Commissioned to observe the Bride's choices - a prayer for the future

The end of the Trek affirmed my new nature. I have been spoiled for going back to business as usual. God answered so many prayers, but it all boils down to one:

"May the Lord grow you and and destroy you for ordinary living"

I would like to share my story, how newness turns to ordinary and God ignites new life. I decided to leave Dietetics and Senekal October of 2010. Believing that God called me to serve the global Church, Mist | Ministry Support would be this place of this service, or so I thought.

I started serving ministries or communities part time while finishing off in Senekal. Mobilizing their communication capacity and discipling others to go and serve the church. I dreamed of networking and mutual support within the Body. This was my initial aim, but God had greater plans. That Desember as the doors to my old life was closed I received a vision.

In my dream God told me to go and see what the Bride is choosing.

This commission had me asking two questions:
1. How would I be able to see wrongs and not engage?
2. Does God know how big and far and wide His Bride is today, and where I would have to go to get a true image of what She is choosing?

Needless to say, I accepted this loving invitation to follow Jesus and obey His next action. Part time, full time - I have been seeing and serving the Church in many different forms. Mobilizing, strengthening, encouraging, and doing local evangelizing work with and for the upbuilding of the church. Oh, how blessed these two and a half years of walking in obedience.

Mist was and continues a valuable mobilization tool for missional serving and living. Interaction with e-church and the network of missional minded believers continue to challenge. Serving through communication and technology optimization at Benoni was a cover for learning to live in the local family of God. The introduction to the global church and body through InContext Ministries and Opened Doors and the trials the persecuted believers go through activated a love and burden for supporting and loving them. OM's Freedom Climb opened the reality of the world of slave trade and prostitution, and I was left stunned, shocked, shaken, and ignited

My passion for the global church were fanned into flames when Mist's doors were closing for me due to insufficient funds (a problem still today). This obvious nudge made me take the next and obvious step and I applied for research in church communications. With the opportunity to take an exam and be admitted in 2014 I praised God for the new venture. And God surprised me with the Trek. A five month trek with Operation Mobilization through SA, Namibia , Zambia , Malawi, and Mozambique. We were visiting and mobilizing local churches. I was discipled in different aspects of following Jesus and Kingdom living and I discovered and were set free from lifelong lies. More then getting to know God, was the relational discovery of God with His Church. Seeing what He's busy with in the Church, and how he uses the vessels humbled before Him. Walking in submission, I seek to be part of this mission God is on.

As evangelist and mobilizer I have been spoiled for going back to mere ordinary living. And I'm ecstatic about it, looking forward to what lies ahead. Unfortunately some doors are closing. Yet, I'm looking to the next one to open, and holding onto the promise that God continues the work He started.

I want to research church communication regarding relevance in our time and among countries and cultures. I want to serve the church with my passion and burden for the lost and young in faith. I want to encourage and mobilize ministries and believers as I travel and meet. I want to tell the stories of being transformed and of other's transformation through and for God. Above all I want to follow God completely, and if convinced or convicted, to act accordingly.

I do not know yet what lies ahead. Maybe continue with Mist, serve a local church, go to Europe and learn how to care, go to Asia or the Middle East and teach English on an secret mission, or just stay in South Africa. Maybe I'll be able to still do research through all of this. It's all depending on God to provide. I pray for guidance, provisions, wisdom, but above all faithfulness to the call God has charged me with.

Let our prayers continue to raise up for all the saints and our hearts be set on following Jesus. I would like to invest in any Kingdom venture as long as my hands are available to serve and God approves, so feel free to let me know of anywhere that I can serve.

Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of all the dying. Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NET)

Host and guest of honour at the same time

Growing in intentional personal relationship with God got new meaning in a quest of evaluation of my intentions for spending time with God and studying the Scriptures.  In Rev 3:20 God reveals something mysterious and wonderful about the joy of intentionally spending time with Him.  There is something about the Kingdom to be found in being the host of God when searching for His life-giving light in our lives.  The metaphor of sharing in a festive meal with Jesus where you get to converse and have fellowship with God becomes a life changing event. 

Eating together is never only about being filled, but also exchanging words and sharing lives. In any conversation or time spent with anyone there comes a point when the relationship deepens as the parties present open their hearts to be shaped by each other.  In Matthews Jesus calls to open our ears. In John the call emphasizes putting the taken Word into action. 1 Peter reminds us that this hunger to come to the festival with God can have no compromises and should fill our lives with a desperate searching therefor.  

Reminded by the refuge we have in Him, we have the privilege to not only pour out our hearts before Him, but to truly trust in Him.  This points us to an address for our hearts, whatever the burden.  It seems that God yearns for us to want to have fellowship with Him.  As though He waits for the time when we open our hearts to be hosts in the festival with Him, where He becomes the Host in treating us like His guests of honour when He opens His heart to us. 

As relationship forms with openness, intimacy develops.  In studying the Bible for informational purposes we may just be missing the intimate relationship derived from knowing God.  Time spent with God is much more important than what you do while you are with Him. Getting to know Him is much more important than getting to know about Him.

Astoundingly true to His Word

Broken and weak I write this log tonight, for some old forgotten wounds have been and are being opened.  My life has been going through constant change recently, and to my amazement it seems to still be changing.  The amount of things and places of change within a person are already one of the areas of astonishment.  What takes my breath away lies in the mysterious ways God causes things to change within us, and keeps the process going on.  When He starts working, He doesn’t stop.  We never arrive, we stay in process with Him, for the purpose of His work is to be changing us to become like Jesus Christ.  I have asked God to reveal and heal my heart, helping me understand why some things seem to be turned upside-down or inside-out.  True as one would always find Him, He is causing that which is weak and lame to become strong.  Never doubting that the process He takes us through is done with a higher cause, it gives me great pleasure to keep in mind that He is willing to compromise our temporal happiness in order to increase the Chrislikeness that He is working within us.  Tired to the point of exhaustion, I realize that we so badly fight against letting go of our own dreams and desires even with the knowledge that within God the untold treasure to be found is life and that in abundance. 

Graciously broken, the astonishing peace flowing from the deep place of knowledge and communion with God, my expectation now lies in finding Him and the illumination of the mysteries of His Kingdom.  How awesome is our God! 

Die regte ding op die regte tyd

'n Kosbare vriend het eenmaal 'n kommentaar oor die wonderlike ervaring van God se voorsienigheid gemaak wat my weer bietjie dieper verwonderd gelaat het.  Kort nadat ons ontmoet het, het hy gesê dat God die regte mense op die regte tye op die regte plekke plaas, sodat Hy daardeur verheerlik kan word.

Ons almal het in die lewe al stampe en skrape opgedoen.  Baie het uit onkunde of soms ontkenning volhard in verkeerde weë.  Ander is weer slagoffers gewees van ongeregtigheid.  Ongeag die oorsaak, die vorm wat jy nou aanneem is hoe jy jou bevind.  Die genade en troos is dat ons nie "so-gemaak-en-so-gelaatstaan" is nie.  God is altyd aan die werskaf en werk met ons om ons te vorm en te verander om meer en meer na Jesus se beeld verander te word.  


Faktore wat jou kan hinner of ondersteun om hierdie ontvorming van die self, en vervorming tot die beeld van Jesus, die heiligheidslewe, neem baie vorme aan.  Party sal dit relevante faktore noem.  Omdat God as Maker IS, is alles in sy hand en vermoë.  By Hom kan enigeiets en alles relevant wees vir die doel wat Hy bepaal het.  Hoe Hy besluit om jou te verander is in sy Almagtige hande.  Hoe Hy bepaal die proses gaan verloop is nie vir ons om te bevraagteken, voorskryf of beoordeel nie.  


Hy sê wag, vertrou en weet - Ek IS wie Ek sê Ek is.

Ek IS God.

"You shall see My wonders!"

How did your day start?  If anything as beautiful as this I dearly hope a night the same as mine preceded it.  My ability with a camera is not what it ought to be, but having my brother's camera at hand does make the job easier.  

For the past 10 days I have woken up to a view with the potential of this picture, but neither the weather not my spirit were playing along to see the astounding wonder of God's omnipresent love.  Thankfully, on the second to last morning here, I was woken at around quarter past one after a vision that shook me to my bones.  Shortly after trying to fight against the chill it left me with, I grabbed a nightlight and glancing at the stars mysteriously showing up and some even deciding to be shot just to show their delight, I pulled a few blank papers closer.  Without taking the time to find my own words I just started scribbling…

Three hours later and after finishing the first chapter of my book, I ran out of words, and saw the first light of dawn coming over the horizon.  The waves became more distinguished, and soon after my prayers caught fire the horizon and sea were joining in the same song.  Mesmerized I just sat and watched, listening to the songs rising up from the earth, proclaiming God’s love. 

For the ones searching to find God, He shall always let Himself be found.  Blessed be you when you are searching, for you shall see His wonders!