WAR OF THE WORLDS! Kingdoms in conflict

"I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name."

(Ex 15:1-3)

eXoDuS .... getting outa Egypt!

If you walk into our house, one of the first things you'll notice are all the photos up on the walls. Its Ange's trademark ... "bang, bang, bang" up go the pictures - each hammer blow a reminder of God's blessing in our lives.

... that's when my house becomes a home - surrounded by our friends, family, places ...

memories

inheritance

legacy

Recently, late one evening, a man came to see me, drunk as a skunk.... he could hardly stand. He smelled like the carpet of Polo Tavern after happy hour - politely I suggested we talk outside with a cuppa tea. He could hardly string a sentence together, but there was much on his heart. As it was the last time I'd see him before he left Dar, I tried to minister to him with little effect...

"A dzunno hoo a'yam ..." he slurred.

And then, as if a revelation had suddenly come to him, he said

"Ay'ma drunk, justa drunk"

He put down his mug of tea unsteadily and tried to focus on
me,

"an yu kno wha? ... ay lyk'it tzoo mutsh tu shtop"

As I looked past his shoulder through the big double glass doors, I could see my inheritance looking back at me off the passage wall. What would a man give in exchange for his soul? I thought of all the junctions in my life where God had spared me, rescued me, disciplined me. How I had rebelled, fought His discipline, lived my life ... Truly the kindness of God leads us to repentance - and it's grace that opens our eyes to His kindness.

I can truly say (and many others would say amen to that): but for the grace of God, there go I! By the grace of God I am what I am ... but God's grace was not in vain...

What have you done with the grace of God in your life?

Are your eyes open to the kindness of God?

I set before you today life and death! Choose life that you may live!

It's interesting that we never take photos of our bad times, sad times ... our "I'd rather forget" times. Its not that we don't go through those times, but they're not what we'd like to show our friends and visitors. Even so, when we look back and remember where we came from it is either with incredible thankfulness for what Jesus has done in your life ... or with terrible regrets of a life wasted and inheritance lost.

destroyed marriages

hopelessness

lost children

bitterness

anger

sin

And so it is with Israel and their exodus from Egypt. God is so honest and open about the failings and shortfalls of His people. He doesn't try to hide the mistakes, sins, fears and doubts of His own family. The reason He does so is for us to learn and grow and mature - SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES THEY MADE! How many times do we want to say to our kids "You don't have to make the same mistakes I made!"

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the exodus:

I do not want you to be ignorant .... These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (1Cor10:1,11)

• It's one thing to getting Israel out of Egypt, its another to get Egypt out of Israel!

We're studying this incredible account of Israel's journey with God through the wilderness for the next few months because it relates so directly to our own journey with God. Jesus met with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration where they spoke about His coming exodus. The exodus of the Israelites 3,500 years ago was only a foreshadowing of that mighty hinge of history that was swung back by our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary some 1,500 years later but that was rooted in eternity before the foundation of the world.

Jesus came to set us free from captivity. No matter how badly we have messed up in the past - our family album may be a thing of shame and embarrassment; but if we will turn to Him and trust Him - we will find NOT ONLY a Saviour, the One who leads us out of captivity, but also LORD, our King who leads us into His promises.

He is Hope for the hopeless, Bread for the hungry, Light for the blind, Life for the dead, Love for the fearful, Shepherd for the lost. He is the Qualification for the disqualified, Justification for the condemned, Sanctification for the defiled, Peace for the troubled ... no one who trusts in Him will be put to shame!

(Col 2:13-15)

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Heavenly Father, you have called me to be a son, not a slave. You have redeemed me from the slave market of sin, You paid the price in full by the life of Your Son Jesus. May that amazing grace toward me never be in vain as I walk this journey with You. May my life be a love song of praise to You.

In Jesus precious Name.

As Surely As The Sun Rises Tomorrow

When you're weary ... feeling small.

When tears are in your eyes,

I will dry them all.

I'm on your side - When times get rough

And friends just can't be found ...

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay Me down

These heart wrenching words from Paul Simon's 1969 hit song "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" brought much comfort to me in my troubled waters of July 2008. It just felt like everything was falling apart... Not being able to afford rent or school fees, I'd sent the family back to South Africa to stay with family, packed our home into storage and moved in with a friend. As our friends left Dar one by one - some for holiday, some permanently; it was like the last leaves falling from the tree in winter...

As we look back, the pain and uncertainty of that time has faded like a distant memory. But like fire-refined gold left over in the crucible, what has remained is a deeper, abiding faith. It has taught us a greater compassion for those going through trials and allows the comfort of God to flow through us as broken vessels. We don't have it all together, we don't have all the answers, but we do have an awesome and compassionate God who is in control and who is bringing all things in heaven and on earth into conformity to His will.

It is incredible how Paul doesn't ignore or play down the troubles he faced - he told the Corinthian church, ... we were really crushed and overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it! We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves ... BUT, he goes on to say, .... but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us!

As the cherubim over the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant were made of hammered gold, so our faith and devotion to God are moulded by the hammer of circumstance upon the anvil of experience. Angus Buchan always says: If your faith is costing you nothing, then its worth nothing! How will you respond to difficult circumstances, to harsh criticism or persecution? God I didn't sign up for this! Where is the BLESSED LIFE that You promised?

OR

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Cor 1:3-5)

We ARE able to bring comfort, to bring hope, to bring assurance to those in trouble .... to those who are down and out, to those on the streets, to those whose only companion is pain ... because our God is faithful and our God is true - all His promises are YES! YES! YES!

As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth

(Hosea 6:3)

This is our time to shine - with the glory and grace of God upon us, because Jesus is our Bridge over troubled waters and he has laid Himself down for us, He has taken our part. He is the Friend who is closer than a brother, who will never leave us nor forsake us.

Mak's Day of Joy!!!

Makumbula's moment! As Clean (pronounced Ki-le-n)comes down the aisle, Mak can't wipe the smile from his face. Mak and Clean were married in Wananyamala Pentacostal Church by our good friend Fidel. The reception was held afterwards in Manzese.

Mak and Clean supported and encouraged by their friends from Lighthouse Church, KPC and Clean's church in Mbezi. Family came fromDar es Salaam, Morogoro and Dodoma.

Hard to capture was the colourful expressions of joy and celebration!

Martin, Samson and Agnita rounded off the evening with wonderful music.

Pascalina blessed the couple with her speciality wedding cake. One minature for each of the couple's family also.

Clean presents the cake to her new mother Rosaline (in white).

A big THANK YOU to all who contributed to make this day one that Mak and Clean will never forget ....