Faith as These Little Ones

My wife has a wonderful singing voice and she ministers next to her twin sistee who is equally gifted. The other day we held an African themed night and had many different nations represented. My wife and sister-in-law sang a beautiful song in English and Yoruba. We heard afterwards how many wete touched by the song, but just today heard something very touching. A friend told us that a dear three year old girl had wept at the song and said 'Jesus touched me'. Oh, to have the sensitivity and faith of such little ones. The song was anointed, but what a joy to hear a young child being so touchrd.

Give and it Will Come Back to You

The other day I was touched by an offering given at our church. I normally try and give above my tithe when I pay it, but will also respond with cash throughout the month. This time I had no cash but just had to reach for my card details because somethi.g touched me. I gave an amount and thought nothing of it, only to find the same amount lying on the street while walking just over a week later. I felt that I was being shown that God will faithfully bless those who give, and many times in unexpected circumstance.

Never Too Old to Be Healed

The other week I prayed for an elderly man that attends our church. He had had a knee replacement ten years previously, and now at 83 years young it was playing up again and bringing him pain.

He had been to the doctors and the hospital had told him that he was too old to perform the procedure on. I am not sure whether this was because they thought he wouldn't last long and therefore it was a waste of money, or whether it just wasn't possible at his age. Either way, I said that we'd have to trust in the great physician and ask Jesus to do what the doctors couldn't, or wouldn't, do.

I saw him a few days later and he said that the pain he had in the knee was completely gone! He said that I must have the healing touch, but I pointed him straight to the power and grace of God. He said that since his knee got healed I better pray for his carpal tunnel syndrome in his wrists! I am now waiting to hear another victory report. Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever.

Knowing He Cares

Just yesterday I was waiting for a train when I saw a young woman who was crying. She was on her mobile phone but had a tissue to her eyes and appeared to be hearing bad news. 

I waited for her to put her phone down and then approached her to ask her why she was crying. She burst out in sobs, with tears rolling down her cheeks to say that her uncle had just died. I told her I was sorry to hear that and immediately began to minister to her. I told her that through this she has to trust God that His ways our not our ways and thoughts not our thoughts; that He can do things through this in her family that will turn for a blessing.

I said that she should not get angry with God for the time they didn't have, but thank Him for the time they did have. I hadn't even asked if she was a Christian but was led of the Spirit to minister the hope of the Word. He was nearly 60 and lived in Africa - I pointed out that life expectancy in Africa is generally quite low so he definitely had a good innings as the British would say! I asked if her last time with him was happy and she said that it was. I said that many people's last time with a lost loved one was negative, so she was blessed in that also and could keep the memories.

She said that her family couldn't take another hit and that she was struggling with her faith; I was able to minister that God will not give her anything beyond what she can handle and that she should take all things by prayer, with thanksgiving for all His blessings, to Him.

I told her that when you are wounded badly it causes a scar. Overtime the pain goes but the scar will always be there. I said that she would never forget her uncle, but in time her heart would heal. I asked if I could pray for her, telling her that of all the trains I could've caught and all the times I could have come, God had me here for her to show that he loves her. I prayed for the healing of her heart and the blessing of her family through this.

I then got out my Bible and said that I wanted to read her a scripture. She requested Psalm 109 and after I had finished reading the train came. We got on and I then deliberately changed the subject to if she worked in town and what she did. I found out that she was a database analyst for a cosmetic company and I mentioned that I was on my way for a data collection appointment. When my stop came I gave her a flyer for our fellowship and she thanked me for ministering to her. The tears had stopped flowing and I left her smiling.

Glory to God that He would position willing ministers to reach out to the saints in need! When a young lady could have shipwrecked her faith in grief, God had a soldier there ready to call her back to the glory of His Kingdom!

The Father is With Us

I was travelling by bus today and I noticed a child in a pram was crying incessantly. It was one of those cries that you could tell was from being irritable, rather than from any real need such as being sick or hungry.

The father was with the child, rather than its mother, and he mostly seemed to ignore the child's protestations; the only thing he would do was to offer the occasional  reassuring word. What the child didn't understand was that they had to get where they were going and that they couldn't get there without riding on a hot and sticky bus.

My mind immediately went to the Father in Heaven. Here we are going through the journey of life moaning and crying out much of the time. We often have to think to realise all the things to be thankful for, but find it very easy to write a long list of wants and reasons to complain. We feel neglected and irritable; we wonder why we have to be stuck in such a situation and why God is not helping us like we think He should.

We must understand what that child couldn't: the Father is right there with us all the time, but there are things we have to go through that are necessary for us to reach our destiny in Christ. God in His grace will give us the occasional word from scripture or over the pulpit to comfort us, but to molly-coddle us would be doing us a disservice - spiritual babes, and then children, have to learn to go through unpleasant experiences with patience and faith.

At the end of every sticky bus ride is a refreshing summer breeze and a nice glass of mango juice - hopefully!

What Are the Chances?

I remember an incident that happened a couple of years ago that really illustrated God's special providence - His ability and desire to move in people's lives to point them towards truth. This is not a Calvinistic over-powering of human agency, but an example of the love and desire for redemption that took Christ to the cross.

I was with my wife and sister-in-law, travelling by underground train through central London. There was a lady on her own with a large suitcase, so I offered to help her take it down the stairs. As I handed it back to her I reached in my coat pocket for a church flyer and invited her along. She politely said that she was from America and so wouldn't be able to attend, but on seeing the name of our church said "The Potter's House? I'm from a small town in the middle of Arizona, but we do have a Potter's House. I've never been, but maybe I'll visit now."

She had come from thousands of miles away, and from a small town in the middle of nowhere, only to have a chance meeting with a member of the fellowship who was willing to help and to step out and invite her to church. I think I mentioned that this could be God calling her out to the church, and I fully believed it. I just can't wait to reach one of the Arizona conferences one day and see if I get an excited tap on the shoulder!

A Snippet of Our Time in Kenya