!!

Through this we had Joel come down with malaria, but he has responded well to the medicines and is recovering well. Last night I was able to show the Jesus Film in Mambwe to the Bible School Students. They loved seeing Jesus speak their mother tongue. Thank you to all those who made this project possible.

Tonight we start a month long outreach with Steve and some local Pastors in screening the World Cup Football games and sharing the Word of God. I hope to post a few pics. We do pray that God will move the hearts of each one that comes so that they may also receive the blessed Saviour and have eternal life.

Just had to post this picture of my sons and our male kitten Massey.

7th June 2010

“God the Father gave us His Spirit to enable us to be like His Son” Anon

What an incredible weekend! I left on Saturday with Joel and Friday (his friend) for a village about 70Km from us called Chimula. About 5 Churches had come together and wanted me to come and teach on Evangelism and to show the Jesus Film. It was a wonderful time of teaching and building relationships. I spoke on Jesus’ last words to His disciples in Acts 1:8. He calls us to be His witnesses. Well what kind of witnesses are we really being?

That night we showed the Jesus in Mambwe. This was the first time I had seen it in Mambwe as we had previously only had the Bemba version. The folks at Chimula are very traditional Mambwe. It was exciting for them to hear Jesus speaking their language!

On Sunday I spoke on Jesus’ first words that He preached, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” Matthew 4:17. What does it really mean to repent? We hear the word so often preached and spoken about. Are we sorry for our sins because it is effecting our lives negatively, or are we sorry because we have sinned against God!

Well we have a Bible School starting where we are expecting 10 folks to come in from the villages for three full days of teaching.

4th June 2010

“Living for Jesus is not a part time job.” Anon

We must remain intense in our desire to please the Lord. Romans 13:11 describes how we need to rise from our slumber. I find so often that the mundane can slowly put us to sleep. It is often then through some circumstance that we are shocked out of this slumber. Everyday we need to do a reality check.

Great run this morning! This morning I had to go out and see Chris again. Took him some medicine as I think he has malaria. It is a wicked disease when you are young, but so much compounded when you are 85 years old.

This afternoon I began preparing to go to the bush tomorrow. I had to put the finishing touches to my screen for the Jesus film and then pack. It is another zonal seminar and a wonderful opportunity to teach and preach to a number of churches that will be attending. I must try and get some pictures.

2nd June 2010

“In prayer, God hears more than just words, He listens to your heart.”Anon

When David prayed it was prayers that were birthed in the heart and not in the mouth. So often our prayers are mere words recited to appease our conscience because that is what we should be doing at that time. Psalm 6 is a cry from the very depths of the person of David. Lord teach me to pray!

This day has been a day behind the computer trying to get our latest newsletter sent and school books ordered, no easy task. I thought computers were suppose to make life easier and free up your time for other things!

This evening the Wednesday night class met and we had a great discussion on being a witness for Christ in word and life. Paul’s words echo in my head, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” 1 Cor 11:1 What a challenge!

1st June 2010

“ God puts us on earth to shine as lights, not to get use to the dark” Anon.

The day started with the challenge from the Lord, in Matthew 5:13-16,  that we are to live as lights in this world. It was a reminder to me of what I often share with my students:

“Let the greatest message you ever preach be the life that you live.”

It is relatively easy to preach a good message, but a hang of a lot harder to live that message every day. My desire and prayer is that daily I may be a missionary here in Mbala and not just come to do missions, like it is some project. We all need examples to follow and imitate in this life. My desire is that my life may be worth imitating for the Kingdom.

Had a great 5Km run with Steve and then headed off to Pastor’s Fellowship. We had an interesting discussion on whether God’s blessing is conditional or not. Many Pastors are asked to pray for people so that they can be blessed, regardless of their lifestyle and relationship with God. Would God really bless such a person? Are we some “good” witchdoctor that can bless by some magic powers? I think not. So too easily can we fall into similar practises of the world only cloaked in religion. I look forward to another discussion next week.

This evening I met with 2 students. Unfortunately the other three could not be with us. We had a wonderful discussion on the importance of reading and studying God’s Word. Up in our part of the world prayer is very important and many teachings are brought on the subject. Many are urged to pray because there is power in prayer. Yet tonight we discovered that without a sound understanding of God’s Word, how do we know what to pray? How do we begin to understand what the desire and will of God is? So many problems in our Churches would be resolved if we as a Church spent more time reading and studying God’s Word. Now I am not downplaying the importance of prayer but, without knowing God, as revealed in His Word, how do we go about to start to pray in His Name?

Of course I was on my bike today and that calls for a family ride when I get back. Only on the farm so don’t worry!!

Monday 31st May 2010

“One of Satan’s most effective “wiles”is “wait awhile””

Or as we would say procrastination! Our part of the world is never in a hurry and I am not sure that it is procrastination or something different. The way of life here is just so that “different”.

After a time looking at Lot and his procrastination about leaving Sodom before it was to be destroyed. The angel eventually had to drag him out. So easily you can slip into a life of procrastination up here because things are “different”. Gen 19

Had a great 10Km run with Steve, a Southern Baptist missionary, early this morning. It was our first 10Km run on Zambian soil. Embarrassing after being here for 11 years. Had an hour with the children trying to make sense of maths.

Spent the most part of the day sorting out security clearances for Chris’s workers with the local Police. Hence my thinking about procrastination or just being different. Chris is this old white man who has never married and has lived on his farm for the last 30 years. He is now about 85 years old with no fixed income. The community have come to see him as our “father” because he is white. His life has been such a lesson to me, both his successes and his failures.

 

Late this afternoon I was able to take some time to wash my bio diesel. Looking forward to a family evening!!!!