Saturday Night Alive! No, really Communites of Grace!

It was our last night in Lubango.

The four cell groups, led by Piries, Pedro, Tanino and Jojo were all meeting together. In our honour, and to be able to be together, they held a BBQ and a lengthy evening of conversation, teaching, preaching and interaction.

I found myself surprisingly frustrated. They were all playing this game where you close your eyes, and the leader appoints 5 people - two assasins, two  police, and an angel. The appointed people know who they are, but no one else. And they the group has to figure out "who dunnit"! All in Portuguese. It dragged on and on. Sigh.

Finally it was time for me to preach and teach. I went to the front where the whiteboard was, did my intro, and the markers didn't work. Sigh.

So, Piries translated for me and all gave me their rapt attention. I talked of my great upbringing, my frustration in my mid-teen years of having my life defined by milking cows when what I really wanted was to become that close to girls rather than bovines (some good laughs). Also how I needed to create some distance between my Father and I and how I did so creating pain, distance and isolation between us.

Further we worked through 2Corinthians 5:21 where it says:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


He took upon and up-into Himself, our sin, embodied this, and took it to the cross and the grave. When I put my faith in Him, He takes His Righteousness, Perfection, and moral excellence and places that into us! What a Great Exchange!

So, as I spoke, and saw the Grace of God blossom into this group, I became frustrated once again, only now with myself. What I experienced as slowness, boring, silly before, was really part of creating an environment where people were attended to, cared for, and enjoyed.

How did I know? 8 persons of the 50 raised their hands, indicating they wanted Christ to be Lord of their Lives. And Crystal, along with Pedro as interpreted, prayed to receive Christ with me right then and there.

So, what's the big deal? Irv's message? Somewhat. A funny game about justice? Moreso. People who know how to love God and People and do so lavishly? YOU BET! This is the fuel the Holy Spirit uses to advance His Kingdom!

Just like a BBQ brings people together, the fragances wafting to sniffing palates, the Love, Acceptance, Enjoyment, Anticipation and Grace extended brought this group of people together for four hours!

My frustration? It melted away and became joy, celebration and thanksgiving!

May our lives emulate this great group of people in Lubango, Angola!

Great conversation over the breakfast table.

How do we provide a good context for spiritual growth for others?

How can we set the tone and atmosphere that is soooo good that they cannot bear to think of not joining in?

I can remember clearly communicating judgement and criticism for arriving late, not arriving, or arriving without enthusiasm or desire.

But look at this miracle from 2Corinthians 4!

5  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.


It has been said that the heart of man's problem is his heart! And when Christ enters the heart, an amazing transformation ocurrs! Where there once was darkness, and dark deeds emanated from that place, now Light Shines out of that Dark Place! Amazing!

As we keep this miracle at the fore, we can rejoice with every tiny little step people bring forward!

And I set a table of  grace, acceptance, joy and delight.

Today is Friday. We head back on Sunday, arriving Monday afternoon.

Really looking forward to seeing Laura and Crista, Jon and Jenn! And the rest of you.

God's best,

Irv.

Corruption. Ugh.

Folks, welcome back, glad you are here!

Dan and I were quite the clowns!

This morning we talked about corruption. Dan and I were in an intermediate English as a Second Language (ESL) class with 14 students and Cara, one of our Nav staff who recently moved here to Lubango, Angola to help out with the work here.

Cara introduced the topic and posed 9 questions about corruption, such as who does it, where does it happen, is it useful, etc. We paired up and discussed this with several different partners. I met with Americo and Gustavo and they had some great ideas!

Nobody likes it. Everyone in the room felt it is damaging. sometimes we as Canadians can be critical of parts of the world where it is obvious and prevelant.

Yet Dan and I found ourselves acting out a skit to explain the term, "Paying Under the Table". We had fun, all of us laughed, but I also wondered about what I personally can do about this significant problem. As I write this, I thought it would be wonderful to congratulate this great effort of tying significant cultural content to the noble goal of learning another language. I think I will!

and I want to make a couple of requests of you:
1. Pray that this great institute, Know How, would continue to make noble contributions to Angolans who want to make a difference where they are
2. Pray for the Nation of Angola, to make courageous steps in addressing this in their own nation
3. Think about where you run into corruption in your own circles. Do something about it! Ask yourself how you can be a man or woman of integrity, humility and honour in our family, neighbourhood and workplace!

Here is Janet with Dan, discussing their work in construction, seeking to provide quality materials at just prices, making a solid profit, creating employment, quality construction, working against corruption!

God's best, 
Irv.

Sometimes we talk about the Incarnation. Jesus taking human form and coming to the earth. No one has ever seen God. Yet He is much more fully known by us as we look at Jesus.

As Jesus walked on the earth, he made some phenomenal statements. "I am the Bread of Life" and "Come to Me and I will give you free food and drink!" He longed to give us what we needed to give us a sense of satisfaction, belonging and connection.

He also talked about the human condition apart from himself, and what to do about it in Matthew 9:

36  When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.
37  "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers!
38  On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"

Shortly after I decided to follow Christ I began to read through the Bible and began to benefit from these amazing passages! I newly felt this sense of connection, purpose and direction from my relationship with Him.

Then came my personal connection with a passage that ended up givimg me my life direction. It was  in Isaiah 42:

6  "I am GOD. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
7  To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons.

This so resonated with me! I said to myself, and to God, that I wanted a piece of this! I felt so delicious, that God would bring me into a relationship with Him, and then allow me to become a lighthouse for others, as Peter, who led me to Christ, was God's lighthouse to me!

So, lots of metaphors here. Lighthouse, bringing people into the light, releasing prisoners, emptying prisons!

As we mingle our lives together with others, we become God''s Workers! I feel called to this. Profoundly. But not only this, we become a Covenant. A Covenant, issued by God, extended to all who would come! I am the embodiment of this Covenant! I bring Hope, Light, Life and Vision to those around me!

You too!

Below is a photo with Carlos and Marcia seated to my left, along with folks from Brazil, Uruguay and the States. It seems a miracle that they are in our international gathering. 17 years ago they found Christ, and they have become Covenants to Chileans in Chile. 49 other nationalities are doing this too! And you can too!

This afternoon I head out from Kenya on my way to Angola along with my great colleague and colabourerer, Dan McIver. I don't know how internet access will be, but I will try to keep in touch. Thanks for your prayers! Pray for my time there with the Holdens!

Irv.

Theology, Mission, Doing it Right

Chris Wright is an amazing theologian. Theologan. Hmmm. Brings to mind complicated words, big books, writers who seem to try to complicate what they want to say, and dust gets in the way.

Not Chris. Look for his book, The "Mission of God's People" if you want to build your own effective, comprehensive  understanding of God's work across the ages in meaningful ways. He spoke to us this morning during our plenary session.

Chris talks about God's 5-fold mission of Evangelism, Teaching & building, Compassion, Justice and Creation Care.

As Navigators we have focused big-time on Evangelism and Teaching & Building. Our hallmark, classic terms of follow-up and discipling. Helping people to become established in their faith to the point where they can feed themselvs. Then discipling them until they can lead another to Christ. Then generations, when the one they lead to Christ in turn leads another to Christ.

We keep doing this.

And we do more.

Compassion. Justice. caring for our environmnent, looking after the extended family, healing woundedness. Doing all of this in Communities of Grace, where, rather than rewarding performance, we reward authenticity, humilty, serving and loving.

Our contexts? Church, Society and Creation. Look at these amazing verses from Colossians 1!

 

18  And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.

19  So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding.

20  Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.

 

 

So, let's do it right! Reconciliation, staying connected to Christ, making space continually for more, fixing the broken, healing the dislocated! His Death on the Cross makes this possible!

 

And the afternoon. Four hours on the bus, to get in 60 minutes of shopping. Oh well.

 

Irv.

 

PS Amazing trip to visit the game park just outside of Nairobi! Evidence of our trip!

 

 

He can Speak! We can hear!

We are really doing our best to hear!

We want to please God, serve Him, see the Kingdom of God move forward.

We want to get our signals from Him.

We do NOT want to cook up our own plan, get a stick-on label, and call it God's!

I have the privilege of leading a small home group of 6 members during our International Navigators Meetings. Wency is from Asia, Marvin from the US, Dan from Cameroon, Frank from Germany, Lee from the US, and myself from Canada.

This morning we looked at Isaiah 55. Here are several verses that reflect two big themes from our time:
Isaiah 55:1  "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

10  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God will speak and indeed is to us now. We are isolating His Promises to us for our work into the future. He is nourishing our hearts. He is directing us. Here are a couple of great prayer requests:

1. Stay in the Bible ourselves, finding God, nourishing our souls, getting others into the Scriptures in effective and productive ways.

2. Bringing Healing where ever we go! To others, ourselves, our neighbourhoods, our homes, our workplaces. People coming to Christ, growing in their faith, their walk with God, agents of Him in our day-to-day lives.

Thanks!
Irv.

We made it!

We made it!

Three flights, 21 hours in the air, 4 hours in airports, and we arrived, picked up by our taxi driver who had our names on a piece of paper, ready and waiting for us. Great trip, although a sudden surge led me urgently to the bathroom on the flight from Montreal to Brussels

Yesterday was a day of seeing amazing compassion expressed into significant need. Pastor Isaac picked us up at the CHAK Guest House and took us on a 45 minute drive North to Kijabe to visit the Bethany Kids Program at the Kijabe Hospital. It was a thrill to see this dedicated group of people investing their lives in beings some might say were too small or insignificant to warrant such effort.

Bethany Kids is a program specialized to care for children and their families where the child has Spinal Bifida Hydro encephalitis. Mr. Justus, who completed a Masters in Medical Administration, previously Director of the Hospital, and now administrator for Bethany Kids, gave us the tour.

Both Pastor Isaac and Mr. Justus told us of the cultural change they are working hard to precipitate, where the affected child is worth all the investment that can be mustered to not only improve the quality of life, but also to see the great contribution that a child with a disability can make to the family, the neighbourhood, the society, and the Kingdom of God.

It reminded me of a couple of verses in Isaiah 56 where it says:

4 For GOD says: "To the mutilated who keep my Sabbaths and choose what delights me and keep a firm grip on my covenant,
5 I’ll provide them an honored place in my family and within my city, even more honored than that of sons and daughters. I’ll confer permanent honors on them that will never be revoked.

In the photo: Dan McIver, Pastor Isaac, Mr. Justus, myself, and Chris Barrett taking the photo

My First Experience At This!

Folks, welcome to my first blogging experience.

It is great to be able to share this trip with you. I will seek to put my big thoughts out to you and allow you to experience some of what God is saying and doing through this time.

Also I will be posting some photos and even a video or two.

I will be just outside of Nairobi, Kenya from October 15 to 20, and then on to Lubango, Angola from October 22 to 28.

This afternoon I head out to the Toronto Airport with Laura, then to Montreal to join up with companeros Dan McIver and Chris Barrett, and on to Nairobi, arriving Friday evening at 10:30 pm.

From there we will visit a hospital specializing in rehab work with kids that Canadian Dr. Ivan Stewart has been investing in for the past number of years.

So, please pray for me in my trip, Laura in my absence, and for the Kingdom of God to move forward!

God's best,
Gratefully,

irv.