just for fun

hey guys and gals.  i was just looking around on my computer at some of the blogs of people who are in South Africa with Oceans of Mercy and i was curious to see how my blog was doing?  i have looked at this periodically over the past months but i thought i would write something this time.  i know that there probably aren’t many people if at all that will even notice this but…oh well.

 it’s been almost 6 months since i moved back home from South Africa.  i actually spoke to Ronnie and Sybil, who now live in Cape Town, earlier tonight.  the are doing great and have been loving Cape Town.  they moved there a couple months ago to retire.  they live in a lovely little appartment type complex but it’s primarily for older folks.  i saw it back in November.  it’s very nice and i’m sure, knowing Sybil, she’s made it very homely. 

God has been teaching me a lot over the past 6 months.  there’s been lots of hard time, good times, tons of laughter and excitement, and moments of sadness and pain.  i do know that God has a purpose for everything and he can do anything through anything.  i believe in God and that he can make wrongs right.  only he can do that though.  we can’t. 

my heart longs for South Africa.  i miss my family there.  something that has been heavy on my heart lately is a section from a book that i have been reading lately.  the book is called Irresistable Revolution and it’s by Shane Claiborne.  in this section, Shane is writing about family values.  he starts off by making a referrence to Mark 3:31-35. 
“‘Who are my mother and brothers?…Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’ he had a new definition of family, rooted in the idea that we are adopted as orphans into the family of God and that this rebirth creates a new kinship that runs deeper than biology or geography or nationality.”
“…family is one of the most significant barriers to potential risk-takers who would leave everything for the way of the cross.”
“These earthly allegiances create a myopia that stand in the way of God’s vision and justice, which are larger than tribe, clan, or nation. ”
there are two things that i think about EVERY single day.  the two things that are closest to my heart.  my family and the kids in South Africa.  the fact that part of my heart is with those kids in South Africa shows me that God has some plans for me to be involved somehow still.  one of the hardest things i dealt with while i was there and probably lead to me coming home a couple months earlier than i intended was that i missed my family.  my family is so valuable to me and i care about them deaply.  the things that the bible says about family give me great conviction.  Jesus calls us to look to all followers of Christ as our family.  our family is both local and global, including but transcending biology, tribe, or nationality, a renewed vision of the kin-dom of God.
maybe some of you have dealt with this same thing.  just like Shane was saying…family is one of the most significant barriers to taking risks for God.  many of us, as i am quite often, hear God’s voice calling us to go or do, but for one reason or another, our family takes precidence over that and we’re afraid to trust God.  please pray for me that God shows me direction for my life as i will be praying the same thing for you too.  don’t be afraid to trust God.  when you put your faith in God, he will surely take care of you.  great things will happen when you depend on God and allow him do his will in your life.

i pray that all of you are good and well.  again, i don’t know if anyone will ever see this or not.  i just wanted to share with you what’s on my heart right now. 

daniel