Desire vs Will

It is interesting to me how often things coincide in my life. Different aspects, from difference sources, come together at the same time. So it was when God52 called on us to fast 1 day in the week, OM also called on us the fast in the same week. Thus a 1 day fast became combined with a 3 day pray & fast.

Food has never had much of a hold on me. I eat when I'm hungry, but have never had a problem eating too much. It's surprising then that fasting is so difficult. The craving for food is incredible during a fast. I've gone through days, when I am really, really busy, where I completely forget to eat. Start a day of fasting though and suddenly all I want to do is eat! It doesn't help that odd temptations arise as well.

For example, the only time that my house mate has ever offered to share his breakfast with me was on the same day I was fasting! The second day of my 3 day prayer & fast (I was just fasting lunches), one of our workers came in and offered me Kudu droewors! He's never done that before!!

I suspect that God throws these things at us to test just how serious we are about the commitment we made. I see this not only during fasting, but also with other commitments. We might be tempted to blame the enemy for these tests - and perhaps sometimes it is him - but I suspect more often the testing of our commitment comes from God. He wants to see us thrive in the challenge. He wants to see our will triumph over our desire.

I wasn't so good at it this time. The Kudu wors was too much... I took a bite even before I realised what I was doing! Next time I'll do better!

Humility?

This should be an easy task for me... Do something for someone else without telling them or anyone else... Easy!

See most of my job is exactly this. It's what I thrive on; Serving others. It has been a hallmark of my ministry for years. So I don't see how this can be a problem task.

The thing is, it WAS a problem task. Many of the God52 bloggers encountered the same type of problem. See, while I love doing the background tasks, I also love getting recognition for it. Who doesn't? I tell myself that I don't need recognition or applause, but deep down it is what I crave. I want people to say: "Look at Paul. Look how selflessly he works to help others even without recognition. Paul is great!"

It's hard to come to realize that even unrecognized service is not motivated by a humble heart. True humility is thus something I cannot claim to have achieved. Not here in this blog anyway. Maybe I have managed to be truly humble at times, but in being truly humble I probably did not acknowledge it. That's the difficulty with humility, isn't it? You can't claim to have achieved it.

This was definitely a useful exercise though. It is good to review your perceptions and mindsets and hold them up to the light of God's standard. It serves well to remind us just how much grace we need! Time to reconsider my motives and refocus on God alone, I think!

Prayer #Fail

Prayer has never been a strong point for me. This challenge really highlighted that. The task was to focus prayer on just one thing for the whole week. Jesus taught that we should be persistent in our requests to God, even when we did not seem to be hearing an answer.

I started the challenge strong, as always, but quickly faded as the week went on. The discipline to set aside large chunks of time to devote exclusively to pray is hard enough as it is. To then use that time to pray only for one request, over and over and over. It exposed my weak discipline!

The request I prayed for remains unanswered, so I'll be continuing to pray for it throughout the next few months. I guess you could say that, while I failed the specifics of this task, I did learn something after all. I learned that God enjoys hearing from us, even if we may feel like we're being repetitive.

God52 Updates?

I haven't given up on God52.

I've had an extremely busy week-and-a-half and have not got to writing my thoughts into the Blog. I'll do some catching up tonight and on the weekend. So be prepared for a flood of updates on:

• Prayer
• Humility
• and Fasting

God52 - Extravagant Giving

The first challenge for the year was extravagant giving. Push yourself to give until it hurts.This caught my attention immediately and sparked my interest. All through December I was being challenged about where my priorities lie. What do I spend most of my time and money doing? The answer was pretty clear: My computer & computer games.

Now there is nothing basically wrong with entertainment. There's nothing wrong with having an outlet for relaxation. But anything and everything can become an idol that keeps us from God

Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.
Fulfill your promise to your servant,
    so that you may be feared.
Take away the disgrace I dread,
    for your laws are good.
How I long for your precepts!
    In your righteousness preserve my life.  Psalm 119:33-40

Oh how I wish that this was my attitude and desire! To long to obey God in all things."Turn my eyes away from worthless things" - that's the verse that hit me. How much time have I wasted on worthless computer games? Time that could be better spent! I had many plans for my December holiday break. Many things I wanted to get done around the house. Come 7 January and none were done. I wasted so much time!

Well, this tied in nicely with the challenge for week 1. Here I had a solution to the idolatry problem my computer had become. Give it away... What a painful process! I've spent an awful lot of money keeping my computer up to date to be able to play the latest games. I've spent an insane amount of money on computer games over the years; quite a lot in December (thanks Holiday sales....thank a lot...). It seems like such a waste to just give it away, doesn't it?

My first attempts to find support in this endeavour were pretty disappointing. Most people I spoke to asked the same question: "Why not sell it? At least then you get some money to help support you?" This actually became a serious temptation to me. It sounds like good, wise counsel, doesn't it? But God had spoken clearly. Give it away! When someone wants to be extravagantly generous we should not question it, we should encourage it. After all, isn't that part of what we're called to do?

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

Do we know how to give like this poor widow?

  Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matt 19:21

If your possessions are getting in the way of you reaching God, are you willing to give them away? 

It wasn't just my friends that caused temptation. I provided enough temptation to myself. I was shocked at how hard it was to remove the games in preparation. Every game I selected to uninstall called out to me. Every game tempted me to play it; How nice it would be; How much fun; How I should really finish the story to find out how it ends; How I'm just getting to the good part. Over and over I had to force myself to go on. The further I went, the more I realised just how much I was bound by these games. They truly had become an idol!

I know the challenge wasn't specifically to break down an idol (unless you consider the idol of materialism), but this is what it became for me. My computer is clean now, ready to be given away. The last hurdle is to find the right person to give it to. Until then I will disconnect it and pack it away.

Hopefully computers and computer games will never have this hold on me again.

So that is week 1. What an incredible challenge. I haven't actually given away anything yet physically, but just the process has help me give away something that was spiritually binding. I look forward to the physical giving away now!

God 52

What is it?

The original idea comes from a Blogger who is setting himself 52 spiritual challenges, one for each week of the year. The idea is to challenge your faith, discipline, and preconceived ideas about Christianity. I got interested in this at the first week of 2013 and have decided that this will be a good exercise for my soul. Check out the original idea here, God 52 - The irresistible resolution, and follow the latest at God 52.

What am I doing about it?

Well I've decided to record my efforts and anything I'm learning. Mostly for my own reference, but perhaps others may find it interesting to - thus Interesting Times Blog has been revived after a 2 year silence.

I'm a little behind the curve with the feedback Blog posts, since we're already into week 3....so Week 1 & 2 feedback will follow shortly...

The Gospel according to John the Baptist

I have got into the habit of reading Dr Richard Becks blog, Experimental Theology, lately. He has some very thought provoking insights drawing from Psychology and Theology in an attempt to understand more of scripture. Recently a post of his "The Gospel According to John the Baptist" caught my eye as it is something I have never really thought much about before. What is the essence of what John saw as repentance, as preparation for the coming of Jesus and the Kingdom?

Referencing Luke chapter 3, Dr Beck summarises it as follows:

"Repentance, for John, looks like this:

If you have extra clothing, share it.
If you have extra food, share it.
Do not charge (or collect) more than what is fair.
Do not pressure or extort people for money.
Be content with your paycheck."

That is interesting, isn't it? Repentance for John the baptist is reflected in how we apply our finances and possessions. As Dr Beck says, it's more practical than emotional.

It seems to me that scripture never separates the practical day to day aspects of our lives from our salvation. We live out our salvation every single day through the choices we make in how we share what we have and how we apply our pay-check.

How do you fare on John's scale of repentance?

Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him!

"I'm going to have a party, but I don't think,

that I'll ask Hooper Humperdink.

I'll ask Alice, I'll ask Abe.

I'll ask Bob and Bill and Babe.

I'll ask Charlie, Clara, Cora..."

Hooper Humberdink, this was my favourite book when I was little. I identified so well with poor Hooper. I shared his pain at not getting invited to parties. Always being the last chosen for sports sides. Living socially at the bottom of the barrel, as it were. I am clearly not alone either. I searched around the Internet for Hooper Humperdink and found a myriad of people who all identified with poor Hooper.

I have long puzzled over just what it is that makes some people the center of attention whilest pushing other to the fringes. Call it the 'X' factor or whatever. It's most clearly visible in teenagers. Teen 'A' is the life of the party and the center of all attention, attracting a large group of followers. Naturally extroverted, Teen 'A' enjoys all social interaction and thrives (or appears to...). Teen 'B', on the other hand, is naturally introvert, shy and quiet. Social interaction is difficult and uncomfortable. For some reason the world seems to say: "Everyone must be like Teen 'A'. Teen 'A' is better. Let's all be friends with Teen 'A'. Teen 'B' is a wierd loser!"

Of course I'm speaking in extremes here. There's much more to it than that surface analysis. But the point is that we all do this. We all have a built in set of standards by which we measure people. And according to those standards we elevate one person above another. One person is "better" than another because of how they act or socialise or even look. We judge others according to our own lopsided scale.

Enter Jesus into history. He came with a completely new scale. A completely new set of standards that levelled the playing field. It seems that He alone could truly view people as equal. He ate and socialised with the rich and the poor, with sinners and the self righteous. He touched the untouchables. He returned dignity and hope to a women scorned by all. He found time for rowdy children in the middle of a sermon. He chose the uneducated fringe people, fishermen and tax collectors, to be his disciples and attracted doctors and political leaders. Each person he met was treated as equal. Each person loved as an individual.

The challenge for us is clear!

Gratitude

The recent announcements by various Internet Service Providers now offering cheap uncapped Internet accounts have to be one of the biggest steps forward for South African Internet in many, many years. The aftermath of these new products, a few weeks on, has left ripples throughout the time continuum. One such ripple has touched me and had a profound effect on my outlook in life.

I feel old! Yes, you heard me, Old! Either I am getting old, or the world has gone mad. Perhaps it's a little of both.

Consider, if you will, a world where the birthday boy is presented with a giant cake, the size of a mega large pizza, and a mountain of presents. He eats the entire cake in a few minutes, rips the wrapping off all the presents as fast as he can and then starts to complain. The cake wasn't big enough! Where are the really nice presents? Why wasn't it a double chocolate cake. Ungrateful little...!

Yet this is not far from the truth of what has occurred these past few weeks. South African Internet users have been given (locally)unheard of freedom to use the Internet as they've never had the option to do before. Individuals, previously limited to 10 or 20GBs, have managed to consume over 60GBs and more, for a fraction of the cost in just a few days. And are they happy? No! The complaints are ridiculous! MyBroadband forums are full of people unhappy with their new found freedom. Instead of celebration at this step forward, what we are witnessing is grubby little greedy paws grasping for more. Gimme, gimme! Wanna wanna sweeties!1

Is it just to be blamed on youth? Was I ever that naïve? That demanding? I hope not!

Or wait... Perhaps I am...?

God offers us the greatest gift of all; Eternal life. And what do we do with it? We complain. Why haven't you given me a better job, God? Gimme! Why don't I have enough money, God? Gimme more! Why haven't I found the right person to marry, God? Gimme! Why don't you talk to me, God? Why don't you stop the suffering, God? Why don't you solve my problems, God?

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.”2

What more could we ever want?
What other response is there but wholehearted gratitude?

1 - Hopefully Terry Pratchett doesn't mind my using a Wentworth quote.
2 - John 3:26 CEV

Free website hosting

Ok, so there's no evidence of God working in this. In other words this is not something I specifically prayed about and God answered. But it's cool non the less and it's something I just stumbled upon.

I have found that I can offer free website hosting to anyone that wants. No catch.... okay maybe a little catch. You can't use your own custom domain for your website and your webpages get a Google advert displayed on them. Not the worst price to pay for free webspace.

My host is ts4m-host.org and anyone can sign up. The details are all on my little host site. Primarily I want to use this for missionaries, missionary organizations or other non-profit organizations that a) can't afford to pay for web hosting and b) want their own site. For those not technically capable I then am able to offer help designing and administrating the website.

Ok, this sounds like and advert...and in a way it is. I'd like people to hear about it because I really want to help organizations and even individuals get exposure for the good work they are doing. And what better place than the Internet?

Subsequent to all this I decided it would be nice for me to offer full website support to organizations that want to use their own domain name, etc. I've signed up as a host reseller with a local company and will be offering this too soon. The free host is open to all, even if you're not a missionary or mission organization. This host will be specifically for non-profit organizations, so the sign-up will be restricted. More on this one once I've sorted out the details...

I'm hoping God can use even these simple tools to help spread his good news.

Buying a car [part 2]

They say all good things must come to an end. I guess that's true most of the time. It was true for my Suzuki. It was fun to drive, but eventually I had to admit that it was not very practical. For my IT support work I needed a more practical vehicle. One that could carry a decent load. And so the "zook" had to go.

Now, I hear you saying: "People buy cars all the time. Why bring God into it?" Well it's not so much the buying of the car, but the specifics that reveal God.

Problem 1: My first problem is that the "zook" was my only car and my only means of transport. If I sold it I would not have any means of transport. Not totally impossible to handle as my friends would give me lifts, but an awkward situation.

Problem 2: I refuse to owe money on a car. So any car I buy must be bought cash. I was now looking for a small 1/2 ton bakkie in good condition, but I had only the money from the sale of the "zook" available. I had to get a good price for the "zook" And I had then I had to find a cheap bakkie in good condition.

No problems are too big or small to take to God. These 2 I submitted in prayer to God and it's in how he answered these prayers that I see God at work.

Solution 1: A man agreed to buy my "zook", but he lives in Oudtshoorn. So he asked if he can pay me now and then come fetch the "zook" in 2 weeks, when he can come up with his son. There it was! He paid me in full for the jeep 2 weeks before he took it. I had 2 weeks to search for a replacement. God?

Solution 2: My buyer offered me the full advertised price on the "zook". Exactly what I wanted. So I had the maximum amount I could afford for a bakkie. The day before the buyer was to arrive I still had found nothing. Now if you've experienced God work then you know that it's not time to worry. 1 Day is more than enough time for God.

Thursday I went to Krugersdorp to cruise the second-hand car dealers for options. I found 2 for my price (I always seem to get a choice), where before I'd found nothing worth even considering! I chose the newer of the 2 bakkie, an Opel Corsa.

Friday morning I drove the "zook" to the airport; picked up the buyer and his son; drove back to my house; handed over the keys and waved my "zook" goodbye; climbed in my landlords car; drove to Krugersdorp and drove home in my new Opel Corsa bakkie! Enough said!

Many times we look to the big miracles to see God. But in my experience God works most in the small details. When we trust our problems to him we see him work in the small things. Sometimes we only see his hand by looking back at the past, but I assure you that if you trust him he will be there.

Buying a car

So how does God help in buying a car. Sure he can miraculously have someone donate you a brand new one. Or he could prompt someone to give a large cash donation toward one. Or he could just do the unlikely as I have discovered twice now in the last year....

On returning from Turkey I was really keen to get involved with off-road rescue. Before going into mission work I was very involved in volunteering with an off-road rescue unit here in Johannesburg, and I was keen to get back into it. The problem; 4x4's are expensive and I only had about R40K to spend on a car. I am determined that I will never owe money on a car again, if I can help it and so a loan was not an option. Rather than worry, I put the problem to God...

On a visit to my folks I decided to take a look at second hand cars in Pietermaritzburg. I searched high and low for something that I could afford that was in reasonable condition. I wasn't looking for a 4x4 exactly. Then at one dealer I found a Hyundai, which looked pretty good, in my price range. So I asked for a test drive. And while I was waiting for the salesman to bring the keys I looked up across the road and, would you believe it? There stood a red Suzuki jeep (4x4) for sale! I had yet to see any 4x4 I could afford, but something in my mind said: "Yes, that's it!"

But I'm a practical guy, so I decided to test drive the Hyundai anyway, because that was more practical. I got 2 blocks up the road before blowing the head gasket! It was almost as if God was saying: "Oh no you don't! You asked me and I've gone to great lengths to prepare a car for you. Now you will buy it!" I left the car for the salesman to sort out and walked back down the road.

Now the little doubter in me was saying: "It's useless! You won't be able to afford it!"

I look; The price: "R39000"

Little doubter: "Yes, but for that price it's probably got big issues!"

I look; Exterior very good; Interior also very good; low mileage.

Little doubter: "It's not going to be mechanically sound!"

I take it for a test drive. The salesman says it's been recently reconditioned. It's a bit slow, but it only has a 1000cc engine. So what can you expect? Mechanically - no problems.

Little doubter: "..."

And there it was. In answer to my prayer God arranged a red Suzuki jeep 4x4 for under R40k in very good condition down in Pietermaritzburg. Just for me! I drove that jeep for 1 year without any troubles, enjoying my time back in the Off-road rescue unit. God truly is great.

(Next in Part 2: Practical Paul makes a return!)

The return

After a long break from blogging I've decided to return and continue my journey through interesting times. We so easily get busy with other things that the simpler things, like communication, fall by the way. So to continue my journey I am going to start documenting some stories here of how God has worked in my life. In the little things and in the big things.

A really busy week

After returning from a hectic week on the South Coast I face another hectic week here in Jo'burg. Monday I took a rest, but since Tuesday I have been working non-stop. The most important task was to get my breakfast invitations out. This was top priority as the breakfast is only a few weeks away.

Apart from that I have many other things to keep me busy: Compiling photos from the out-reach into a CD for the guys; Setting up our CRM application; And helping Papillon finalize their training centre for their ICDL course.

Today I spent the morning at the Papillon Foundation. Next week they start the new computer course, so Stephen wanted one last check of the system before then. It was fortunate that he did! It turns out they can't issue CD's to their students so we had to install the course material on all the computers. What should have been a quick check-up turned into an all-day affair. Leaving me backlogged with all the other things I needed to get done today!

Oh well, tomorrow is another day...

Transkei Outreach

I just got back from a week on the South coast. We took a group of students from the Baptist Theological College (BTC) on an outreach. The goal was to give them exposure to mission work and at the same time help a local ministry. We joined up with Crusade for Christ (CFC), which is based just south of Margate. For a couple of days we worked on their new farm, helping with some physical labour. In the evenings we attended a good old fashioned tent crusade.

LOUD! That's all I can say. The tent crusade was ear shatteringly LOUD! But it really is amazing to see people who truly enjoy worshipping God. Not only do they enjoy it, but you can see that they're having a good time. Dancing, singing, clapping, it was all there.

For something different we took the team into what used to be the Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape). There we met up with Pastor Lionel who is busy starting a new church in an area without any churches. Our job was to lay the foundations of the church building and start building the walls. We had 2 days to accomplish this.

Day1: We laid the foundations. Fortunately someone else had already done the digging so we only had to mix concrete and pour. The area is very poor and the Pastor actually had to buy water, by the barrel, for us to use in mixing the concrete. Fortunately the recent torrential rains had filled the foundation trenches with water. So we were able to use this water for the concrete and never had to touch the bought water. God truly did provide. He also provided when we ran out of stone (after pouring only half the foundation). Again the rain provided. Rain water running down the side of the road had uncovered vast quantities of stones for us to harvest. We had only to collect them. By 5pm we were finished, literally and physically. But then we still had to run an evening service at the Pastors other church!

Day2: Still reeling from yesterdays efforts we set to work again. This time it was brick laying. We had brought a professional brick layer with us, and one of our team, Solomon, had also done a trade course in it. So the 2 of them worked all day laying brick! The rest of us mixed and delivered cement and bricks as and when needed. Again, after a full days work, we had to run an evening service. God really did test our resolve. But the team came through with flying colours.

We covered a few more ministry opportunities before the week was out. All-in-all it was a great success and we feel we really were a blessing to CFC and Pastor Lionel (who would've kept us for a week had a he had the choice).

Long nights and hard work

This week has seen long nights and lots of work. Since joining up with 3D-Outreach my work-load has increased rapidly. Most of the work involves the logistics of preparing ourselves for the outreach ministry to follow later. But I have not forgotten my true calling.

This week I had my first training experience. Chalkie is a missionary friend of mine from Operation Mobilisation (OM). He, himself will admit that he doesn't know a lot about computers. Recently, seeing the need for effective communication with his supporters and sponsors, he bought a new laptop. The laptop was all set up and configured for him by the OM IT staff, but he wasn't sure how to use it all. Especially confusing for him was the concepts of writing email while offline and then sending the email later when going online. With these difficulties he called me in to help him out. I spent an hour with him, teaching him the basics of offline emailing and helping him practice all he was learning.

It is really great to be able to serve like this. It is people like Chalkie whom I wish to help, to make their ministry more effective.

This week also saw me returning to the Papillon foundation for an update visit. They have now received their ICDL accreditation and will start their first course in the beginning of October. I went around just to verify that all the computers were ready to roll with the course. While at their premises I also spent some time fixing some of their other computer problems that had arisen since last I was their.

And the latenights? Well the Off-road Rescue Unit has been kept busy lately. In the last few weeks I have been involved in 3 searches, 2 of which made the newspapers. We searched for a 19 month old child who's father committed suicide (Baby was found safe at a church). Then another late night search for a missing man who was suspected of being hi-jacked. For this one we searched from Roodepoort all the way to the Carousel! And then 2 nights ago we pulled an all night search to find 20 teenager schoolgirls who went missing on a river rafting trip. All 20 girls, their 3 teachers and 1 guide were found just before sunrise. Cold, but unhurt.

I must say this latest search was the best I've been involved in. Involving excellent team-work, a team of about 12 vehicles, SAPS dog-unit members and water rescue all well coordinated to bring about a successful result! Our biggest and best rescue attempt yet.

 

Long Break

4 Months down the line and I finally get to post here again. Leaving Turkey threw out a lot of my routines and so I haven't been as diligent as I should be in keeping this site up to date.
That changes now though. Once again I'll keep this site updated with what I am doing and where I am going. My new beginnings with 3D-Outreach mean that there are many opportunuties opening up for me. And I'll have all the news here.
So for those who want more than what;s included in my Newsletter, here's the place to find it. I promise to keep this updated on at least a weekly basis again. Also I'll make sure to get new pics up of my off-road experiences as well as ministry opportunities.

Busy, busy, busy

Things are really getting busy now. There's only a few days until I leave and I still have a lot to do. What can I say? I'm king of procrastinators! I am really looking forward to Monday. But before that I need to finish my little task list, which seems to grow faster than I can complete the tasks. Best get to work then....

...maybe later.

This past Monday I visited Ephesus with some friends (as can be seen by the picture below). What an incredible place to visit. It's so interesting to be in a place straight from the bible. Trying to image what it was like when Paul visited. Getting a new perspective on his letter to the church in Ephesus and to the accounts of his visit in Acts. Being there definitely brings the story to life. Anyone who visits Turkey should definitely make a stop in Selcuk and visit Ephesus.

A visit to Ephesus

I thought it prudent to pay a visit to Ephesus, since it is so close to me. The remains of this once great city are a beautiful reminder of a past lifestyle. To walk these streets, where Paul once walked, and to visit the Theatres and Market places, where he once argued for what he believed in, is an experience not to be missed.