man of peace | joseph

when you enter a house, first say, 'peace to this house.' if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. when you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'the Kingdom of God is near you.'

luke 10:5,6&8

when the peace of God comes to one who is ready to accept it...to have it rest upon them...the result of that peace will change one's life forever. joseph is a man who has experienced this peace...and he has been changed forever because of it.

left practically crippled by a near-deadly accident, the pain joseph carried reached far deeper than the bodily pain he was forced to endure ever day. disappointed and hurt by people, he resigned himself to being an angry, pained man...

...left to die lonely and afraid of what was next.

but then the kingdom of God broke into Joseph's life in the most dramatic of ways. peace was offered to joseph and it remained on him.  he accepted it...and believed...even for a faint moment...that being healed was possible. that faint flicker of hope was enough room for the kingdom of God to break into his life...and as a result...joseph was healed.

his spine was healed.

his neck was healed.

his head was healed.

his heart was healed.

at the age of 62...joseph is a new creation who's identity is now in Christ.  he no longer lives by the ways of the kingdom of this world, but he is a joy-filled prince dwelling in the safety of the kingdom of God. that is what happens when the kingdom comes to people...

it comes with the life-giving peace of Jesus that is accompanied with overwhelming joy. 

when peace came to joseph, he did not run from it...

he accepted it.

and for this man of peace...it has transformed him completely. 

pure spotless bride | vovo

the Lord will hold you in his hands for all to see- a splendid crown in the hand of God. never again will you be called 'the forsaken city' or 'the deserted land.' your name will be 'the city of god's delight' and 'the bride of God.' for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride.

isaiah 62:3&4

the wetland area of masiphumelele is a forgotten place. it is a place where the poorest of the poor in this township are forced to live, to fend for themselves.  this is a place of sadness, of desolation, filled with people who are seemingly left on their own.

vovo lives in the wetlands.

vovo's life was once thought to be forgotten, desolate...wasted. the virus that lives in her body reminded her of the way she had been abused, taken advantage of and then quickly abandoned.

alone. forsaken. damaged. hidden.

but this is no longer the case. vovo is a story of hope. for the Bridegroom himself has extended his hand to her. and she has grasped firmly to the One who has never turned away from her but has loved for for exactly who she is. she has been claimed by the one who has taken all of her blemishes and washed all of her stains. she is the delight of the Lord, the bride of God. she has been made new.

it is true, the kingdom of God has come to vovo. she has been married to the ruler of that kingdom. her sadness has turned to praise. she is beautiful in the sight of her husband, Jesus. she now rejoices because of how he has changed her...how he has given her a new name...

beloved. pure. spotless. bride.

|photo by chelsea gentry|

kingdom | stories

as the sun sets on our time here in cape town, i a reminded of many stories.  in fact, i think the telling of stories has played a significant part in our time here.

i have become increasingly aware of the place stories have in the kingdom of God. they are important to the King...and he shows us this through his own God story.  he...in fact...has written and continues to write an incredible story of

love

forgiveness

redemption

hope

and those who accept his invitation are suddenly swept into the telling of this gripping tale. and as lost sheep are found and prodigals return home...not only do they become part of the larger God-story...

but they also bring with them a smaller...but still very important story of their own.

i came to africa with my story...my own personal story of 

love

forgiveness

redemption

hope

and through my time here...i have told that story.  and others have told their stories to me.

some are very sad stories...ones that have very little hope...they are missing something. other stories are very different from mine and yet...at the heart...they have the same plot change...the same very important plot change.  and what comes from telling this kind of story is powerful. 

jesus is in these stories...his presence is written all through the words. 

as we have been meeting people...making disciples...planting simple house churches...

we have encouraged those who have been changed...to tell their stories...not to hold back. 

and what has come from this is an array of responses.  

but one thing is for certain...when we tell our stories of

love

forgiveness

redemption

hope

one response is guaranteed.

Christ is glorified...he is worshipped.  

and that is enough.

becuase he is the ultimate story-teller and and so he will ultimately do the rest.  

and so i will continue to tell my story...even after leaving this beautiful country...and i will tell the stories of those i have met. i will stand for them...i will speak for them where they cannot speak. i will tell of their stories of

love

forgiveness

redemption

hope

and i will tell of how they have changed.  i will tell of Jesus in their lives. i will tell of his kingdom breaking forth.

and He will do the rest.

today | joseph

today...i met with him for one of the last times [for now].

today...it was just he and i...one on one.

today...we shared with joy about what we see in each other.

today...we laughed at how people can't believe it when they see the pictures of his baptism.

today...he rejoiced because peace has come to him...has come to his house.

today...he thanked Jesus for touching his body...for touching he heart.

today...you couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

today...he told me how he wants others to know Jesus like he knows him.

today...he said he was sad to see me go.

today...he knows it is the right and obedient thing.

today...he told me how he wants to ride the train so he can tell the person next to him about what jesus has done in him...because that is what changes people.

today...i smiled when i heard this...knowing that we hadn't talked about my last post and he surely hadn't read it [he has no computer].

today...i am convinced that His love that rescued the earth lives in him.

today...i am overcome with thankfulness...because...

today...he knows.