Perspective

Among the huge waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of God because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God then if you have been led a rough road. It is this which has given you your experience of God's greatness and loving-kindness.
- Charles Spurgeon -
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Lausanne Conference

While Cape Town recently had the privilege of hosting the Lausanne Conference, I had the privilege of being reunited to Dudley Woodberry - one of my greatest hero's!

This guy is a living legend!!

Because Dudley was a man of his word, we were able to go to Fuller Seminary & receive input that would revolutionize our thinking & forever change our lives for the better.

Thanks Dudley.

May you continue to have an awesome impact on people's lives.

Bible Marathon 2010

On Friday-night August 27, we started reading God's history in Genesis.

The next morning, we began with Exodus, skipped some of the law-books, and later at 6.30PM Saturday evening we had gone all the way up to the end of 2 Samuel - & celebrated our achievement with some pizza!

Feedback from some of our 'athletes' was that "it really helped to put together the fragments of Old Testament knowledge that they already had..into one big Picture." That's exactly what we were hoping for.

The 'Promises of God' is a theme that runs strongly throughout God's Word.

With that in mind, I recently stumbled upon Galatians 3:14 that says:

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham,

might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

I just love how Galatians 3:14 brings God's promises together. The God of the Old Testament, the God in New Testament times & the God living & breathing in you and me is indeed ONE!

He is indeed the same: Yesterday, Today Forever...

On a lighter note:

People-groups such as the: Kenites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites, & all the other ~~~ites are found frequently in the Old Testament.

But now ... as of Saturday, another people group has been added known as the Calamites!

We had a good laugh when one of our readers (who shall remain unnamed) read through Deuteronomy 29:22 which says: "Your children...will see the *calamities* that have fallen on the land..." (Calamities was pronounced as Calamites :-)

May your life be free of calamites & calamities AND...

May the Word of God continue to be the foundation of your whole existence!

[*calamities*: events causing great and often sudden damage or distress; disasters.]

UWC making headline news!

Keep us in your prayers...

Lectures at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have been suspended due to protests.
A large group of students marched across the university’s Bellville campus on Tuesday morning.
They were disgruntled because the National Student Financial Aid Scheme was halted at the start of the second semester. UWC students stormed into lecture halls demanding that classes be suspended.
Student representatives announced on loudspeakers that they wanted to speak to the university Rector.
Campus security lined up outside the Rector’s office to stop students from entering.
The SRC said the suspension of the loan scheme meant that some students could not register for the semester courses and will now miss out on the exams. The university’s acting Rector has agreed to meet with the student council to resolve the matter and ensure lectures resume on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=46603

My world-cup runneth over!

For the first time I understand why they call it football-fever.

During the recent holiday season we allowed ourselves to be overcome by the World-cup-buzz. We watched most of the games at home on TV, except on two occasions:

Italy vs Parguay: Austen & I, went to see the game together with an old friend from University. It was cold & rainy, but what a thrilling experience!

Then someone blessed us with two tickets for the semi-final:
Holland v Uruguay (see photo). Overnight Marina & I rediscovered our Dutch roots, as we borrowed orange clothing from everywhere & dressed up 4 the occasion. Fun, fun, fun! We sang 'Hup Holland Hup' with the Dutch ... and with some earplugs we could tolerate and contribute with some vuvuzela noise :-)

Fan-walk/ public transport:

Logistically speaking it could be a monstrous problem, if the public transportation is too far from the stadium. In Cape Town, the central train-station is 2.6 km (1,6 miles) away. Fortunately, somebody here in the Cape came up with the brilliant idea of a 'fan-walk' - and it worked! News spread fast that the fan-walk was the thing to do - wether or not you had tickets to the game. Adults, elderly, children, babies in strollers... it seemed that on game days everyone in the entire Cape, plus the foreign spectators did the 'pilgrimage'. On the day of the semi-final, Marina rounded up 3 other families & we hopped on the train with our kids to enjoy the celebrations. Cape Town has managed to convert a potential logistical nightmare into a festive carnival experience.

Before the World Cup, many people expected the World cup to be the biggest failure ever. Now, most of them are quiet, waiting for the next big thing to be pessimistic about, but for now the score is:

South Africa 1, Pessimists 0

Our students are back on campus. We are ready for some 'more-exciting-than-the-world-cup-action'! Let Thy Kingdom come @UWC & beyond!

God's Word

NEVER interpret God's Word by your experience or logic. ALWAYS interpret your experiences by God's infallible Revelation. - Rick Warren

Quote of the day!

It's easy to hide behind a pulpit or computer screen. Real courage is revealed by one-on-one evangelism. -Rick Warren-

Coming from someone like Rick Warren, who is incredibly gifted & successful in preaching & writing, this quote carries so much weight.

May you too be encouraged to share Jesus with those around you - both in word & deed.

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Galatians 2:20 Conference

{Pic: @ University of the Western Cape 

- on our way to Conference @ Franschhoek.}

Q: So Archie, how did it go?

A: In short: I felt like a kid in a candy store :-) !!

The conversations went deep.

The worship/ 'choir rehearsals' were awesome.

The games - plenty of fun.

The talks & workshops: well done to Bruce, Felix, Hunja, Sisanda, (& yours truly really enjoyed sharing about the life of an Insider. Hopefully someone found something beneficial in there)

The Table Tennis: "Phuti, thanks for letting me win that one game" You rock!

The guys' post-midnight pillow-talk... very loud & extremely enlightening.

The ladies' multilingual song about Jesus being on the throne: SWEET!

 

The PEOPLE......... WOW!!

What a privilege to be a part of such an excellent group of co-laborers for the King!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

& some comments from our participants:

The speakers' talks weren't just theory; they spoke out of Experience.

I am now more prepared for God's work & have a clearer picture of God's big picture. -Kudzai-

For me it meant a lot, more on a relational side.

I feel supported & encouraged, knowing people that have the same struggles that I have. -Takadzani-

The Bible Studies; Yes!

It's not what the church or other people expect from me.

What matters is what God expects from me.

I also enjoyed being with people that have similar experiences in an environment where i don't feel judged.

-learning new songs- -Ngami- 

Bruce's talk on God's Will: The Scriptures are always relevant.

-being with these people is great! -Peter N-

Everything that was said was referenced from the Bible, so I can go back home & find what was said straight from the Bible.

Memorizing Scripture: very meaningful. -Zethu-

Putting Christ where He is supposed to be, @ the centre of my life.

The Prayer & Scripture memory workshops were very meaningful. -Mark-

-bumping into someone I'v been looking for but couldn't get a hold of-

Felix's talk on what the Navigators is about, was great.

Why? It was said in the light of people's lives; people that I know and can identify with.

It makes God's Vision accessible. -Sisanda-

I like to think about the future a lot.

The "God's will"- talk was very meaningful in that regard. I don't have to wait for a thunder/lightning bolt to make decisions. It's much easier than I thought. It's right there in the Scriptures. -Tutu-

Fellowshipping with people who all fight & struggle 4 God's vision.

I would make the camp title: "It's not about me." -Desiree-

Bruce's Magic :-) -Takane-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you so much to everyone that made this weekend possible:

Tricia, for the back-breaking work, sorting out the practicalities; Mercy, I think you & Felix are guilty here as well :-)

-to Christo for getting that basketball-hoop up in time.

-to Heinrich for the bus.

-to everyone that rocked up with an open mind & spirit for God's input! 

-to the musicians: Desiree, Tutu, Eddie, for practicing, prepping the handouts (Desiree) & everyone else (Sadie) that brought their voices & hearts along to the 'choir rehearsals'.

-to the Speakers & workshop leaders for setting time aside preparing your talks.

-to my kids for behaving well :-)

But most of all I thank God for blessing us with his presence & his eternal love!

Now, let's translate all our discussions on Galatians 2:20 into our everyday lives...

I have been crucified with Christ 

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 

The life I live in the body, 

I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Give yourself away & in doing so: show, sow & share God's love!

Bruce Vanwyk from Colorado Springs

Yesterday, we were honored to have Bruce Vanwyk on campus.

Bruce has been following Jesus for more than 40 years & it is because of him that I ended up with the Navigators.

While we were living in Los Angeles, California, we became friends with his daughter Sonja & her husband Marshall.

For 3 years Sonja kept saying: "you guys will make perfect Navigators."

Bruce invited us to the Navigators headquarters in Colorado Springs - to come & see what the Navs are all about.

The rest is history...

Thanks Bruce for being a man of God!

Investigative Bible Discussion @ Cassinga Residence

In John 2, we read about Jesus, the new Rabbi.

His very first miracle was to change water into wine.

Comments from our group: "Maybe some of the guys/ disciples were thinking: mmm... this Rabbi must be a fun guy; what a party animal! I'm gonna stick around & see what's next."

Pray for Manqoba & SCO

I was just asked one of my favorite questions: Can you give me some advice on discipleship?

Thanks for asking Manqoba!

Manqoba is National Chairperson for SCO (Student Christian Organization). SCO can be found on most of the University campuses in South Africa. Manqoba asked me to advise him on a Nationwide Strategy for discipleship. He will present this to the rest of the leadership in another month or two.

Please pray for Manqoba & I, as we spend time together in preparation for his presentation.

God is stirring up great things & I feel very privileged to be a part of it!

SCO service lasted about 4 hours today

I just loved the spiritual energy & vibe @SCO. Thanx 4 the invite to preach. Valentine, Rafael, Micah... U guys rock!

I just finished preaching @ SCO's Sunday morning svc.
Sermon gave some definition to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
-trusting God that SCO will be known for being true followers of Jesus - doing the stuff - loving God & loving people!

I love my job!

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Ponder this!

During 2010, South Africa will be hosting the Soccer World Cup. We will see many stars, that are heroes on the soccer pitch. I can't wait!
As you think about how you play the game of life, here are 10 questions to ponder as you enter 2010. (Thanx Floyd McClung for asking the questions that really matter most)

1. What's one way you could utilize time to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
5. Who are three people you can disciple more intentionally?
6. What is the most helpful way you can build community with a few other followers of Jesus this year?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
8. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

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Ideas:
Print this out. Take it with you as you drive/ walk home. Think about it on the treadmill in the gym. Send it to your small group/ mentor/ life coach / work colleague/ pastor/ spouse & set some time aside over a breakfast/ lunch & talk about it. Write some stuff down. Post some comments on my blog & share it with like-minded people. Reply to my email & share your thoughts. Facebook. Twitter. Come up with better ideas to make this part of your own life & those around you.

Let's play God's Game the best we can during 2010!