Mark 4:1-9 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” [NIV]
In the picture, our friend Sonja Kvale from Alexandria is teaching and Francis Owour, Neil's travel companion is translating. Sonja was a teacher in Battle Lake for several years before earning her doctorate in counseling. Her special area is helping women overcome the trauma and shame of having had an abortion. For many women in third world countries this was never their choice, but they have no one to talk to who understands their inner burden and torment. Sonja says it is much like the PTSD soldiers suffer. Sonja has traveled to at least 15 countries teaching church leaders how to counsel women who are carrying heavy burdens.About 100 of Neil's friends from the Kisii District near Lake Victoria arrived on Monday. They made up about half of the attendees at the conference. They had been invited to select one of their pastors to speak. The one they selected was one who Neil has needed to discipline for stealing funds sent for a widow in his church to rebuild her house. Neil made sure that pastor built the house for that woman out of his own funds, after he had spent the funds we sent on himself. That pastor preached a fire and brimstone sermon holding forth with much shouting and stomping back and forth in front of the crowd. Most of his members have left his church to attend another that is nearby. Their selection of that pastor as their speaker made Neil sad, but not surprised. There is a tribal culture of inclusiveness, and much effort to help those in leadership "save face". But Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to earth. Neil was given the opportunity to address the need to abandon our culture when we become born again into Jesus' Kingdom.
Neil was the next speaker. Neil used the previous speaker as a demonstration of what not to do. He said that anyone who continually teaches his people that they are going to hell is a bad preacher, and reminded them of one of Neil's favorite verses -- 1 John 5:13 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." The good news of the gospel is that those who put their trust in Jesus full payment of their sin through His death and resurrection, no longer need to fear hell. Jesus has set us free from the condemnation of our sin and we are now serving Jesus with joyful hearts because of all Jesus has done for us.
The team from Maumau Market who had led the worship in April at the Ugandan island in Lake Victoria, was leading the worship this week in Nairobi. Neil has nicknamed them the Spice Girls, because their worship is very lively and people jump to their feet and begin to dance before the Lord. During one of the teachings, the Spice Girls came to sit around Neil. He has a picture of them around Grandpa Neil.
Neil enjoys holding the children. One of the infants was right at home in his arms, but Neil forgot which mother she belonged to. Then he noticed a young woman a few rows ahead of him giving him anxious glances, and returned her baby. It is uncommon for African men to hold children. That is left to the women. Neil not only enjoys children, he tries to model the loving care that children need from their fathers.
Francis taught on the healthy appreciation for tithing based on grateful hearts trusting God for their supply and also setting aside portions for needs in our lives. Even in our times of desperate need, we can trust God to supply for each day. The Bible has many examples of people who trusted God: the manna and quail in the wilderness when Moses led the people out of Egypt, the prophet sent to the widow who was about to use her last flour and oil to bake a loaf for her and her son before they died, Jesus noticing the widow putting her last coin into the collection at the temple. Yet God sent Joseph to Egypt to counsel Pharaoh to set aside grain in the years of plenty to feed the people during the years of drought. God supplies all that we have. He doesn't need our money, but we need to entrust our lives and all that we have to Him. A tithe is a small token of our thanks to God, but a large demonstration of our trust in Him.
Perhaps Neil's most important message was on marriage. African men consider women to be workers. They pay a bride price and carefully select a woman who is able to work hard and bear children. Their fathers have not set them good examples. Even the Bible does not have many examples of healthy marriages. Only Jesus laid down a pattern for how a man should cherish, care for, and serve his wife. Although Jesus never married while he lived on earth, the day is coming when Jesus will be united with His bride, the church. He lay down His life to present a pure and spotless bride, washed from every stain of sin with his own precious blood. So, Neil used our marriage as an example. He was making a point of how important it is to reassure your wife of her beauty even into her old age, and gestured toward the Spice Girls. Neil said that my beauty is on a different plane than my youthful attractiveness. We are never to trade in our wives for newer models.
In their midst was a woman with 8 children who had been abandoned by her husband for another woman. He had been a pastor who had to be removed of his duties. That woman is still beautiful, but with a broken heart and no means of support. She asked for help starting a business. We will help, but we will also make sure she has good counsel in place for setting aside funds to purchase supplies to keep her business going. We will also find someone to donate monthly sponsorship for at least one of her children through ROCK (Reach Out to the Children of Kenya).
Neil handed out the study Bibles and copies of our Navigating Life: A Mentoring Toolbox to the pastors.
Neil was one of the preachers for the Sunday service. This afternoon, Mary, one of the Kisii pastors and her husband Thomas are having a formal wedding ceremony. Many marriages, especially in the remote villages, are common law without government licenses issued. Cosmas Solamba requires pastors in the Riverside Ministries churches to have their marriages licensed as well as the church ceremony. Mary has decorated the church and is excited to share their celebration with her new friends in Nairobi. Ruth asked Neil to take pictures.
Update from Neil on Kilifi. There are 2 churches in Kilifi, and one is in urgent need of repair.
Neil will be visiting pastors this week, and might be allowed to join a pastor who ministers in the prisons. Then Neil will visit Joe and Karin Medley, Esther and Sophia, before returning home on Saturday.
Please pray:
- for the Holy Spirit's messages to be the ones the pastors and leaders are reminded of and will put into practice when they return from the conference.
- for a work crew to help build a church on a Ugandan island in Lake Victoria.
- for the mother of 8 to get help starting a business to support her family.
- for marriages to begin reflecting Jesus' example of husbands caring for their wives and children, and for wives to love their husbands.
- for repairs to be made to the church building in Kilifi.