encourage someone

The nineteenth-century writer Walt Whitman struggled for years to get anyone interested in his poetry. In the midst of his discouragement he received a life-changing note from an admirer of his work. The note read, “Dear Sir, I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of Leaves of Grass. I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed. I greet you at the beginning of a great career.” It was signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Whitman enjoyed a long career and is now considered one of the giants of American literature. But when times were tough he needed encouragement to keep going. And he’s not alone.

When we’re on the brink of failure, the right word at the right time can keep us in the game. When we’re too tired or discouraged to keep going, an act of compassion can give us new strength. Encouragement is one of the central themes of the Bible: “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad”. “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” (Isa 35:3). “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’” (Isa 41:13).

Encouragement doesn’t deny the problem; it enables us to overcome it. It doesn’t validate stubbornness or stupidity; it simply corrects and guides us in the right path. It doesn’t leave us alone to carry the burden, it lets us know that God is present to help and strengthen us. So today, encourage somebody!

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were friends; they met at a convention sponsored by Edison’s company where Ford worked as an engineer. Someone introduced Ford to Edison as “a young man who has made a gas car.” Ford and Edison talked a while about the automobile, then Edison banged his fist on the table with excitement. “You have it! Your car is self-contained and carries its own power plant.” Ford later recalled, “No man up to then had given me any encouragement. I had hoped that I was headed right. Sometimes I knew that I was, sometimes I only wondered, but here, out of a clear sky, the greatest inventive genius in the world had given me complete approval.” Sir Isaac Newton is best known for his Theory of Gravitation and description of the Three Laws of Motion. But Newton might never have published his work had it not been for Edmond Halley. A well-respected scientist in his own right, Halley visited Newton at Cambridge to discuss a problem he was working on, only to discover that Newton had already solved it. Halley encouraged Newton to publish his work, and even offered to do it at his own expense. The result was the publication of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687, which laid the groundwork for the study of mathematics and changed the way people see the world.

Who can you encourage to do great things? Who has God put into your life to cheer on, raise up, or assist on their journey? When you help others to do the things God created them to do, you share in their achievement.

our newsletter…

 

 

 

Just when you thought that we had disappeared…we have not. We are well and alive still in Salzburg busy with the Lord’s work.

It is hard to believe that we have been here for nearly a year! It is truly amazing how quickly time flies, even when we are in a different land.

 

The one big thing that has changed since we last wrote is that it is now spring going on to summer. Wow! What a spectacular time. A huge change from the black and white if winter to the colourful, rainbow of wild flowers in the fields and in the flower boxes on all the balconies of the houses. We now have an even better understanding of why Europeans love to bask in the sun when they visit Africa or any other place that has sun! we too, have become the same. Every bit of warmth, we run outside and lie in it! Wonderful!

The 2008 school year is also coming to an end. The children are finishing off the last of their schoolwork and their summer holidays will begin in July – until September!! This year has also been a challenge for them. But, I praise God for His never ending love towards us. Daniel and Keziah have settled and are now beginning to have established relationships with some of their classmates. We are so grateful and blessed for the, many, prayers that are now being answered for them.

 

Since our arrival we have held the church services in Julie Bosma’s, Glenn’s mother, house. They have been intimate and close and have really helped us to build relationally with everyone that attended. In this time we learnt the language, which is on going, we ate together, laughed together, prayed together and worshipped together. A wonderful time. And yet, the time has come for new things. A new season is upon us and we have now moved to a bigger venue ( after many prayers ). We believe that Father will bless this time. That the people that He wants us to reach will be reached and touched by His Spirit. We are in a major hotel and are renting a conference room weekly. It seats about 100 people at the moment. We can also use other rooms should the need arise ( like for Sunday School ). The venue has made it easier for some of our members as well as the new families that we want to accommodate. We are now also have a morning service instead of an evening one. We are very excited about the new things that Father is doing and is going to do.

 

In March we went to Nürnberg in Germany and ministered in one of our sister churches there. It was so good to be with people that we know. Glenn ministered at the youth meeting on the Saturday night and on Sunday morning at the Sunday service. It was great to spend time with Harald, Baerbel and the kids. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality!

 

We were able to go to Latina, Italy at the beginning of April, for a few days, as it was a short Easter holiday. We stayed with an old friend of ours from South Africa. Glenn and the kids were able to experience a little of Italy and Rome for the first time. All the History that we had done paid off as we were able to explain many things that happened there. We even survived an earthquake!!! Yep, that’s right. We felt the after shocks of the earthquake that brought Aquila to its knees, 4.3 on the Richter scale is still quite a tremor!!! But, we thank God that He kept us and looked after us. It was so good to catch up on old times and to just have some time off. We were blessed! Thanks Angelo, Alex, Giulia and family.

 

On our return from Italy, a week or two later, Glenn’s mother had a heart attack. This shook us quite a bit and yet, afterwards, we were able to see God’s gentle hand through out this time. It was a time of much prayer and an internal inspection of our own lives. Julie had an operation in which the doctors placed a stent in her artery. She then was in hospital for at least a week and then had to go to a rehab clinic in which she was taught how to eat, exercise and basically ensure that she live a healthier lifestyle. She was in the rehab clinic for about 4 weeks. In her absence, Glenn had to organize and run her prayer ministry too. Or at least just keep the wheels turning while she was recovering. So this also took up a lot of time. We also had to run the church too. We would visit her at least once a week. Her clinic was about an hour away from Salzburg. We just praise God that He carried us all through this time. All of us in the house (8 people) were really shocked and devastated by all that had happened and so rejoiced when Julie came back home. It was really a time of victory for us. She is doing so well and is losing weight and exercising. We have also begun to look at how we live and move and have our being!!! In all things, we thank God.

 

Every Tuesday night Glenn also drives out to Munich

(about 170 kms away), to run a small home cell group in which he does the Purple Book. Although it is a long drive, just to have cell, it has brought results, in that there have been some salvations and deliverances! Wow! What a powerful time. Teaching people that really have no understanding about the fundamentals of Christianity. It is wonderful to see how the eyes of their understanding are opened. It is quite exhilarating. We know that Father has a very special plan for these people.

 

Glenn has also ministered for two weeks in Innsbruck at a seminar about Transformation. He ministered on his favorite topic – Discipleship.

 

In all of this time of travelling up and down we have found that as a family our living space has become really tight! We all live in Julie’s wonderful home (has 6 bedrooms, not including the seminar room, prayer room, office and formal lounge) in a small apartment that has two rooms and a bathroom. We all use the kitchen and dining room/lounge communally. Our time here has been a good time for us. We have been able to get settled and find our feet around people who love us and know what to do but especially, could speak the language!! But, our space has now become tight. We have been looking for an apartment or even a house to live in for a while now, but nothing has ever come up. And if there was a place it has been really expensive or too far or something that just did not suit us. We needed a place that was close to the school as well as close to Julie. So…we found a house!! The perfect one for us!! It is 4kms away from the school, not even 5 minutes away from Julie. We found it through Julie’s secretary, Gabi, thanks for being so led of the Spirit! She found it on the net. We called to view it, loved it, prayed about it and asked God to confirm whether or not this was the place for us. After a few days God confirmed!!! By blessing us with the money for the deposit, which was huge. We had to pay € 3500,00 for the deposit (and this was the amount after we negotiated a lesser amount, it was originally

€ 4600,00). Together with the deposit we also have to pay the agent’s fees too! (I know, it’s really strange in South African terms). Father has already given us half of the money for him too. We only need to move in on the 1/7, so that gives Father enough time to do His thing, like only He can!!! So we are convinced that this is the place. We are all excited about our new little place. The owner of the house is also a real blessing to us. She has allowed us to pack our boxes (our books and personal effects that came from South Africa) into her cellar already (our storage facility wanted us to take our boxes out, we had it for free!). She is so excited that we are moving in. The house has 3 bedrooms, an office, dining room and lounge, 2 bathrooms, a big garden, garage with electric doors that you can walk straight through into the house. The lady said that she is leaving the kitchen in. (Here we have to buy and install our own kitchen cupboards and built in cupboards and remove them when we leave) so we are really blessed that she has left us these, as well as a dishwasher!!! Yeah!!!! We know that God is the supplier of all our needs according to His riches in glory. So I am expectant of what and how He will furnish our new home.

 

God is so very good to us. We are amazed and blown away at His goodness.

the boss of the whole shebang

 

Prayer is – amazing!

One Bible teacher writes:

“I read an interesting book by an unbeliever who attempted to ‘do in’ the Christian faith. Despite his lack of belief, I found insightful something he said regarding prayer. He called it ‘the most incredible conceit in the history of humankind,’ arguing that if you worked for General Motors as a lowly employee and wanted to see the boss, you wouldn’t have the remotest chance…Think about it. What would happen if a citizen tried to speak to the President of the United States? I’ve thought about putting in a person-to-person call just to see what would happen. I’d probably speak to an undersecretary to an assistant to somebody, but not likely the President…‘And so,’ says my skeptical friend in his book, ‘what an incredible conceit to suppose that at any moment we can talk to the boss of ‘the whole shebang.’ And indeed the concept of prayer would be an incredible conceit…if it weren’t true. But it is…and it’s the most incredible condescension on the part of a gracious God. You could probably never speak to the highly placed people in this world, yet the most highly placed Person in the universe – ‘the Boss of the whole shebang’ – waits patiently to hear what you have to say. ‘We can come before God with freedom and without fear…through faith in Christ’ (NCV). Don’t you find that amazing? This day and every day you have the great privilege of prayer. You can talk to the Boss, tell Him your worries and cares, share with Him your triumphs and joys – and He always has time to listen.” Prayer is – amazing!

end strife

Strife is defined as “conflict…struggle…rivalry,” and God’s Word says to avoid it at all cost: “Let nothing be done through strife…but in lowliness of mind let each esteem [the] other better than themselves.” Strife is custom-designed to play havoc in marriages, churches, businesses and relationships. It stems from our self-centered ego and leads to comparing, competing and condemning.

The Word of God says: “Where envying and strife is, there is…every evil work” (Jas 3:16). Keeping strife out of your life means recognizing and uprooting it before it grows; “See…no root of bitterness springing up, causes trouble, and…many be defiled” (Heb 12:15 NAS). And Paul adds, “Complete my joy by living in harmony…being of the same mind…having the same love” (Php 2:2 AMP). Enjoying God’s blessings requires doing all we can to live in harmony with one another. Is that easy to do? No, but the sooner you learn it, the better things will be.

When David saw Goliath he didn’t stop to consider the odds or listen to the opinions of others. Instead, he “ran quickly toward the battle…to meet him” (1Sa 17:48 NIV). Rapid response is required here. When God prompts you to turn the other cheek or take the short end of the stick, draw on His grace and do it. In fact, when you do it on your timetable you end up doing it in your own strength.

So: (a) forgive those who hurt you; (b) pray for them; (c) bless them by speaking well of them and wanting only good things for them. Your commitment to walk each day in love and forgiveness (yes, it’s a daily commitment!) will open the door to God’s blessing in your life.

the only answer…

Life’s losses leave us hurting and wondering. Cancer takes a young mother or father. Divorce strikes your happy home. Financial ruin devastates your retirement plans. A child goes to jail, is killed or commits suicide. Such times raise questions which are difficult, if not impossible to answer. We examine the circumstances again and again. We speculate about the details, searching for clues that might make some sense and make it easier for us to bear. We turn the spotlight on ourselves, others, even God, wondering what could or should have been done differently that might have prevented this. We turn to friends, fellow believers and pastors only to hear what sounds like religious platitudes and inadequate attempts to minimize our pain. When answers don’t seem forthcoming and the heavens are silent, what should you do? Here are two Scriptures to help you in such times:

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us” (Dt 29:29 NKJV). When it comes to understanding things, we have our territory, God has His. And ours is limited to what He decides to reveal. At that point you must “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Pr 3:5 NKJV).

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Ro 8:28). God may explain it to you, or He may not. But He’s “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev 22:13 NKJV), which means, He has a plan and He’s working it out for our good and His glory. So trust Him!

a nice story

When the pastor introduced the visiting speaker, an elderly preacher walked to the pulpit and told this story: “A father, his son, and his son’s friend were sailing off the Pacific coast when a storm overturned their boat sweeping all of them into the ocean. Grabbing a rescue line, in a split second the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life – which boy to throw the other end to and which one to sacrifice. He knew his son had accepted Christ and his friend hadn’t. Anguished, the father yelled, ‘I love you son,’ and threw the rope to his son’s friend. By the time he’d pulled the boy back to the capsized boat his son had disappeared beneath the waves. His body was never recovered. The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and couldn’t bear the thought of his friend facing eternity without Christ.” At the end of the service a teenage boy approached the old man and said, “That’s a nice story, but what father in his right mind would sacrifice his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian?” “You’ve got the point,” the old preacher replied, “It’s not realistic. But I’m standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse into what it must have been like for God to sacrifice His only Son for us. You see…I was that father, and your pastor was my son’s friend.”
The Pharisees who watched Christ die said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save.” And they were right; He couldn’t do both, so He chose to save you. Today will you accept His offer of salvation?

vulnerability

Alles Tun Gottes mit uns, dient dazu die absolute Abhängigkeit von IHM zu schaffen. ER fordert uns auf das Unmögliche zu tun. ER verlangt von uns, dass wir das Unsichtbare sehen. ER zwingt uns in Situationen, die uns überwältigen. Es könnte darum gehen mehr als eine Million Menschen aus Sklaverei zu befreien, bis dahin sie aus dem grausamsten, okkultesten und unterdrückendsten Regime, (das es je gab,) zu befreien. (Moses hat es geschafft) Oder es könnte darum gehen ein großes Boot zu bauen, auch wenn da weit und breit kein Gewässer ist, das groß genug ist, dass es darauf schwimmen kann. Und dann soll es mit jeder Tierart, die es gibt, bevölkert werden. (Kein Wunder, dass Noah mehr als hundert Jahre dafür brauchte!)

Wie würden wir uns fühlen, wenn wir die am stärksten befestigte Stadt in unserer Welt durch das Ausrufen einer Schweigewoche gefolgt von einem einzigen Schrei einnehmen würden?! (Josua hat es getan!) Würden wir vergnügt daneben stehen, wenn Gott unsere Armee auf einen Prozent ihrer ursprünglichen Größe reduziert, weil ER nur die Art wie einige Männer das Wasser getrunken haben, gemocht hat. (Gideon musste das) Das hat sehr effektiv das Verhältnis von 4:1 auf 400:1 zu Gunsten des Feindes verändert und machte Verletzbarkeit und Abhängigkeit sehr real.

Unsicherheit führt zu Unglauben. Wenn Schritte im Glaube gemacht werden sollen, tritt eine Lähmung ein. Menschen schauen mehr auf ihre eigene Nichtigkeit als auf die majestätische Größe Gottes. Leider werden solche Menschen dann davon abgehalten Durchbrüche zu erreichen, weil sie ihre Schwachheit nicht in Stärke verwandeln können. Verletzbarkeit ist die Gewissheit, dass Gott uns gerne als Lämmer unter Wölfe aussendet, weil ER eine riesige Zuversicht in SEINE eigenen Fähigkeiten hat, uns zu bewahren und durch unsere Schwäche mächtig wirken zu können.

Wenn wir verletzbar sind, sehen wir unsere Unzulänglichkeiten im Lichte Gottes Souveränität und Stärke, und wir entdecken HOFFNUNG und VERTRAUEN. Wie Paulus, können wir uns darüber freuen, dass die Kraft Christi auf uns ruht in unserer Schwachheit (2. Kor. 12, 9-10). Der ganze Sinn von Verletzbarkeit ist es, uns in der Ruhe und Abhängigkeit von unserem starken und überwältigenden Gott zu bringen. Abhängigkeit ist eine Gabe Gottes, um SEINE Gegenwart freizusetzen, welche unsere Selbstachtung und Zuversicht in Gottes Souveränität und Allmacht verstärkt. Unsicherheit tritt auf, wenn der Feind unsere Seele verdreht, unsere Zuversicht herabsetzt und uns dazu bringt uns auf unsere Unzulänglichkeit zu konzentrieren. Möget ihr AUFWACHEN um das Undenkbare, das Unerreichbare und das Unmögliche zu tun, sowie das Unsichtbare zu sehen. Gnade und Frieden für euch!

the road less traveled

“I have found David…a man after My own heart.” Acts 13:22 NKJV

Anytime God describes someone as “a man after my own heart,” study them carefully. Let’s look at the life of David.
He had a humble start but a great finish. David began as a shepherd and ended up as a king. The chances of that happening were slim to none. In those days shepherds were so low on the totem pole they couldn’t testify in a court of law; their word wasn’t considered reliable. Yet David ended up writing the most widely read and loved psalms of all time.

When you invite God into your life He cancels the liabilities of your past and rewrites your future.

But you must choose what He has chosen for you. There’s an interesting contrast between Paul and David. Paul “sowed his wild oats” before he met Christ, then went on to live an exemplary life. David became king at thirty; yet during his forty years in leadership he experienced devastating failure. There are two lessons here:

(1) Don’t rush to judgment. It’s not over until God says it’s over. David’s story is a warning to the transgressor, a rebuke to the self-righteous, a testimony to the justice of God that won’t allow us to escape our consequences, and to His love that will never let go of us.

(2) God can bring good out of it. He can take every experience you’ve been through, both positive and negative, and make it work for good, either your good or the good of others.

When you seek to fulfill God’s purposes in spite of your flaws, He makes “all things work together for good” (Ro 8:28).

David was anointed to be king in his teens, but he only ascended the throne at thirty.
There’s a pattern here that is worth looking at;

 God calls the man. In spite of being unappreciated by his family and overlooked by the prophet Samuel, God picked David. He also picked Deborah to lead the nation in a male-dominated society. Stop trying to figure God out, and stop comparing yourself to others! “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” (Ro 9:21 NIV). We’d have rejected many of the people God used – which lets us know how much we don’t know.

 God decides the plan. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Php 1:6 NKJV). Who decides it? Who performs it? Who should your confidence be in? God! God’s plan for David involved years of ducking Saul’s spears, living in caves and working with 600 misfits who redefine the word “dysfunctional.” God trains you in a small sphere so you can handle a bigger one. 

God knows the span of time required. “Who through faith and patience [endurance] inherit the promises” (See Col 1:11-12). Endurance means standing firm under pressure. The prize belongs to the man or woman who’s committed for the long haul. Joseph refused to let go of his dream; it’s what enabled him to say no to the advances of Potiphar’s wife and endure unjust imprisonment. But the day came when Potiphar and his wife knelt before Joseph. So keep your eyes on the prize and don’t give up!

prayer that gets an answer

Just when the Israelites thought life couldn’t get worse, it did! Pharaoh withheld their straw and ordered them to produce the same daily quota of bricks. At that point three things happened:

 (1) “The Israelites groaned in their slavery” (Ex 2v23). It’s what we do when we feel so bad that words can’t express it. We groan, first within ourselves, then to whoever will listen, finding relief in venting our frustrations. But lasting help requires more than just talking to yourself and others. So, they raised the decibel level and:

(2) “Cried out…for help.” God had seen them grit their teeth and white-knuckle it through another day. But since they were talking to everybody but Him, nothing changed. However, as soon as “their cry…went up to God…[He] heard their groaning” (v. 24). He just wanted a prayer to answer. David declared, “He hears My voice and…has inclined His ear to me…I shall call upon Him as long as I live” (Ps 116:1-2 NAS). Instead of complaining, pray! Give God a prayer to answer and He’ll answer it. “Why would God listen to someone like me?” you say. Because:

(3) “God remembered His covenant with Abraham…and…took notice of them” (Ex 2:24-25 NAS). God answered their prayers because of a covenant He made with their father. He took notice of them because they were Abraham’s children. They got it “on credit.” So do you! “God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph 4:32). God’s mercy and favor is yours today because you belong to Christ. “My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name…

 Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (Jn 16:23-24 NIV). How good is that?

contentment…

Sometimes contentment is learning to be happy with less. A hard-charging executive decided to spend a few days in a monastery. “I hope your stay is a blessed one,” said the monk who showed him to his cell. “If you need anything let us know. We’ll teach you how to live without it.” Happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s enjoying what God’s given you. Paul said he had learned to be content, “Whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Sometimes contentment is reminding yourself things could be worse. Snoopy was lying in his dog house one Thanksgiving Day, mumbling about being stuck with dog food while all those humans got to be inside with the turkey and gravy and pumpkin pie. “Of course, it could have been worse,” he finally reflected, “I could have been born a turkey.” Reminding yourself “It could be worse” can be a powerful developer of contentment.

Sometimes contentment is understanding that what you seek is spiritual, not material. Paul says to beware of “greed, which is idolatry” Col 3:5 . Our problem isn’t just that we want more, it’s that the condition which underlies all our wanting is that we really want God. As Augustine said, “Our souls will never rest, until they rest in Thee.” Why would God let us feel at home, when this world is not our home? Our dissatisfaction, if we let it, can sharpen our spiritual hunger and cause us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Mt 6:10.

Contentment is always knowing that you are in the hand of God, and that nothing can seperate you from that Love. Paul writes;

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing–nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable–absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Rom 8:35-39 MSG