A stolen generation?!

"Honor your father and your mother,

so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:12-14

Is it coincidence that these 3 laws occur in this order?

I was just trying to have some prayer time in the shower - instead God led me onto abortion, figure that!

I was just wondering if there was some direct correlation between the rise of abortion with the rise of infertility?

I wonder if God allows a certain number of souls to come to earth at once.

Then I wonder if those who are missusing God's gift of intercourse for selfish purposes outside it's intended use, and then happen to fall pregnant, then having an abortion are robbing those women who truly want to have children of them? I wonder?

Let's fight for this unborn generation, there are many ladies, and their husbands, who would give anything to have a family, but unfortunatally can't, pray for them today.

We are quick to blame God for things but when we look at things, maybe they're our fault! We live outside God's guidelines, and turn our back on Him, but then we quickly jump back to blame Him, don't we!?

Imagine we all obeyed, how things would go correctly that way! Imagine playing a game of football outside the rules - it wouldn't work! It would quickly fall apart, and is no where near as enjoyable - it's exactly the same with the world, 'play' within the 'rules' - it's all for our enjoyment!

Try living our intended way today....

"He...established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands"

Psalm 78:5-7

Feet First

Wow, isn't life busy here in Australia! I think I'm still wanting to be in African time, and loving it!! It's a nice slow paced walk over there in that great continent.

The first week we were in Kigali, Rwanda, we held the Feet First program to equip 21 (possibly 22) of their main youth leaders throughout Rwanda and Burundi.

We had morning devotion time, then we had a morning teaching and question/contemplation time which was powerful. In the afternoons, we broke up into 3 electives, Childrens ministry, Youth ministry or Worship and Creative Arts ministry.

We taught these youth leaders a couple of our 'English' songs which really took off and they were able to connect with God in a language they were still only learning. These songs were songs like, Here I am to worship, Saviour King and Hossana.

On the Wednesday night we watched the movie 'The Passion' by Mel Gibson on a borrowed projector. These African's, when they cry, they do it loudly!! Wow!! Afterwards, we sung Saviour King (perfect song for this movie!!) and had a powerful prayer time where there were many breakthough's in peoples lives. Prase God.

The Thursday night we had an Acts 1:8 prayer night where we gave the option of the baptism of the Holy Spirit! The night went way too fast! It was awesome, God showed up, had a few salvations and we kicked one demons butt out of there!!

The final morining, we had a 'commissioning' to send them out and empower them and washed their feet as Jesus washed His disciples feet. They really didn't know how to react, they see 'white people' as being superior, and we really made sure we humbled ourselves and did this act of service to them to break this in Jesus Name!

We have already seen some fruits of this week, a new worship team has been formed to praise God in the Kigali Central Corps from scratch - I pray that this will be a blessing to the people there in the capital.

The Regonal Commanders wife, concluded with her interpretation of 'Feet First' by saying she liked it's name, because your eyes can go first, but you don't necesserily go and do anything, but if your feet go first, you actually progress and go! If your feet go, so will your body. I thought that was a really good interpretation for the delegates, and ourselves!

Please keep Rwanda in your prayers as I am, there was an earthquake in Rwanda and the Congo Monday morning, their Sunday during Church where 20-25 people were killed.

"Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.""

Mark 9:35

Raining down blessings!

As I said in my last blog, God is with us, right beside us!!

When we arrived in Rwanda, they were in their drought season, I think it was due to end in a months time or so.

The first week we had our Feet First traning and on the day we started, we had all our sessions then a kids program in the arvo with over 100 kids, it was awesome. We finished and as soon as the last one of us stepped into meals room for tea (supper) the rain stared bucketing down!! We were called the 'miracle' people starting here, it was apparently due to us, and this was God pouring out His blessing on His people in this country. [photo attatched - it was heavy rain!]

After the first week, we then headed out to two different Corps for 4 days each, one Corps and one outpost. The day we arrived at the first one, at Kyenzi, Major Sharon gave the message. As soon as she started giving the message, it started raining!! Pouring!! Again - of course - it was us!! God was pouring out His blessings because of our visit.

The second Corps we went to, it was the fourth day, the day I was to preach. Just after the meeting started, it started to rain there, by the time of the message it was now raining heavily there.

God did show He was with us, and that He was to pour out His blessings during our time in Rwanda.

During the first week, on Wednesday night, we watched the Passion. Africans really wail when they cry!! After the movie, we sung Saviour King and had a huge prayer time, where some lives were changed - it was awesome.

The next night, Thursday, we had a night of prayer and infilling of the Holy Spirit - powerful night, God showed His glory!! Hallelujah!

Our theme, which I want to take throughout this year was/is - do you have your arms folded or are they stretched out ready to recieve from God? Think about your posture towards God for 2008

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

1 Corinthians 9:23

God is GREAT!!

What a great past few weeks!

Today I just want to focus on God's provision.

So much has been obvious to me that God is with us, right beside us!

The first week getting to Rwanda, 3 members of our team were delayed and diverted up past Germany, to Sudan and to Ethiopia where they were denied any further passage. There they called the rest of us already waiting for them in Rwanda. We immediately prayed for the path to become opened to them in Jesus' Name... immediately our phone rang and they said they just let them through after hours of closed doors!!! Praise God!!! What a start to our trip.

There were so many more examples of this throughout the next few weeks. Two of us had a word from God that none of us would get sick the whole time we were on mission also and we didn't -until the last day - I had food poisoning - but it was way after even debrief - so God kept His word!!

On the way home, one member of the team was really sick and had a migraine along with a few other things, so we prayed for her and she was healed, including her bad elbow from months ago - all in a moment.

I heard some news about Mike Guglielmucci from Planetshakers also yesterday. He's been very sick for well over a year now, but my brother told me Mike had a vision of a place he thought he might get healed at, and I read on Mike's myspace last night (http://www.myspace.com/mikeguglielmucci) that the healing has started - he left his wheelchair even as God came upon him. God is Great!!!

As I've been home now for just over a day from Africa, I've felt a new era starting for me in my ministries. Healing feels like it's knocking on the door, any one sick??

What a year 2008 is going to be - pray big, and expect God to do great things this year.

Don't have your arms folded, but have them wide open to receive all God wants to give you. Then go out and expand the Kingdom further

Pray for revival...

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Matthew 10:8

All over

Well Im typing here in Kigali; Rwanda a few hours before we fly out using a very confusing french keyboard.

Just a quick summary before I have to run; God has been doing amazing things just in the 3 weeks we have been here; but more so in the past 14 years since the horrific genocide.

God has done amazing works of healing here; the people now dont even raise their voice to argue and everything has a positive connotation; for example cars have been named God is good or bars called Bar Happiness. Amazing relatonships and freindships have been made also. The people here are so lovely and friendly. Ill eventually put a few pics of some of the young children; they are gold.

I have many stories to tell; but its taking too long on this keyboard so Ill wait till I arrive back in Australia.

Till I see you or blog for your enjoyment = may God bless you as we have been blessed here in Africa

Stay posted

Simon

To the ends of the earth.... back in February!

The time has come.

My plane flies out at 8:55 tomorrow morning for Rwanda.

Please pray for our team of 9 from Australia.

Some prayer points are;

• That Feet First (our program in the first week of different electives, Children's ministry, Youth ministry and worship/creative arts) will impact any lives and that we will see the 21 youth leaders that attend raised up in their mission and ministry
  
• That our ministry will encourage the people of Rwanda & that we will be able to overcome language barriers.
  
• For our safety and protection, both spiritual and physical.
  
• That the team will be united and would come home as transformed people.

The web page is http://missionteam.salvos.org.au/p18/project18rwanda.php if you'd like to subscribe to email updates etc. I've attatched a draft timetable of our trip for your information also.

Thanks for all your prayers and support and I'll be back blogging with many great stories to tell early February.

Until then, God bless

Simon.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Are we running out of time?

I've been reading this amazing book entitled "23 minutes in Hell" where this guys has found himself in the flesh in Hell.

His experience and detail of Hell was amazingly horrid, but it made me think of the total opposite, about Heaven and it's going to be one amazingly beautiful place!! But I'm not here to blog about Hell today - I want to share with you about what Jesus said....

This guy only spent a short time in that place for Satan and his angels and was rescued by Jesus. I'll share with you some of the dialogue that this guy Bill Wiese had with Jesus, take note...

"My next thought was, 'why did you send me to this awful place?'.

Before I could ask the question, He answered. 'Because many people do not believe that hell truly exists' He told me. 'Even some of My own people do not believe that hell is real.' I was amazed to hear that some Christians do not believe that hell is real. I know many people think that when you die you are annihilated, or some that hell is just a state of mind. That surprises me, because the Bible informs us so thoroughly on the subject. It does not teach that you are simply annihilated. The teachings are very clear that hell is a place of eternal torment. " p33

I find it amazing that Jesus Himself said this! His own people, don't believe in Hell!! If they were His own people, then they would follow His teachings, wouldn't they?

It continues a bit later...

"Finally He said, 'Tell them I am coming very, very soon'. In my spirit I felt an urgency to warn as many people as possible, as time is running out. He sternly said it again: 'TELL THEM I AM COMING VERY, VERY SOON!' Repeating Himself tells me His coming truly is getting very, very close. Time is running out. We must get the truth out to people so they can know that there is a choice to make. Without Jesus as your Saviour, you will not be going to Heaven, and that is absolutely certain." p37-38

Well! What to say after that.

Make a new years resolution to tell as many people about Jesus and His freedom every day!

If you get a chance to read this book by Bill Weise, just to get a glimpse of what could await you if you don't know Jesus as your Saviour, you'll want to know Him!!

We have immortal souls that will live forever in one of two places, choose today where you spend eternity.

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6