Off to Ethiopia

Tomorrow morning, I fly to Ethiopia.  I will share what I can with you.  I'm thinking that the best way to expalin it here is in short phrases and adjectives, becuase the story is so neat that I would end up wirting too much when I really need to head to bed.

So, here goes.  

This trip is...

• God-inspired
• God-ordained
• God-funded
• Holy Spirit- confirmed 
• All Nations supported
• EMM supported
• MKC hosted 
• Exploratory - Spying the land
• Kingdom Collaberative
• Energy producing
• Life giving
• Loaded with possibilty
• Last minute, yet somehow well planned
• Extremely exciting 
• Preparatory for something coming soon
• Prophecy fulflling 
• In perfect timing 
• Symoblic 
• And an answer to specific prayers

Main Purpose: So that people that do not yet know about Dad's love will experience him.

Would you back this in prayer? Although I am going alone, I am at peace and excited to connected with other followers there. 

(I will post more if and when I can.)

This is discipling!

I really, really appreciate the heart in this video.

Getting Things Twisted

It seems that I can be so good at getting things twisted.  And I don't mean too.  I don't think it's on purpose.  But it happenes, nonetheless.  And then it gets revealed.  Like this morning.  I was listening to a friend at All Nations teach about the radical love that Jesus has for us as his "Bride".  As he was teaching, he said something like this:

If we would just find our identity and satisfaction in JESUS and what he has already done for us out of His love, we will not need to find our identity and satisfaction in the the big things that we do for Jesus. In this case, we will end up doing even bigger things for God than had we set out to do big things. 

Then I was reminded again of John 15 (posted about it here and here).  We must not focus on and put our trust in the branches, but rather we must place our hope for life in the vine.  Clearly, without the vine, the branch is dead.  Apart for Jesus, I can do nothing!  Seems clear to me.  Look, I know this stuff is easier said than done, but I thnk that it is all a part for the journey toward humilty.  The journey of getting ourselves out of the center (which I wrote about last week here). 

May you find grace as you strive to get your eyes off yourself and onto Jesus, the true vine!

Mas-ambican Baptisms!

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Today was the greatest highlight of my time in Africa up to this point! No doubt!  After 6 months of rich discipleship with 6 guys in Masi from Mozambique, they baptized each other this morning!  It was SUCH an encouragement! These were no forced baptisms where they were'nt really ready, but we needed to get them under for the sake of the numbers.  Nor were these guys getting dunked with no idea what it all meant. No.  The Holy Spirit brought them to the place of curiosity and studying what the Word of God says about baptism brought them to a place or desire and readiness.  Some of them were actually upset at us for not telling them about this earlier. 

After studying Romans 6 about 3 weeks ago, they came to a place where one of them yelled out, "I'M READY TO DIE!"  Well today they were "buried with Christ through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, they too may have new life." (Romans 6:4)

Will you thank God with us? And please pray for:

• John 
• Shawn
• Ernest
• Vusi
• Nando
• David

____________

On September 30, I will leave for a trip with Viktor (a friend and co-worker from Germany), John, Ernest and Shawn to drive to Mozambique where we will share Jesus with ther families and friends and teach about simple church planting.  After that we will head together into Swaziland for more church planting teaching with an MCC ministry there. This is a discipleship or missionary journey of sorts and our hearts are full of anticipation!

A New Kind of Sinner's Prayer

Today I was in a DBS (Discovery Bible Study-- CLICK HERE to read about them) with some guys who do not really walk with God yet in any way.  They were telling us that they do not know how to pray at all and that they would feel really uncomfortable to try to do so in front of anyone. Then, they asked a few really good questions about prayer. My friend and partner, Viktor, talked to the guys about how prayer is really just honest conversation with God. 

Then something came over me and I just started mdeling a prayer for them that illustrated what we meant.  It was a "Sinner's Prayer" like I have never prayed before. It went something like this:

Hi God, I feel like a real idiot talking to you right now. It feels incredibly awkward to be speaking to someone I cannot see or touch.  If I did this in any other instance, my friends would wonder what the hell is wrong with me. But God, I want to learn about this prayer thing so I am trying to start somewhere.  Help me learn to talk to you like this without feeling weird about it like I do right now. My life is really, really shitty and I am sorry because I know a lot of it is my fault. I have this feeling that you are trying to get my attention or something. So, I am gonna try to listen to you and what you are trying to say. I am even willing to attempt to do what you ask me to do, but I will need a load of help from you. Thanks. Bye.

If you are churched, you're probably really polished so you cannot handle a prayer like this. It is just too "disrespectful" to your diety and too unholy for you.  But for the guys I am working with (and most of the people you saw at the grocery store today), this is about what they can do. Think about it. 

My point? Let's teach people to talk honestly to God!  Say what you think, feel, need, desire, regret, etc....and say it honestly.  Let's take the "often-fake-repeat-after-me" prayers and replace them with honest conversations with God.

A Confession About My Pride

Feeling the need for some honest confession recently. Some I'm sharing privately. Some publicly.   

Here is my thinking....if I share honestly and openly about my own shortcomings, two things are likely to happen:

1. I get to live more in the light and the freedom of Christ. Secrets bind, honesty frees! 

2. And someone else may just realize that they need to make the same confession so they too can live in the light. 

My confesison: Over the years, the pride (and insecurities...which is also pride) in my heart has caused me to place myself at the center of too many things.  Things that I do not belong at the center of. And I see it now and I am ready to change. 

What do I mean?

• The church board opposes an idea I bring.  They must have a problem with me, then.  Taking it personally, I place myself at the center of something that was not about me.
• Attendance is not good.  I am the leader.  Must be my fault, so I put myself at the center and take responsibilty for something that is up to the Lord.  
• I sense that you are acting different toward me and our relationship does not feel the same. Then, I conclude that I must have done something wrong and you are upset at me.  There I am, putting myself in the center of something that has nothing to do with me. Turns out that you are going through something that has absolutely nothing to do with me.
• I get asked to do something (something good...in the church, even).  I wrorry about what people will think about me if I do it or don't do it.  What I was asked to do was simple and not about me!  But, there I go putting myself right in the center of it.
• I helped someone in there faith journey.  Now they have fallen backwards.  I take responibilty, putting myself at the center of their faith pilgrimage when their choices have nothing to do with me.

I could keep going and going.  It is pride.  I have done it more times that I know of! I do not want this to remain in my life.  I am feeling that the Lord wants to heal and change this. I want JESUS to be the center and I want to stop thinking more highly or myself than I ought to. 

Would you pray for me about this?

And would you be brave enough to look at your heart and see if maybe you need some similar confession and healing? 

Church Planting Opportunity

So, who is coming to join us in Cape Town?  This is a question I have been asking the Lord over the last month.  More specifically, who do we know that has the potential and heart of a church planter that GOD wants to call to join us in Cape Town for a 6 months Church Planting Experience here at All Nations?  

As you probably know, Tricia and I completed CPx (Church Planting Experience) from February through June of this year.  It was a life shaping experience for us!  You can read the most powerful things I learned by CLICKING HERE! 

This coming Febrauary, it starts again. People with a heart for the Lord and the church come together and prepare to go impact the Nations. And I am wondering who we know that the Lord might be preparing to come? I am excited that I will be joing the teaching team for CPx next year and serve as one of the contributors.  Hope that does not stop you from coming. ;-) 

• Want your life forever changed and your heart for the nations pumped full?
• Want to join a thriving community of believers preparing to radically follow God?
• Want to spend 6 months in one of the most beautiful places on earth?
• Want to have your understanding of church deepened and changed?
• Want to pack up and leave it all to follow God into a new direction? 
• Want to be strecthed like never before? 
• Want to join a movement of people longing to see the Glory of God and the Gospel of Christ go out to the nations?

Then, Here is the link to the All Nations website telling all about CPx and directing you to the registration forms.  CLICK HERE and join us in 2012!

May Jesus lead you! 

I guess I'm an Anabaptist!

Different people have told me to read "The Naked Anabaptist" for quite some time.  I finally did. And I am so glad I did!  Look, I really do not know how to review this book.  It was so profoundly impactful for the theological pilgrimage that I have been on that it would be hard to put it into words for you.  

Let me say this: "The Naked Anabaptist" is a humble, provocative and prophetic book!  The tone is gracioius, the content is stirring and the Anabaptist tradition is laid out in a very honest way. The book basically deals a little with the history of Anabaptism, a little with the weaknesses of it, and alot with the core convictions that set it apart to be a prophetic and powerful voice to a post-christendom society. Here are the seven core convictions that the book works through:

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer and Lord.
2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation.
3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian.
4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness.
5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability and multi-voiced worship.
6. Spirituality and economics are inter-connected.
7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel.

Now, be careful before you quickly conclude that you agree with these.  We only believe that which we really live. And I would assert that few of us actually live this stuff. 

There is lots more I want to say about this book (and I may say some of it in future blogs), but let me end with this for now:

After 15 years connected to an Anabaptist (Mennonite) church and network, 7 years leading an Anabaptist congregation, reading many books, studying the scriptures, growing in the Lord, and running with an anabaptist tribe (though embarassed to be at times).....and after reading this book, I am ready and willing to boldly declare that if Anabaptist life and values are really what are shared within the pages of this book, then I guess I'm an Anabaptist! There I said it.  

Becoming Who You Are

I recently read this book-- "Becoming Who You Are" by Dutch Sheets.  Not only did I really, really like it, but it has strongly impacted me.  Weeks later, it's truths are still speaking to me and shaping me.  That's one of the signs of a good book.  So, I wanted to give it a shout out on my blog.

Confession: I misjudged Dutch Sheets.  The circles he has run in can make you think that the book will be another charasmatic revivalist book that replaces discipleship with the instantaneoius.  Not so!  In this book, Sheets dsiplays a deep, deep maturity in Jesus and a radical commitment to obedience based discipleship.  Super impressed!

The book has 3 parts.  Here is the very basic flow:

The Problem: God's spirit is supposed to be controlling our soul (mind, will and emotions) and our soul should be in control of our body.  The problem is that this is not happening. We are getting it twisted. Things are out of order in our lives! We have become soul-controlled instead of spirit-controlled.  This is a profound problem that needs addressed if we are going to live victorious in Jesus. 

The Provision: Jesus!  The cross, words, example and life of Jesus...that we are failing to embrace and live into. 

The Process (for becoming who you are): Chewing, dwelling, remaining, resting, standing on and with the word of God. Our good ideas will not heal us.  Only God's ideas will.  We must simply start and stay there. (It is way deeper than this, but this is the best I can do to explain it.)

Struggling with feeling like you are not making noticeable progress in your faith and identity journey? Read this book!

Rule of 2

This season of my life and ministry has me learning loads about the value, importance and priniciples of discipleship. Here is one that I am dwelling on this week.  This will likely be a value I will carry with me the rest of my life.  

Here is the value or prinicple: 

Healthy Biblical discipleship should flow two ways...being discipled and discipleshing another. Someone more spiritually mature should be discipling, shaping and pouring into you.  And you need to be discipling, shaping and pouring into someone not yet as far along in the faith as you are. We need both in our lives to bring humilty and fruitfulness. I am experiencing this right now in my life and it is proving to be tranformational. 

The Biblical basis is simple. Let's call it the "Rule of 2" = 2-way discipleship as seen in 2 Timothy 2:2 which says:

You have heard me teach things that have been confrimed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:2

If you are not currently experiencing this type of 2-way discipleship, I encourage you to ask the Lord for it.  Pray and believe that he will set this up in your life.  He may even ask you to help him. 

7 Disciples, 7 Months

When we had been living in South Africa for 3 months, I posted THIS BLOG expressing my gratitude to the Lord for the 3 guys that I was in a discipling relationship with.  It was a fulfillment of a word the Lord had given to me and an honor to walk with these brothers weekly. 



Today, I am even more excited....4 times more excited, to be exact! Becuause, this week we celebrated 7 months here and I am now in an intentional discipling relationship with 7 young men!



What do I mean by a discipling relationship?  Think Jesus and the disciples....execpt, he was Jesus!!  ;-)  I spend time with these guys one on one or in pairs at least once a week in prayer, discussion, study.  We live life together in relationship and accountablity.  We SMS, we call, we hang together, we worship, I teach them, and I learn from them.



I believe that all of us should have people more spiritually mature than us discipling us, while we are disciping people less spiritually mature than we are.  Being pured into and pouring out...same time. This produces balance in your discleship journey. 



The Lord had specifically placed in my heart a desire and calling to actually disciple people...something I did not do in the Pastorate. And I am finding more joy in it than I would have ever imagined.  My life will never be the same again. And perhaps neither will John's, Shawn's, Ernest's, Quaid's, Siba's, Themba's or Reggie's!?

Repost: Powerful Patience

I blogged THIS in December of 2007.  I am reflecting on it again today as I get excited about the future!  There is power in patience and in waiting on the Lord. 

Check it out HERE!

Proverbs 16:32

Shawn's Changing Life

There is nothing more beautiful to me than when the Holy Spirit radically changes a life. That is exactly what is happening with Shawn.  4 months ago, a Muslim.  Today, a lover and follower of Jesus Christ.  I blogged about him HERE. He has calling brewing up in him that is as evident as the sun in the sky. He is prophetic before he even knows what the word means!  He thinks and talks in visions and piuctures as he is encounetring God daily in powerful ways. Last week, we showed up for church and he had made a board, covered it in white paper, cut out pictures from an old children's Bible and glued them on the board outlining what he feels Jesus doing in his life.  I asked him if I could video him sharing about his "vision board".  He was glad to do so.  So, check out Shawn...in his own words. 

Shawn's Changing Life from Noah Kaye on Vimeo.

What I Appreciate in a Friend

Over the next few weeks, I plan to look back through some of my older blog posts to review some of the things the I learned over the years.  Sometimes we need to look back as we look ahead to be sure to incorporate lessons learned that we may have forgotten.  In the meantime, I will also find things I wish I would have never written and don't even believe anymore. That's life.  That's growth.  Helps in the humility department. 

Here is a repost: Things I appreciate in a friend....CLICK HERE.

United Pursuit in Cape Town

Yesterday, we had the coolest privilege.  We were able to have an initimate worship time in a garage in Masi (proof in the pic) with the increasingly popular worship band, United Pursuit (Will Reagan).  You can google all about them.  HERE is their site. They have some great, raw and anointed worship music. Was honored to meet these folks and get a glimpse of their heart for the Lord. 

And tonight, we are going to a more full scale concert of theirs at a large church about a half hour from us.  

It has been a neat and unexpected blessing this week!  

PS- here is one of my FAVORITE songs by them....CLICK HERE! 

What do ice cream & missions have in common?

Well, I am glad you asked.  

First, Trica is a Missionary now and she LOVES ice cream. This is important. 

Second, our missionary support team is hosting an ice cream social gathering to highlight our missions work here in South Africa.  

So....

YOU are invited to join in.

What? Ice cream, stories, Q & A, inside sharing about our work here and fun interaction with our Missions Support Team!

When? One week from tonight....Sunday, August 14th at 6pm.

Where? Capital Christian Fellowship in Lanham, MD

Why? Because you love us and the Lord and His heart for the nations!

Who? YOU and our Missionary Support Team and other friends and partners. 

How? Just get in your car and show up next Sunday night. 

PS- We heard that it has been hot there this summer!  Great reason to eat some more ice cream, huh?

Abiding...Day by Day

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There are many things that the Lord has revealed to me since moving here in January.  Many of which I can't share....either because I lack permission from the Lord or I lack the proper words and time to adequately do so. Nonetheless, here is one of the major things that the Lord is saying to me these days.  I have been feeling it clearly and this morning, the Lord prohetically conformed it.  And I feel pretty sure I am supposed to share it with you.  So, here it is. I will bullet it in phrases that seem to capture what I am hearing.  I will write as if it from God to me.  Maybe it's for you too.

• You used to be really well planned. Now, I want you to let go of some of that plannning, so I can assume some of it. Just abide in me.
• Your calendar was your focus, before.  I now want you to be less-calendar driven. That way, we can schedule more "divine appointments" than we used to be able to. Just abide in me.
• Noah, there is nothing wrong with planning unless you allow something to go wrong.  And unfortunaetly, you have in the past.  Now, I wish to replace your need for extreme planning with a longing for radical trust. I want you to be resting in my plans, not making yours. Just abide in me.
• My son, I am not dissapointed in you, I am proud of you.  That is why I am rerady to graduate you from a place of needing to control your future, to a place of believing me for it each and every day. Just abide in me.
• By the way, it is ok to live a day at a time.  If you think only in chronos time, you will put pressure on yourself that is not from me.  I am inviting you to live in my time, kairos time. Take "develop a three year vision" off your task list, Noah. I will take of that.  Just abide in me.
• Be present in this season, not moving your mind and emotions into the next.  If you do, everyone loses.  Give Tricia, Davis and everyone in your life a "present Noah"! And abide in me.
• You are in Africa.  It is ok to not have your week all planned out.  It is ok to wake up in the morning and determine what you are doing today. Many of your new friends here have done that all their life. Fit in.  And abide in me.
• Finally, remember that I love to lead you!  I am thrilled when you trust me so much that you really allow me the reigns. I love when you abide in me.

So, that is some of what I have been hearing from the Lord.  I am currently trying to discern how to invest myself into All Nations and I am staring to think I just need to take it day by day....one day at a time...while I abide.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:4

Finally HOME...After 16 Months

I have just wanted to cry tears of joy several times today. Honestly, we cannot begin to communicate how thankful we are for this day, but I will try in this post.

Today we moved into a home of our own after living in one room as a family for over a year. It was 16 months ago that we moved out of our home in Maryland (we rented our house 30 days after the Lord called us to South Africa).  You can read that story in full HERE.  We have lived in about 7 different "rooms/homes" in this time period. As can probably imagine, living like nomads for 16 months has not been easy.  You can read some of what that was like by clicking HERE.  Tricia, Davis and I have all learned tremendous life lessons in the last year and a half. Too many to write tonight, so I won't start. 

A little about our place...we are renting a fully furnished duplex/condo joint (not sure what you'd call it in the USA).  It is about 3 kilometers from Masi & All Nations.  This place is a cozy gift from God!  Tricia loves it and that's all that matters. If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy. Luckily, Davis and I like it too.  The Lord opened this door for us way back in February.  The owner is heading to Asia to do missions work. He leaves in 2 weeks. So, check this out...our partners support us, we pay rent here, and that rent goes to support another missionary in Asia!  LOVE IT! All Kingdom stuff.  

One last word about the significance of today.  We have felt the amazing grace and lavish love of God today in so many ways.

• The guy who we are renting from in awesome!
• The place is all we could ever need. 
• We had a friend help us clean every square inch of the place.
• Had another friend helping me with other things.
• The Reber family stopped by with a housewarming gift and lots of hugs welcoming us to the neighborhood.
• The Fercho family dropped by, brought lunch and took Davis out to the park with their kids.
• The George's (owners and managers of Silver Palms, the guesthouse we have been living at for 7 months) came by with a beautiful painting for the wall.
• The Hain family brought us dinner (yummy balsmic chicken) and helped with other things.
• The Malherbe's stopped by to visit this evening.

If that is not enough...

• The house is immaclate.
• We are all moved in.
• We have fast internet.
• And Davis is asleep in his OWN BED in his OWN ROOM!

Just had to share our joy with you tonight.  God is so good and we long to give Him all the glory in all things. Days like today are a healing balm to the hard days and losses that come along with leaving home and moving across the world. 

(This is the only pic I took today.  More later.)

A Story About Our Car

After one month of being out of commission, we got our car back today. It had a blown engine.  Here is a cool testimony:

When we originally took the car in and had it looked at, the estimate to rebuild the engine was R34,000 ($5,000 US)!  That is half of what we paid for the car!  Cars and everything to do with them are really expensive here!  And you really must have one where we live. Needless to say, we were devestated about this news.  We just did not have that money! But, we had this strange sense of peace because we knew that God would pay for it.

So, we asked our prayer team to pray with us in 3 specific ways:

1. That we could somehow find a place to repair the car for less money.
2. That God would provide the money to repair the car.
3. That we would somehow have a vehicle to drive until ours was repaired. 

Well, today I would like to report on exactly how God answered those prayers:

1. We were referred to a local guy that specializes in our make of car (Opel).  He quoted us R22,000 ($3,250) to rebuild the engine. So, we decided to remove the car from the dealer.  We owed them R926 ($130) for the disasembly and diagnosis they did.  When I tried to pay the guy, he refused payment and said "Happy Birthday"! Yes, it was my birthday that day. So, we got the car towed to local dude.  Oh, and the tow was free as well.  All God!
2. That weekend, Pastor Nelson and our home church, Capital Christian Fellowship, surprised us and invited us to skype into the Sunday service and share our need.  They took up an offering of R20,000, almost exactly what we needed to repair the car!!! Others gave as well, covering every rand of the repairs! All God!
3. We drove a loaner car from the dealer for 1 week---free!  We drove some friend's car for 2 weeks---free! And we drove our mechanics car this last week---free!  We did not experience ONE hour of carlessness in the month our car was out of commission! All God!

God answered every specific prayer we prayed in a specific and powerful way!  And I just felt that I had to share this story.  It does not always happen this way, but it did this time....and we are giving the Lord the glory for it. Thank you to all of you who gave, prayed or cared!  We are on the road again!

Why I'm Here...

Seems that quite often I have these moments in Masi where I simply sit back and say..."ah, that is why I moved across the world...this is why I'm here!"  Sunday, I had one of those moments.

We were gathered for church Sunday morning with a group of guys.  Several of us on the bed, several on the floor of one small room.  While sharing about our week, one of the guys (Shawn, who we thought was Muslim) says this:

When I met you guys, it was like I was locked in a dark room.  I feel like you all took a stick and poked a hole in the roof and I could see a little bit of light shining through.  Then, you gave me the stick to hold myself.  And for the last few months, I have been working on the hole and making it even bigger, and now my life is full of light.  I think that the stick and the light are Jesus. Ever since I gave my body and my spirit to Jesus, my life has totally changed! 

There just are not words to explain the joy I feel when I see a changed life like this. This is not the first time that I have heard a profession of faith like this.  It is so stinking cool when people surrender to Jesus and share out of that surrender instead of us walking them through a "sinner's prayer".  This is the best type of sinner's prayer ever--one that flows out of their real experience. These men are finding Jesus and He's showing up and showing off in their lives. 

It's moments like these when I know...THIS is why I'm here.  Pray for Shawn.  He's the one in the picture next to me with his hands folded.  I meet alone with him Thursday night to start to walk with him in a deeper way.