Finding the enemy within me

Dashed and disillusioned, shattered and broken.

O, the horror of knowing the enemy…

Acting out of ignorance and stupidity,

sincerely wrong good intentions.

eyes opened,  seeing the Pain caused to the wounded Body.

Knowing the hands, and seeing the heart

of the enemy of the Kingdom.

Sickening

silenced…

The war inside persists, the Holy One winning.

Revealing the ignorant rebelliousness of an unwilling heart

numbing, even wounding young and old parts.

Let Your Kingdom come! Let it come now!

May the scars remind of ignorant rebellion,

for the healing has started with eyes being opened.

In complete submission healthy maturity may develop.

A joyful place as the Kingdom dawns.

A wordless teaching through trauma

After having a long effective but lonely day, I was blessed with a brother having time to talk.  This friend works at the Engen garage in Erasmuskloof.  After having a long and encouraging chat, I was heading in for some coffee at the Coco when a woman came walking by looking traumatized.   Asking to make a call from my phone, she realized her phone was gone.  Contributing to her trauma, she just kept on walking, and crying.  John and I did not even hesitate to go after her, and eventually she was convinced to join me inside the Bistro.  

After her repeated inquiry on who I am, and why I would at this particular place, I realised that the trauma the is experiencing, the pain and suffering cannot be put into words.  Letting go of wanting to inquire on the reason for her distress, I quickly used the tools available.  With great appreciation for the skills I came to practice, we used the social media to get in contact with her family.  A mere 20 minutes from first contact to pickup, we became sisters. 

The love that we need to live out comes in incomprehensible packages.   Her continual denial of being free to ask God why stuck with me.  One of my street brothers once prayed for the people in prisons.  Here I found a sister who is being imprisoned by some lie that our Father shuns His children away, denying them the comfort that only He can provide. 

In this double blessing, I not only came to understand something about the lies we dare not challenge, due to the possible live changing effect. I also came to see that just being comforted in presence we are the provision to others for which we ourselves long.  We may just be the provision God sends to others.  It just comes to show that within the Body, we are set apart to fulfil certain roles. If not acting when occasion calls, and led in the spirit, we may just be disrespecting and abandoning our fellow brothers and sisters in not carrying the Good news we live by.  

Sweet growth amongst street brothers

Throughout the past few weeks, family has been a great challenge for me.  Finding everyone to be a brother and sister, everywhere to be home and One Father and Lord of all, it automatically causes focus on the role I play in the lives of others.  I joined the OMNIchurch #lovedrive this week as we set out to find brothers and if possible sisters sleeping or staying on the streets of Church Square Pretoria. 

As Storyteller for the Kingdom, I believe in using communication as an intentional method of faith formation.  Challenged with this calling, I set out to do a bit of intentional living.  What a surprise!  Treating these brothers just the same as any other, and expecting them to share, contribute and become part of the Omnichurch mission of sharing the challenge of living church, and coming together to share the challenges faced, these brothers impressed me with a desperate longing for true relationship.  Letting go of expectation, and letting the Spirit bind us together, these brothers started asking questions exposing the longing for the body of love. 

There men expressed the thirst for real relationship with God.  Knowing that I in no way can fulfil this, the only support I could give was in living and sharing the relationship I have.  The need for community for these brothers are is more than I can comprehend.  It desperately calls to the body.  The light that was shining in their eyes leaved me astounded as I realised that I may have extended them some of the grace that I have received.   What gets me is the fact that neither they, nor God needs me to build and proclaim His kingdom.  However, to be part of the story of the Kingdom, to be in this loving relationship with God, this is undeserved love, undeserved life!

I long to go back and join these brothers as they start the wonderful journey of getting to know God, being in true relationship with Him, and falling in love with the Son.