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I am continually amazed and blessed by the people allows me to meet as I journey through this life. On this trip I have met many believers who are finding freedom from religious obligation and learning to live in Christ’s life. Some are just beginning that journey, and others are far along it. I love the insights I gain from all of them and the greater appreciation I have for God to make himself known in the world to whomever wants to know him in truth and follow him no matter where that might lead them.

On Wednesday I met a young man who is just finding some freedom from obligation to meetings and activities that was not nurturing his life in Jesus, but actually distracting from it. He told me something wonderful that God had showed him. He was expressing his concern to Jesus that he used to have far more people to fellowship with than he has now. God reminded him of the story of the 12 spies Moses sent into Canaan and then asked him. Would you rather have fellowship with the 10 spies who were captured by their fears and unwilling to follow God, or Joshua and Caleb who had seen the great trouble in the land, but knew a God greater than them all?

What a lovely picture. Of course, most of us would rather have 10 people willing to keep walking in God’s things than two, but if there are only two, then enjoy those two. Jesus hasn’t called us to live with the majority, but to walk with him and whomever he gives us at the time—whether a lot or a little! If you need a lot of people around you to affirm your walk, you are in the wrong kingdom. Enjoy what he gives you, even if for a time it is only a couple of others. Because our focus is not on how many are going too, but which way is he leading us.

I’ve moved on. I finished up my class on Thursday morning. I couldn’t have been more thrilled at how the reality of the cross was received. The questions they asked and the freedom I saw in their faces was all I needed to know. The conversations with individuals assured me that Father had made himself known and invited many along the journey of his gracious life.

On Friday morning we were all back in the township of Ntzuma. It really is a bit overwhelming to see such poverty and brokenness. But the people are so amazing, the children so full of joy and life. And the people God has raised up to work among them demonstrating his life are some of the greatest treasures in his family. It was a day of contrasts to be sure. To witness such great pain and suffering and injustice and despair was an eye-opener. These are people just like us, with the same hopes and aspirations and yet they are suffering because their land was stolen and they’ve been held captive for generations by those who thought themselves superior. Most of that was justified by religion, by those who lived with luxury and privilege right alongside their brothers and sisters and couldn’t see the horror of it all. It is so incredibly sad.

And yet in every home we entered the power and life of Jesus made himself known in the most broken places. To watch young people suffering with AIDs laugh and grandmas cry in joy that we had come was amazing. Our God is truly amazing and his love truly holds no limits. May God bring justice and wisdom and compassion to bear in the suffering nations of Africa.

Now I’ve headed on to Ladysmith and have found myself among some brothers and sisters who are sorting through a very similar journey to my own. It was so fun to share with them last night and to be with them for the weekend. We talked a lot about how it is that we move on in this life in Jesus—that he doesn’t just want to free us from the system of religious obligation, but to take us on to greater heights and depths of his life and glory. I’m really, really blessed and honored to be among people like that.

This morning my host and I stole out to a game preserve and drove among the unique animals of Africa. Then we pulled into a breakfast place that looked over the wild bush. We could hear the birds as we ate and discussed the things that are close to our Father’s heart! What a refreshing morning. These are the moments I enjoy the most—unhurried moments were we are talking through the reality of this journey and refreshing each other why we do it.

I told you this is a land of great contrasts just like our own journeys—times of immense need and pain and times of absolute joy and refreshing. Our God is truly amazing.

My South African Journey
I’ve been in South Africa for almost four days now. It has truly been an absolute joy. I have met so many wonderful people and had so many experiences it is hard to sort through it all as I finally have a chance today to fill you in a bit.
I spent the first weekend about forty-five minutes outside of Durban in Pietermaritzburg with some lovely people who are sorting out what it means to live outside the box. We had a fabulous time sharing our pieces of the journey and they certainly had the fragrance of Father about their lives and their fellowship. I was greatly encouraged by their journeys which have taken them on a different path than most folks would understand. But they are enjoying the fruit of doing so.

Then on Monday I started my class in the HIV School at the YWAM Base in Durban. The class is being translated into Zulu, which takes a bit more work and doesn’t always allow for an ease of interaction. But we are working through it with the help of an excellent translator. It is quite a mix of people, but judging by the questions people are asking, I think it is really opening some doors for some people. Tomorrow morning I will take them for a journey of the cross and your prayers for a revelation of the cross in each person’s life will be mostly appreciated.

Through all that I’ve also had some absolutely incredible experiences. The first day I was here I went with ten people through a game reserve. It was incredible being just a few feet away from giraffes, hippos, zebras, rhinos and many other animals in the wild.

I also met a woman who was a breeder queen for a Satanist group. Against her will she was impregnated 13 times and bore 13 children. She was forced to watch 10 of them sacrificed as part of their rituals, one her 33-year-old son crucified upside down on a cross. She had escaped numerous times, but was soon abducted and returned to the coven. She has been out now for a couple of years and has been blessed with relationships with some incredible people who have walked her through an immense deliverance over 18 months and are now helping her learn to live as one of God’s kids in the earth… Amazing! Pray for her. She has so much to sort out but is doing incredibly well. Sometimes the evil in the world astounds me, but I am so grateful God is bigger still. Pray for her. She has much to sort out.

Yesterday after class I went with some of the staff into a township of 500,000 people to help a seven-month-old baby girl find the care she needed. She has AIDs. Her mom has already died of it and she lives with her grandma who was in real despair. She went to a clinic on Friday, for TB and a boil on her neck. They would not treat her since she has AIDs and want to save money on the medicine. I can’t tell you how sad this was. For a lack of $15.00 she was sent home to die. I have a granddaughter about that age and it breaks my heart to see her little life so ravaged by pain and disease and be unable to get care. She’s hardly eaten in two months and was quite lethargic today. We managed to get her into a private doctor, who was willing to help for cash payment. She is in ICU today at the hospital and we have no idea how it will sort out. Her hold on life is very fragile at this stage. Please pray for her too and her grandma!

We also visited a pregnant woman who is in the late stages of AIDs and is now separated from her three young children. There is misery at every turn here. Fifty percent of the people in that township have AIDs. But there are some incredible people here giving of their lives to care for them and share the life of Jesus. I’ll be here until Friday, when I make my way to Ladysmith for the weekend.

At 12:40 past midnight tonight, I will leave LAX and head for South Africa. After a brief stop in Atlanta, I will continue on an 18 hour flight to Johannesburg, then connect for a short flight out to Durban. I hate these long flights, but am looking forward to my time among the people of South Africa. In addition to teaching at the YWAM school in Durban, I will also be meeting with believers in Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Johannesburg and Pretoria. It should be a fascinating journey. I’ve never been to the continent of Africa before and am excited about this opportunity. Please keep me in your prayers if you think about it.

So today is a day of preparation and good-byes. I’ll be gone almost 3 weeks and since Sara isn’t going I’ll miss her terribly. I just had some Aimee time in today. My daughter brought over my only grandchild to say good-bye. We had a great time playing on the floor. She’s very expressive these days and spending time with both of them is one of the great joys in my life. That’s her on the left. She is eight months old today.

Also today is my father’s 80th birthday. He doesn’t like to make a big deal of such things, but he’s the best. If you want to read the greeting I sent him, you can find it here.
It’s on days like this that I’m reminded the best joys in this life are the simplest ones. The family I leave here is a sheer delight, as I’m sure will be the extended family I’ll be spending time with in South Africa. So hug your spouse and kids a bit tighter tonight and let them know how much you cherish them.

I’ll try to put in some updates as I travel about South Africa, but am never sure on the road how much time I’ll get for that. If you want to get your orders for books and CDs serviced faster, it will help to send them directly to the office at our new office email: office@lifestream.org.

It’s one of the most often-asked questions I get, but Holly asked me again this morning and I thought I’d take this opportunity to answer it for others who have the same question she does:

My response to Hollly: I find people who are following Jesus have no end of opportunities and desire to give freely and generously to those in need, to those whom God has asked them to support who labor to extend his kingdom to others, and to groups that are doing relief work around the world.

It does take a bit of a shift in thinking to go from putting a gift in an offering every week where I receive the benefits of facility, staff, and fulfilling an obligation, to seeing where Jesus would want you to help be a blessing to others, but once done, the joy of giving is overwhelming.

For those who want more, I wrote an extended article on this topic for BodyLife titled Giving and Generosity in the Relational Church.

A reader from Lifestream, currently living in the DC area, recently sent me an excerpt from an incredible article about a baby’s need for love. Being a recent grandfather I found this particularly appropriate. It is from an article entitled The Long Term Effects of Institutionalization on the Behavior of Children From Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union Research, Diagnoses, and Therapy Options and discusses the difference between babies who develop in families and those that develop in institutions.

Joshua, who sent me this article, said he came across it after being involved in a small-group discussion as to why Christian growth is so difficult. This is as clear a picture as I have seen about the difference between institutional environments and families, and why Jesus saw the body of Christ not as an institution that conforms the new believer, but as a family that nurtures their growth in him. What do you think? Here are some excerpts of that article (emphasis mine):

The applications of this to the body of Christ are obvious, and explains a lot about ‘institutionalized’ believers. It also gives a great recipe for the environment in which young believers might grow more freely in the life of Jesus in a family setting.

Many of you know that Sara and I moved a few weeks ago, to a house that I wasn’t impressed with at first sight. I could see a number of things that gave me concern. But where I saw problems, Sara saw potential. So we bought the house and moved in. In the weeks since, however, we’ve been exploring that potential. Now I know what potential means. It means LOTS OF WORK AHEAD!

The two pictures to the left represent before and after this week. Fully 1/4 of this two-story house was covered in ivy that had grown for 15 years. This week as part of exploring this house’s potential, we took it all off. Now, you might think it was pretty before, and it was! The ivy was gorgeous, but it is a nesting place for termites, a ladder for rats into the attic and a bottleneck for moisture to rot away the house. I’ve learned often in this kingdom that there is little connection between pretty and fruitful!

Tearing off the ivy and untwisting it from beneath the tiles was no easy chore. (By the way, if you look at the little dot in the first picture, just to the right of the ivy-covered chimney, you can see Sara hard at work.) We spent evening and most of the weekend getting it all off, and cleaning out the gutters that were packed with branches one and two inches across. They had to be removed almost inch by inch. We were worn out by the painstaking work it took to unleash this house’s potential. (And this is just one bit of it. I won’t tell you about the backyard excavation so Sara could turn the desert look into an English garden.).

Between moments of frustration where we vented at the former owners in abstentia who let this thing grow into such a monster, I was constantly reminded that change, even spiritually, doesn’t come without work. If we think freedom is living comfortably in the status quo, we’ll find our lives falling into greater disrepair. Living the life Jesus has called us to live doesn’t happen without intentional action on our part.

Those who misunderstand that, will not see the changes in their life they seek. There is one problem here. When we speak of action, most of us only know the self-effort of legalism that tries to earn his graciousness. First, we must learn that that never works. As we find that freedom, however, we must take care not to fall into the ditch on the other side of the road—lethargy.
Since so much of our effort was the self-effort driven by guilt or fear, when he frees us from those things, we don’t know how to respond.

But he wants us to go on and learn the joy of working alongside him as he invites us to actively follow him day by day. This activity is not an attempt to earn his love or to cover up our sin, it is the only thing that love for him will want to do. Those who find life in this journey discover how to intentionally follow him as he invites us onward. Sacking out on the couch won’t get it done. It takes intentionality to put off the old man and to embrace the potential God sees in us. Yes, that means work, but this work is a joy. It responds to his leading and goes forward on his strength. Each day the disciple takes great joy in asking, “What are you asking of me today?” And then when God makes the way clear we intentionally follow him, even if there is hard work to be done, so that we can feast on the fruits of his work in us.

Our tenth edition of The God Journey entitled Transition has just been posted on our sister website.

Moving from an institutional mindset about body life to a relational one is not an easy process, and often the journey takes very different people through very similar stages. After Wayne and Brad following up on the leadership discussion in their last webcast with questions and comments submitted by others, in this tenth edition of The God Journey they turn their attention to the process so many go through when we begin to hunger for more of God’s life than their finding in their current institutions.

A friend sent me this quote this morning from 365 Days a Year with Dwight Moody which was originally published in 1900. Today’s entry is a commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:14, … “The love of Christ compels us.”

The language of institutions always gets back to responsibility, duty, obligation and commitment. It is satisfied if the work gets done, regardless of what motivates it. But the language of relational life is the language of love. When things just become a duty, we know that our participation in love has begun to cool. We fix that not by trying harder to do our duty, but by being renewed in love. It is as true of our relationship to him, as it is in our marriages, our relationship with others in the body and our compassion for the world. Never settle in this kingdom for any motivation less that the love of Christ flooding your heart.

If you find that cooling off, take the time to draw aside to him and set your focus on who he is and what he has accomplished on your behalf. Ask him to reveal the depth of his love for you and don’t just work harder at the things you know you should do. For that which we need most is to live every day in the reality of his love.

Wow! You never what will capture people’s fancy. I’ve enjoyed reading the comments to my last blog and appreciate all who have contributed. I’d like to continue the dialogue with a couple of additional comments:

(1) I agree that the use of judgment COULD be an appeal to guilt or fear. I don’t know how he intended it. However, I didn’t take it that way. By reflecting on it again after Kelly brought it up, I realized that something in my thinking had changed. I have always been bothered by the fact that in the Psalms the creation exults over God’s coming judgment and yet I was taught to live in dread of it. Religion seems to teach us that God’s anger will one day overwhelm him and he’ll rain down fire and retribution with torment upon the world. That’s not how the Pslamists saw it. They saw God’s judgment as his coming to set things right. Who is it that loves him who wouldn’t want that? After the bombings in the UK, the continued war in Iraq and the total sell-out of the world’s powerbrokers to the wealthy, I have long grown weary of the world’s course. I was with a brother yesterday morning when I heard about the bombings in the UK. I heard him whisper under his breath, “Maranatha!” Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. His simple expression, more to himself than me, served to refocus my heart as well and breath hope in the midst of such a dire world.

(2) I didn’t read Bono’s comments and think only of how we might reshape our foreign policy. That is far out of my hands. But I did see it as a personal challenge to rethink my spending habits and activities in the face of such overwhelming need faced every day by members of the human family on the other side of the world. Can we truly live with God’s heart and not see beyond our own borders? There are many ways we as individuals can make a difference overseas, even if it is only one person at a time.