- with persecution-

The last blog post was fun!  All about the benefits and relationships gained thru leaving good things for the sake of sharing the gospel.  There are 2 words in the verse that I talked about, that I didn't really talk about, the words are "with persecution".

Mark 10:29-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property

—along with persecution.

 And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

  The idea of the post was to put faces and places with what we have experienced.   If we only focus on the good, the benefits, the return, then we aren't really giving the whole story or the whole scripture, we aren't telling the whole truth. 

It's like sharing the Gospel without talking about repentance..it doesn't work, it's not the TRUTH.

I love that Jesus could have left "with persecutions" out and let people figure it out, but He said it so that when it happened, and it happens

 all.the.time.

 people would know Jesus knew this was coming and it's part of the story.

 I can't for the life of me figure out why it happens so often, but it does.

  The craziest part is we expect persecution from the outside, but it more often comes from the inside, from people in the family of God.

*I realize in comparison to the persecutions that people experience all over the world that include imprisonment and beatings and death, the "persecutions" I'm referring to are nothing, but Jesus didn't say this for only extreme cases.  Jesus Word's are true in every context, every day, every situation.*

Everyone who has ever done ministry has been involved on one end of persecutions,

persecuted or persecuting,

 to some degree,  or the other.

  Most have been involved on both ends.

  

I think of it as a bunch of kids that inherited the most important and powerful business on earth from their Father and they fight disagree over how to run it.
 The best part is there is no need to fight, the Father is alive and well and left us with a written manual (Bible) and a CEO,( the Spirit) to guide us. 

But, because we are people and we are sinful we fight over stuff. 

And when it is dear to our hearts we fight with passion and purpose and often times we get it wrong and it hurts people and sometimes we get it right and it hurts people. 

 The beauty of it, is our Father is the Author of the manual and He shows us the way and provides the way to reconciliation.  

 God is a good Father.  He is so faithful and His faithfulness is not dependent on ours.

  When we are not faithful, He still is!

  I have seen the benefits of pressing in and staying the course with Him wherever He leads and even when it gets hard, there is always growth and deeper love and understanding. 

 Faithfulness takes time and patience, to see God's faithfulness and to learn to be more faithful in our own lives.

2 Timothy 2:12-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 

If we endure hardship,

    we will reign with him.

If we deny him,

    he will deny us.

13 

If we are unfaithful,

    he remains faithful,

    for he cannot deny who he is.

We've Given Up Everything To Follow Jesus.

THIS!!!

Mark 10:28-31

28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

  These pictures are the definition of this verse.  

We only *give up* a week or 2 at a time and look what God has given us for children, property, brothers, and sisters....

  I can't imagine my life without these people and places. 

Above is Mulondo Patrick is so dear to our lives.  We have seen him as a student and now as a grown married man.  We have hosted him in the USA and he has taken care of us in so many ways in Uganda.  Patrick is the contractor on this Redeemer House Guesthouse being built behind us.  

Andule Simon! Our son for many years and now we have now added Annette to the family.  She took care of so many things at CSI Guesthouse and her and Maezie bonded over dishes and laundry.

Angel (on the left) of course takes care of the kids when I am there.  She kept them several times for me while we were there, TRUST me....they were better cared for in her care, than in mine.  I let a lot of things slide...like bathtime, and Angel keeps them squeaky clean and fed!  She even washed their feet before we headed to the airport. 

 This is Angel LOVE!!!

 My beautiful Sister Helen and her hubby Robert.  This lady sings with a voice that touches my soul.  She is one of the quietest and shyest people around until you put this lady behind a microphone singing for Jesus, then she sings with power and conviction.

 Her voice gives me holy chills.

  Before the crusade, it was HOT and the worship team had a long hot ride to the RH property.  I was sitting with Helen and her voice was barely a whisper and sounded so dry

 ( I was freaked out thinking she wouldn't be able to sing)

 I offered her some water, and she replied, "No thank you, I am fasting." 

 The whole team had been fasting all that long hot day.  They were fasting for Jesus to come and bless the crusade.  I was humbled and concerned that my singing Powerhouse Helen would not have a voice by the time it was crusade time.  My concerns were ridiculous, she stepped up on that stage when it was time, and came with all the power in Jesus name and she brought the house down. 

 That girl sang long and hard with power and beauty and never missed a note or move.   

 This is my beautiful Joanita.  She is the wife of Mulondo Patrick and there is a small part of me that takes a little credit (hehe) for his marriage to her.  Patrick and I were at an adoption conference in the USA and I began to "quiz" him about his relationship with this beauty queen.  He had no doubt that she was the ONE for him, but he was getting everything else in his life in order and set before he married her. 

 I told him if he knew she was the one, quit wasting her time and his and marry her NOW...they could get the rest in order together.

  He listened to me :) and I think they are both pretty happy about my advice.   

 Seriously, people, this is the house we stayed in for 2 nights.  We were right on the Nile.  I honestly did not want to leave.  It was gorgeous!  Owned by a beautiful family, and staffed by wonderful people and connected to a thriving ministry. 

 The whole place and everyone in it  SHINE with God's beauty!

 Maezie was never without her baby and pregnant belly fix.  The girl obsesses over pregnant bellies and as God would have it, just because He is kind, He gave her a sweet belly to rub while we were there. 

 This is no random belly either, Emma has been in our lives since Lashae and Charlie's first trip to Uganda and we never miss a little visit with her when we go there. 

Family!!!

 This is a beautiful FAMILY photo.  I told Tucker and Irene I wanted a picture of their family (even though Divine was at school; so we missed her in the photo session) and my kids jumped in without even thinking twice.  I kinda laughed and then took the picture.  When I saide FAMILY they knew they were a part of it, so they positioned themselves right in there. 

This is FAMILY!!!! 

 FOREVER FAMILY!!! 

 Pastor Tucker and Irene are some of our best friends in the 

WHOLE WIDE WORLD. 

 I can't put into words what this family means to me.  

God put our families together at a time that I needed guidance and friendship like never before. 

The funny part is we met this family in the USA.

  Only God can make those connects that will last for eternity.

This is Brian.  This man is one of the busiest guys in all of Uganda.  He was not able to come to the crusade the first day, and I knew that I felt a missing piece, but I also understood his absence.

  He has a million things going on.  When I saw him from a distance show up the second day of the crusade, I felt my whole body relax.  I was shocked about how that happened, I didn't even realize I was tense.

  I saw him show up and the next thing I knew he was behind the microphone praising Jesus with all his might.    Brian is younger than me, but so much wiser. 

 He is like a big brother to me.  

When I learned of a situation at the crusade it was confirmed why I felt the peace of God when my big wiser younger brother showed up.

  There was a witchdoctor that showed up and tried to create chaos in a sneaky way and as soon as Brian got word of it, he handled the situation without hesitation and without a scene. 

 The witchdoctor was not scene or heard from the rest of the crusade.

 These ladies are 2 of my best friends in all the world.  When I prayed for Patience, God gave me a living breathing Patience (pictured on the right) with skin on.  She lives up to her name and she is a gift to me.  Irene is a mama like me, and I love her and admire her for the wife and mother and friend and ministry leader and most of all the way she loves Jesus. 

 Every moment I can get with these friends is a gift from God.

I could go on and on and post many more pictures, but this is a glimpse of what this verse means to me. 

  A snapshot of how God puts into action this verse.  I pray He sends us more places, for the sake of the Gospel, because I know the benefits.  I feel the LOVE!

Simon and Patrick's mom is a gift to me!  These boys are sons to me!  This family is FAMILY to us!

God's Kingdom and ways are so upside down in this world. 

 The world would say we are giving up time with our family, and using money that could be used for lavish vacations or nicer things. 

 Time with these people in these spaces are the biggest most lavish gifts of love I could ever hope for.

The Root of Freedom, Safety, and Ease

I asked Simon on one of our drives, "Of all the places you live right now, which one feels the best?"

He answered without hesitation.

 Simon lives several different places right now.  He moves around often within the week.

Simon is a staff member and a board member of Redeemer House.  He is a leader that is well respected there for his position and his experience.  The house is a newly built well-equipped house on gorgeous land with farm ground and land and a wall around the property, a gate to enter thru and a well for clean fresh water. He lives here part-time.

Simon is also a student at a very nice, university in Uganda.  He lives there and has a room with roommates and access to the dining hall, libraries, and football fields.

 It's a beautiful campus.

Simon is also a son and a brother.  His mom and brother Patrick live where he grew up and it's dirt floors and outdoor common cooking area are conservative, to say the least.
 It's a small living area and outside the small living space are other houses lined up one after another.  No privacy, no yard, no concrete, no gate.
 The kitchen is an outdoor area shared with others and they cook over an open fire, and the toilet area is also shared with many others in a common area.

  All water must be carried.

 Of all the places Simon lives this is the place he calls home, the place he feels the most comfortable.  He answered without hesitation and with a big smile.

I asked him, "Why, what makes it your favorite?"  He answered easily. 

 He said it was the place he feels the freest, the place he feels the safest, the place he feels at ease.

I can't quit thinking about this.

  Simon is free and safe and at ease with no electricity and no running water and a mat covered dirt floor. 

 I love this and I couldn't quit thinking about it and wondering WHY, WHAT is the secret to this freedom and safety.

  It boils down to looking deeper, getting to the root of the freedom and the saftety and ease.

  It's not coming from outside, it is from the inside. 

 From the outside, there is no provision of comfort or safety or freedom.  

It's from deep inside that this freedom and safety and ease stem from.

Maezie who always sees things much deeper than most and yet she can't see 90% of what is right in front of her.  It's weird, it's like she only has eyes for what is underneath (maybe this is why she is obsessed with pregnant bellies).  Whatever Simon sees at HOME Maezie saw it.  She was so thrilled with the candle lighting (she didn't even realize it was because the electricity was out) and she loved how Simon's mom was there on the floor on her bed mattress waiting for us to arrive (she didn't realize it was because Simon's mom was so sick at the time she couldn't even get up off her bed mattress).  Maezie talks about our visit with Simon's mom (who doesn't speak English) as one of her favorite visits.  I think she saw the deeper things that Simon feels there.  There is acceptance and there is a realness and a rawness that makes Maezie in all her childlike heart feel safe and happy and free.

May we live and love to see the deeper things in people.  

May we have eyes that look thru the outside and see deep into people's eyes and see their lives and look into people's hearts. 

 May we be rooted so deep in Jesus, that no matter what the outside circumstances we live with joy and freedom and safety in Him alone!

Jeremiah 17:7-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

8 

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

    with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

    or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

    and they never stop producing fruit.

9 

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

    and desperately wicked.

    Who really knows how bad it is?

10 

But I, the Lord, search all hearts

    and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

    according to what their actions deserve.”

Moses' Bakery.

Meet Moses.  This is his bakery.

 For the crusade, he made 500 mandazis (which is a fried piece of bread, about the size of a large  handful). 

Some of you gave your "lunch money" for feeding the people at the crusade.

 We ended up using the mandazi to feed all the people that came to help serve at the crusade.  Many people had traveled from a long way to bring the crusade to Redeemer House in Buitki.

  It was amazing to me, the body of people that God had put together and equipped for this event.

 People that had never served together before came together for this event.

 As we were discussing how to feed all the people that had traveled and were going to stay on RH grounds (literally on the ground) with one small outdoor kitchen it became concerning. Nobody had answers of how to solve this issue, as it was all in motion already and people were on their way.  We landed on the fact that we had to not spend time worrying about it and trust that we would work together and would figure out how to share a small outdoor kitchen over the next few days.

It wasn't until the next morning as I was praying about how we were "really" going to feed all these people that had sacrificed so much to come and serve at the crusade.  God reminded me about the mandazi that was already ordered for the crusade.  It became very clear that it was for the people that were serving and staying at RH property and helping minister at the crusade. I know for sure when God gives us an assignment He never gives us the details, He keeps us looking to Him for each step.  It was beautiful each night to have something to give all the people that had ministered in a million different ways at the crusade.  Once everyone got mandazi there were leftovers, and there was plenty  for breakfast the next morning. 

 This is just how God works.

Mark 8:1-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

8 About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”

4 His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?”

5 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

“Seven loaves,” they replied.

6 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 7 A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.

8 They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 9 There were about 4,000 men in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten.

We went to thank Moses for making all the mandazi and pray for him.   

Moses greeted us on his knees because he lost the use of his legs from the time he was a young boy.  He walks on his knees. 

This man is a hard worker and a husband to his beautiful fireball of a wife Eva (who works for RH) and a loving Father to these 5 beautiful children.

  We invited Moses to come to the crusade and enjoy a day away from work and the confines of his house and work, but his whole family was already at the crusade and he couldn't leave or the thieves would come and take everything. 

We prayed over him and asked that God would bring the crusade to him in his home and his workplace, and give him joy and love and healing beyond anything he had ever experienced.  

Sweaty Worship and Humble Prayers.

Have you ever worshipped so hard your clothes fell off?
  Have you ever prayed so hard you had sweat fall off your face like drops of blood?

2 Samuel 6:14 English Standard Version (ESV)14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.

Luke 22:44 (NLT)44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

I have been in worship services where everyone leading and everyone in the audience are sweat-soaked thru their clothes.  I've been in worship services that when everyone stops for a moment the sweat and tears are rolling so hard there's a pool of sweat and tears at all our feet.   

This is how David worshipped and this is how Jesus prayed.  Why are we not living by this example?  We can use the excuse that it's not our culture, we are more reserved or sophisticated....but this is what David's wife thought when she saw him dancing before the Lord and blessings were withheld from her.

2 Samuel 6: 20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince[b] over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your[c]eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

 I have seen and experienced work and workouts that made me sweat thru my clothes or made the sweat roll off my face, but the one thing I was created for has rarely made me sweat like that.  

When I think about how I've seen people pray in Uganda I wonder how is it often so different here when we serve the same God?  I think about how I often feel the presence of God so much stronger there than I do here. 

* I struggle to even share this because if I'm not careful I can make God sound Ugandan.  He is not a certain race or nationality, he doesn't take up residence in a country or people group.  God is everywhere at all times and His Spirit dwells in His people, everywhere they are.*

 That being said....I can't deny the presence I feel when I'm there.  As I think and pray on this I think about the people that Jesus encountered and healed when He was here on the earth....it was the desperate ones.  The ones that knew they were desperate and didn't let social boundaries or behaviors stop them from getting to Him.  They would tear thru roofs of houses, and crawl to touch the hem of His robe.  They were desperate and they were willing to humble themselves for a touch, for some attention.  

I look at the way people worship with all their might and I see freedom and a joy that you can't get anywhere on this earth except for in the presence of God.

  His presence doesn't depend on our location but on our desperate desire for Him.
 The only location that matters is the direction of our hearts and the worship of our lives. 

 May we live our lives in wild worship to Him!

Uganda 2019 - Born Again

John 3:3 English Standard Version (ESV)

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We had been in church for 6 hours. 

(fastest, hottest, most beautiful 6 hours of the week, by the way)

We had listened to 12 young men give testimony of what God had done in their lives.

  One of the young men had a missing front tooth and scars on his face, you could tell his young life had been rough. 

 He talked about how he hated Christians and hated church and now all that had changed. 

 He was standing in church and telling everyone what God had done in his life that very week.

He was shaking his own head in awe of the changes in his life.

Pastor Tucker had invited a group of young men to go to a “camp” with him at the farm.

He invited these boys from a nearby slum. 

They were each talking about how they had no idea what a “camp” would be like.  They had never been invited to anything like that.  They figured it must be a party of some sort. 

They all agreed to go, there were 21 who attended the camp.

 

When they were giving testimony, one young man said he tried to sleep super still so he wouldn’t wake up the pastor, only to find out that Pastor Tucker had been up all night praying.

About 2am he couldn’t take it anymore and woke the boys up to pray pray pray with him.

They each talked about how they didn’t come to pray and they didn’t really know how or what to do, but they decided to try it, because the pastor seemed pretty passionate about it, and he had brought them all the way there.  They said it was hard at first because they wanted to sleep, but once they got started they couldn’t stop.

One young man asked Pastor Tucker during his testimony if he would also teach him to fast. 

After 6 hours of praise, worship, teaching, and testimony we were sitting around visiting and people were cleaning up and all of a sudden you could hear loud excited praying again.  I couldn’t understand their language so I looked at Irene for an explanation and one of the young men that were at the camp, but not at church that day, was being “born again” and all who stood in the doorway of the church were ushering him in, with prayers and encouragement.

The sound and excitement reminded me of the birthing room at a hospital.  I had seen this young man walk in.  He seemed nervous and urgent about something, then when he was leaving he was full of joy and peace.  It doesn’t always happen like that, but that day it did. 

That was his birth story, and I got to witness it.

The boys went to camp to party they thought, nobody told them that, but that is what they thought.  They found out they went to pray and learn who Jesus is, and they came back changed.

They also played football and ate and did all the things young men like to do, but they hardly talked about that...they all talked about what they learned, and how Pastor Tucker had taken the time to talk to them like a father and how they prayed and learned about God.

I can't get over the simplicity of what happened and how they told their testimony.

  The boys were invited, and they were told the Good News of Jesus Christ and they believed and are saved!

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 English Standard Version (ESV)

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.