Couple of prayer needs

Hey guys... thought this might be a good place to post a couple of prayer needs

1. There has been some really hectic forensic investigation going on where my dad works. He is really stressed. It looks really bad... my dad is in court today so pray that he would be filled with the peace of God and that God's grace would flow over him. For the last 2 weeks he has been running on the most hectic medication to get him through all of this. After the court hearings he will then need to go through some rehab to get off the medication (yup it's that bad). Pray that God would also allow me (as He has already been doing) to minister to both my parents in this time of stress. I can't give details of what is going on at this stage but basically one of my dads heroes and best friends who is the MD of the company seems to be guilty of a lot of things that are been investigated... nothing concrete at this time though but it is a big shock to my dad.

2. Every year there is the tranformation africa prayer day. This year it is on the 15 May and I have been asked to preach at the Indoor Stadium in my town on sexual purity and the AIDS crisis. I am also heading the setting up of a "boiler" room. This is a room that really allows for creative prayer, intercession, warfare, worship etc. It allows Christians to present to God their hearts in an expressive way through music, art, poetry or just plain old weeping. I really need alot of Grace to get together a team and materials for this. (paper, paint, fabric, cushions, pegs, rope, ladders, maps etc)

3. Just before the tranformations event I will be going on a vision casting day with leaders of the church that I'm currently serving in. Despite that the average leader is 40 years older than me I have had much favour in imparting passion and purpose to them. Pray that God will break through their years of religiousity and that we will be able to put together a God centered vision for the church that the congregation can lay down their time, talents and treasure for. This church (a methodist church) is across the street from 3 schools. (2 high schools). I have been working with the youth (who are generally neglected by church leadership) and am hoping that the leaders see the importance of making youth the center of the church especially since they currently have no 20 somethings in their church (except for Steve and me). We have already built a strong youth leadership team (consisting of youth) that are really passionate for God. The youth has so much vision it is scary... if only the church will back us financially then the 3 schools across the street will be greatly impacted.

4. The first phase of my project is due in 5 weeks. I need God's grace to help me do 5 months work in 5 weeks.

Thanks guys!!!

Sanctified Identity

Perhaps one of the deepest questions of life that anyone will ask is, “Who am I?”

Growing up it was a question I constantly battled with. Perhaps you never asked yourself that question in the same format… it is a question of identity and takes on many forms.

“Am I really special?”

“Am I unique?”

“Am I strong?”

“Am I clever?”

“Am I cool?”

“Are my clothes cool?”

“Is the music I listen to right?”

“Do people like me?”

“Am I good looking?” or if you’re a girl “Am I beautiful?”

“Will someone love me?”

These (and similar questions) are really a cry to know that we are not worthless. We quickly learn (from the age 6 or before) that having the right Spiderman pajama’s or action figures make us cool. We learn that if we didn’t also watch yesterdays episode of “Dexter’s lab” or “power puff girls” we have somehow missed out on what’s really important. Trivial examples… but we carry these “life-skills” with us into our adult years. We trade in our Spiderman pajama’s for the important job title, BMW, girlfriend and other such external things.

Unfortunately as we all know these things just never seem to be enough. While they may all be nice things they never sort out what is happening inside. Inside there is that “secret” vacuum that constantly compares our self with someone else. To this there never seemed to be a solution.

I was pleasantly surprised the other night when I realized I no longer have this problem. What made the change. 5 years ago I use to right poetry about how much life sucked… about the pain I felt inside… about how harsh life was. So what is it that changed? Did I when a million bucks? No. Did I move to a “better” country, province or city? No. Did I find the right girl? No.

A peculiar thing happened. I gave my life and everything in me to God. How did this solve the problem though? I’m not to sure. I have a theory though. As I have taken my eyes off myself and onto God… as I have begun living more for God than myself, the most beautiful thing has happened. As I have collided with the one who created me I have stopped seeing “What I am not” and “What I can’t do” but instead have started seeing God’s workmanship in my life.

I realized this the other night as I was asked to write a description of myself. So who am I? We were given a couple of minutes to jot down some stuff.

Here’s what I wrote:

I guess I am someone who underestimates myself a lot… I like it that way though because every time I start to become stressed or panic I look with big bulging desperate eyes to God. You see I am God’s child and God is big. I love His ability and I try never underestimate God. In my frequent times of inadequacy I become his little boy and He my hero. I love movies, a little too much in fact. I love watching a story unfold, I love watching characters grow. My life in God has become one of these movies. A story of how one man saved my life, a story of a man that saw in me what no-one else saw… the potential to be like Him. A story of how I gave up all my plans and desires and set them aside for one thing: To make my life an offering of thanks and brag about this God that loves me so jealously. I love my Dog. I am her hero, her knight in shining armour, I hope to one day be the man my dog thinks I am. I love little kids, I love how they forget the troubles of the world and jump into worlds of love, adventure, mystery and epic battle with rescue mission against insane odds. I love manhood. I love what happens to a man when he collides with God. I love how God can take the most wretched soul and breathe life into it. I love how the most flaccid, spineless wimp of a man is made strong in Gods presence. I love it when a girl by the same power decides to be a girl chased by men instead of desperate for them. I love a girl that has compassion for people and the conviction to do something about it. I love the heart that God has given me. I love that I can look into somebody’s life and feel God’s love and compassion for them overwhelm me. I love praying at 3 in the morning when God suddenly wakes me up. I love the supernatural, I love how God’s spirit in me allows me to know, see and do the impossible. I love music. I love pouring my heart into a song. I love singing with a strained voice and feeling it in my soul. I love programming. I love abstracting reality into pieces of code that make life easier. I love problem solving. I love the colour blue. I love food. I enjoy having a meal with friends. I love being with someone with someone who is happy to just let me listen… or sometimes just talk. To me it’s not about the words as much as it is about the presence of that person. I am always hopeful. I love hope. I love how I am different from other people. I love that there is only one me. I love that there are so many things that I can’t do and I celebrate that others are able to do them.

Inconsistent Constantine

Recently saw the movie Constantine. Now obviously a lot of it was bound to be a twist of Christianity… this I am sure is obvious to most people…

I will give merit to the part were Gabriel tells Constantine that he can’t buy his way into heaven. That it is not about works… I thought it was quite nicely put.

The one major twist of the movie which will not be so obvious to people watching it is that Jesus did die on the cross. It was not the spear that killed him. The spear thrust was a test to see whether he was already dead or not. Biologically I am not sure what happens but apparently when you die some kind of watery liquid separates from your blood around the lungs… when Jesus was stabbed by the spear the water burst out indicating that he was dead.

Depending on your theology then it wasn’t the crucifixion that killed him either… but God’s judgment on him as he took upon the worlds sins. This been the very act that allowed me and every other born again Christian to receive forgiveness and enter into a relationship with God.

I have noticed that there seems to be a massive process involved in the casting out of demons in Catholic doctrine. Why is this? I have no idea? I don’t see it in scripture. In my own experiences demons rely on 2 things…

1. The will of the person demonized.

2. Fear tactics so that everyone else is scared into believing they have power.

My encouragement to Christians out there is don’t be fooled by the way Hollywood portrays the power of demons. A demon is terrified of a Christian who knows his/her authority. If you know your authority the leg that a demon has to stand on is if the person who is demonized is giving the demon permission to be there.

Jesus wouldn’t have commanded us to go out and cast them out of people if they had some kind of power greater than his.

I must also add… it annoys me somewhat when another Christian asks me to pray for someone else who is demonized. I had been a Christian for less than 3 or 4 months when I delivered a non-Christian from demonic activity… this was without any kind of training. I simply understood that the power that raised Jesus from the dead and performed many miracles was now living in me. Rather first give it a try yourself… if your faith fails you then call someone else.

The same goes for baptizing people in the Holy Spirit… I was horrified the end of last year when at a conference +- 30 people responded to an alter call and over 100 responded to a call to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. To this a have 2 gripes:

What kind of a Christian thinks they could possibly live the adventure that God calls us to without the power of the Holy Spirit. This probably explains why so few Christians get past looking at their own needs the whole time and are so selfish with their time, money and talents.
If you are baptized in the Holy spirit… why on earth are you not using the gifts of the spirit. How do you expect other Christians around you to live victoriously because you’re to scared to step out in faith. News flash… it is not dependant on your own abilities. It (just like everything else in Christianity) is based upon grace. It is not acceptable that people just wait hoping that within the next year or so that some “powerful” guest speaker will come and baptize people in the Holy Spirit.

That’s my gripe. I shudder to think how depressed, beating down and unhappy I would be right now if I was not attempting to follow Jesus. If you aren’t following the basic things that Jesus said… well then as far as I can see… you are not a Christian.

Having all the Hillsong/Vineyard/Soul Survivor/MorningStar cd’s, owning a corny t-shirt and reading your bible does not make you a follower of Christ. Laying down your own needs and life everyday does. It is about the internal conviction flowing out into your external actions. Not external actions trying to mask up unhappiness on the inside.

It is no surprise that Christians are so easily labeled as hypocrites. If they would simply live for God (which is what it is suppose to mean when you give your life to God) instead of themselves… then a whole population would be surrounded by miracles constantly occurring. As James 2 puts it, "Faith without works is dead"

Here is a thought what if when Hollywood brought out its next demon filled movie that all the Christians watching it burst out laughing because of how ridiculous it is.

Mmm another thought? Where does the whole concept of Satan been God’s opposite equal come from. Has nobody read that Satan will be cast into hell along with unbelievers? Satan doesn’t own hell, he is not in charge of it. Where does this idea come from? Demons don’t live there either… Satan and the demons are fighting desperately to stay out of hell… they are terrified of it themselves.


Ok… really my gripe is over now.

Blessings

Ross's Wedding

Ross (my best friend) recently got married. It was an incredible event. It was attended by just under 300 people. Expensive? I have no idea... If it was a typical urban organised wedding then it would have been rediculously expensive, but this wedding was largely pulled off by a loving community.

I arrived a couple of days early to spend time with Ross. I was amazed at the involvement of the community. Camilla (now Ross's wife) comes from Malteno. Malteno is in the eastern cape and is a farming community. For the whole week before the wedding it seemed that every single farm in the area dedicated themselves to helping with the wedding. There were bakkies (trucks if you're american) constantly coming and going with people in them that were doing various tasks. Whether it was organising lighting for the marquee, setting up tables and deorations, feeding everyone, organising accomdation for the guests or carrying through the flowers (which were all grown by Camilla's mom) everyone was scurrying about doing what needed to be done. No-one was hard pressed for time. and no-one raised their voices. In fact I had no concept of time for the couple of days that I was there.

The generousity and hospitality of the community was unbelievable. To my knowledge not a single one of the 280 odd guests had to pay for accomdation or any meals. WOW. Everyone just had to chip in with a bit of help... and plenty hands definately make easy work. Every meal was great especially the wedding reception meal.

Here's to Ross and Camilla... the two who have now become one.

Some photo's for those of you interested (click on them to see them a bigger size). If you have any really good photo's from the wedding then please let me know. My number has not changed and is still 083 268 3510.

Ross and the 4 best men the night before:



It's Raining 30 minutes before the wedding... five minutes before the wedding commences it stops raining and the garden is left with the fresh scent of rain. This was quite an important thing because the wedding was outside...



Myself, Ross and Chris (damm I'm good looking)


Tendai, Steve and Fifi (almost as good looking as me)


Legally Mr and Mr's du Preez (otherwise now known has Romilla)


A moment alone before the reception


The first dance


Still the first dance


Now I know that about 30 or more of you were cramped into a little house on the floor in your sleeping bags... Steve, Tendai, Chris and myself (as the best men) were giving the best spot. Our bathroom/person ratio was 1/2... this is where we stayed



This wedding and the way God orchestrated it, makes me once again proud to be a christian. Thank you father for bringing together a couple that is led and directed by you. A couple that will lay down their lives for each other and the world day after day. Once again, thank you for a couple that is a living testimony of what happens when someone decides to say no to the worlds way, decides not to date and decides to live in absolute purity, trusting You for their marriage one day.