June 5th, Sunday
We left for the Centre with Dan by 8am and went in through the back -> suite -> side door (I felt like we had detail on us "just in case") and we were seated center section, second row. Pastor (PST) Tom introduced us three to the church and we each had to address the congregation for a second - Mrs. Mom talked about undying hospitality in Zimbabwe, then Bren & I said a few words about how it is funny being the ones told we have accents and touched on how nice and welcoming everyone had been so far.
The service was very good itself -- PST Tom spoke on Colossians 3:1-11 which is the same section Andrew spoke on at FUEL (college group at my home church) a few weeks ago about forgiveness. Hearing the same passage-based messages by two different pastors was good perspective.
After service we went back to the suite for a semi-surprise party for Sarah, popped over to PST Bonnie's cd/book signing, then went back home, chilled, had lunch with the fam + Dennis + Dr. Jess + Nicole & we took our life language tests then slept for a bit before going back for the evening service. I've said in my other journal [posts] and I'll say it again: AFRICAN WORSHIP TIME IS, bar none, THE BEST!! I'd move here forever, right now if it meant not going to another self conscience worship service in America... even though I love my church.
I am sitting here at the front of the house in a wooden chair writing, watching tall branches sway and leaves dance to the ground, listening to Death Cab For Cutie and honestly, truly, cannot think of any single place I'd prefer to be other than here... =)
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
29 April, 2012
03 November, 2010
"Someone Said 'Amen'!"
Day 6: Sunday, 1 August, 2010 -- 8 pages :)
African church service day! :)
Murdock, Deb, and I were just saying how crazy it is that it is somehow already August. "It feels like January 1st was a week and a half ago"...
Church!
Where you have conga lines in front of the stage during worship =)
* Service was 2 hours 30 minutes
Worship!
Goes at least 1 hour 30 minutes & it is amazing!!
The lyrics I wrote down look short, but everyone is so into it, the song doesn't seem short at all!
(here are some lyrics to look up later:)
~ The drummer got really sweaty i guess so halfway into worship, the pastor brought him something to blot with. He (clearly the drummer) is super good at drumming, too!
~ "Sunday best" applies here for all possible
Best announcement ever given by a pastor = "If you wear a size __ shoe you will come support this fundraiser ;)
We get an "African Taste" from more worship!! --- more conga - with "sugars" (it's a dancer thing) (I just watched both times a line was going, but it was awesome!)
They get crazyinto worship!! I wish Americans were this passionate about praising God everyday...
Sermon Notes:
"Possessing and Excelling in the Promise of God 2010"
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV) 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
**Don't ever forget how incredible the sound of a few voices growing into so many in just one verse, and all sounding beautiful...
What today looked like: Up at early (7:15?), baby visit, church, pick up a ton of pizza + soda + chips then go over to Derek & Rebecca (head of YWAM Rustenburg!)'s for lunch to chill and talk with them and just hang out before going home to talk as a group...
- Sean, Charles, and Jon just compared biceps... I'm pretty sure they decided Charles won, hahah.
I'm not normally one to go off about food, but hear me out -- So we had this pizza... so good! We had a lot of types to pick from but the ones I tried were
* grace
* patience
* mercy
* Jesus' attitude
* respect
"What would Jesus do" mentality: die to yourself every morning and keep to the new lifestyle all day till it is a habit, not a "new style".
Chris pointed out that every Bible verse we read is applicable to every single person world wide so we should try not to read it in our American -trained- eyes/lifestyles....
"Lets try to make Heaven more crowded!" -- someone referenced our pastors' main goal so we'd have it in the back of our mind for the next few days.
*Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
*Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
*Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV) 20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We are all here for the same purpose...
I'm finding that as hard as it is going to be to leave on Saturday, I still have to invest all of myself - time + energy - into all the kids. Specifically at Freedom Park it will go further and have more impact if I lose myself in serving them and not caring how they look, smell, act, practice any faith, treat other kids, or how many bruises I'll come home with each day.
African church service day! :)
Murdock, Deb, and I were just saying how crazy it is that it is somehow already August. "It feels like January 1st was a week and a half ago"...
Went to visit the babies this morning! :)
Where you have conga lines in front of the stage during worship =)
* Service was 2 hours 30 minutes
Worship!
Goes at least 1 hour 30 minutes & it is amazing!!
The lyrics I wrote down look short, but everyone is so into it, the song doesn't seem short at all!
(here are some lyrics to look up later:)
Malebongwe (3x)
Lagma Lonksi
~ The drummer got really sweaty i guess so halfway into worship, the pastor brought him something to blot with. He (clearly the drummer) is super good at drumming, too!
Ha a yo (3x)
ya tshwanang le ena
~ "Sunday best" applies here for all possible
Best announcement ever given by a pastor = "If you wear a size __ shoe you will come support this fundraiser ;)
We get an "African Taste" from more worship!! --- more conga - with "sugars" (it's a dancer thing) (I just watched both times a line was going, but it was awesome!)
Obnigado
xiquembo xamatimba
obriga-do
They get crazyinto worship!! I wish Americans were this passionate about praising God everyday...
Communion Song:
Come/come as you are/come/the Lord is waiting/the Lord is waiting for you/Peace/He'll give you peace/peace/the Lord is waiting for you.
Come/come as you are/come/the Lord is waiting/the Lord is waiting for you/Joy/He'll give you joy/joy/the Lord is waiting for you.
Offertory Song:
Ehhhh....
My God is good - oh---
Everything double, double - oh---
Sermon Notes:
"Possessing and Excelling in the Promise of God 2010"
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV) 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
- God has called all of us to lead the victorious life in order to bring glory to His name
- When we live generously we see big results through the promises of God
- When we sow generously we will live generously
- God WILL supply the seed to sow -- "God will give you the seed" -- we just have to decide in what area to reap said God - given harvest, and enjoy it.
- If you don't see improvement/"increasing your 'seed'" you have to take a step back and find your problem + fix it so that everything will increase and you can grow in turn. Don't eat the seed itself - eat the bread it grows, because it is more filling.
- God loves a cheerful giver
- God wants to see you be blessed!
- Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
- When we don't know how to overcome hardship or come out of a sticky situation God's grace will come through and save us
- SA hosting the World Cup was an amazing thing because it not only brought up some economy, but it increased moral, optimism, and hope.
- We serve a faithful God let Him increase your harvest.
He'll take the pain away
I know
He'll take the pain away
**Don't ever forget how incredible the sound of a few voices growing into so many in just one verse, and all sounding beautiful...
What today looked like: Up at early (7:15?), baby visit, church, pick up a ton of pizza + soda + chips then go over to Derek & Rebecca (head of YWAM Rustenburg!)'s for lunch to chill and talk with them and just hang out before going home to talk as a group...
Headed into downtown Rustenburg after the service
Dear Ignorant America: Not all of Africa is baskets, dirt & wind like in National Geographic... SURPRISE!
- Sean, Charles, and Jon just compared biceps... I'm pretty sure they decided Charles won, hahah.
I'm not normally one to go off about food, but hear me out -- So we had this pizza... so good! We had a lot of types to pick from but the ones I tried were
- a spicy-curryish one
- a banana/ham one (so good!)
- a vegetable something or other
Here - at Derek & Rebecca's - is the most I've heard Chris talk or have input since we left Chipotle the last Wednesday at home.
back at "home"
I love when the 14 of us (plus Lincoln & Jenny) get to hang out - team things are about to be fixed.
....nothing got fixed, good try though everyone :p
Some of all this stupid drama is on me and I was going to have input and contribute, but couldn't word it exactly the way I'd like to... [the words in my journal haven't made it to everyone on the team to date - (11-2) so therefore aren't being put online either]
Campfire #3 Notes
Philippians 2: 1-8 (NIV) 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! * grace
* patience
* mercy
* Jesus' attitude
* respect
"What would Jesus do" mentality: die to yourself every morning and keep to the new lifestyle all day till it is a habit, not a "new style".
Chris pointed out that every Bible verse we read is applicable to every single person world wide so we should try not to read it in our American -trained- eyes/lifestyles....
"Lets try to make Heaven more crowded!" -- someone referenced our pastors' main goal so we'd have it in the back of our mind for the next few days.
*Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
*Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
*Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV) 20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We are all here for the same purpose...
I'm finding that as hard as it is going to be to leave on Saturday, I still have to invest all of myself - time + energy - into all the kids. Specifically at Freedom Park it will go further and have more impact if I lose myself in serving them and not caring how they look, smell, act, practice any faith, treat other kids, or how many bruises I'll come home with each day.
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