Walking in the rain

I know what it feels like to pull away when you’re afraid of getting hurt. It’s safe. Like walking to visit a friend and then halfway it starts to rain and rain hard. You find some shelter to stay somewhat dry and wait it out. You realize the rain ain’t gonna stop anytime soon and you’re stuck under an eave. You have a decision – go back home or carry on and arrive drenched at the friend’s house. I’ve often felt myself wanting to draw back from this. Not because I didn’t want it but because I didn’t want to get hurt, didn’t want to get my hopes up too high in case its rejected and it all comes crashing down. And it did hurt. It’s like you said – the heart is like this little muscle crab and it pulls back into it’s shell to protect itself. Yeah, there were many times I would have done the same and let it. Pull away and be safe. It would be the safest thing to do of course. But every time I hear a voice, more like a sound really or a fresh breeze coming up from the valley, keep trying, don’t give up, though it tarries it will come. Then I comfort my heart to carry on and as I do, I feel a grace and a strength to do just that. So I continue. Sometimes we get caught out in the rain, it happens, it is a big deal and it does hurt. The question is where you want to spend the rest of the afternoon. Make it on to your friend’s house and you won’t arrive looking like you had hoped, but they’ll love you all the more for having made your way through the rain and get you a change of clothes. Sometimes the wisest choices aren’t the safest. Either way we decide where to spend the rest of the day.

So good – don’t just fall in love, go deeper

Steadfast

Love is steadfast, love is strong. It goes the distance.
an easy-to-read update.

I continue at YWAM with music department working on the tech side of sound for the campus and have also been doing some auto-mechanic work. I can now proudly say that I’ve successfully changed out a radiator and thermostat on a Chevy and it’s working like it was meant to! I enjoyed a quick 5Km fun-run last Friday in aid of an organization that helps place kids into families, “Run for the one”.They raised enough money to process two more adoptions. The Lord continues to work deep in my heart. He has been drawing me to really ‘abide in him’ more and to trust in him. I would not trade this for the world! I also feel the end of this season and the beginning of a new one – like the coming of dawn. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time now. To those praying for me and those supporting me, Thank-you.

Two good articles I read challenged and encouraged me to do better at relationships and understand what is long-lasting and real. I am learning much along the way and these are two good blogs I’ve read. The one is about loving well, the other about loving real.
*** MARRIAGE IS NOT FOR YOU ***
*** THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING BORING ***

Two Fridays ago I was really impressed by the students of the School of Worship at their song-sharing. I felt that their songs needed to ‘go out’ and be heard. So I hope to help do just that. We’re now planning to record the student’s songs and produce a ‘compilation album’ for them. I’m really excited about this project and am looking forward to the end result. The album will be called “Songs by the Banyan tree”

The children’s home in MALAWI is still hard-pressed yet pressing on. Our two mills are doing well. The income is small but steady and is providing about $10 per week as a tithe to the home. I also sent some money to Alex to help Ruth start her own little business. She makes fresh juices and Mango-pickle from what she collects from the surrounding farms and sells it at the nearby hospital and schools. We are hopeful for her little business. She is a hard worker and does all she can to help – a real pillar beside Alex and a real mother to the kids. (read original article here)

“The mandate given to Christians to disciple nations includes declaring and demonstrating the Kingdom of God or the rule of God in all things pertaining to life.” –  my friend-and-pastor-from-back-home-a-long-time-ago released his book called “Unstoppable Kingdom“about apostolic leadership and transformation. It’s higher-grade and bound to be a good read. For those interested check it out on Amazon.

Happy Thanksgiving and keep well,
Ekkehart

Proud to be boring

Here’s to another kind of boring. I’m tired of being compared to the Hollywood standard of manhood. Here’s to real life..

Change the way you think

“Nothing is impossible with God. I will live from that resource all the days of my life. When I see my circumstances before me without hope I’m believing a lie. Any situation of my life, any area of my life where there is no hope, it is because I am believing a lie. We become tolerant of those areas in our life because we just sweep it under the rug of ‘oh, well that’s just human, that’s what being human is. I guess without Jesus that would be a good explanation, a good excuse. Look at what God says, until you see what God says.”                      Bill Johnson, Bethel Church – A renewed mind

Righteousness

He is my righteousness. What a revelation. This brings such freedom. He is my righteousness.

September Update

CLEAN HOUSE

Let not what is evil get in the way of what is good.

The evening of September 3rd I lost someone very close to me. Several years led up to this. Much in my life and heart was not right. It was as if I had left my front and back doors open and unwelcome guests had come in and were trashing the place. It became no place to invite someone to. So I went out and brought in a lion. He devoured them all and helped me sort through all the rooms. Now my house is clean again. I have realized how easy it is to be unaware of what we carry around with us. Let me use another illustration. Many years ago a fire was stoked. The last few years I didn’t maintain it. In my mind it was still a good fire but it had actually faded to a few embers. It took forever to try cook a meal. The pot was removed so it would not spoil, the fire stoked and some dry logs were thrown on. I watched it come alive again. I have realized how easy it is to slip away in areas while still thinking that we haven’t. So, my house is clean and my fire rekindled. It came at a great price but that was the very thing that woke me up. Everyday a reminder and everyday a new day. I am being made alive again. I urge you who read this, if there are things in your life that you know are not good, get rid of them before they cause you to loose the treasure given to you, even if you don’t realize what you have. Don’t let what is evil cause you to loose what is good.

LESSONS FROM A SCOOTER

Don’t be too quick to write it off
It just wouldn’t start. It did at first but then got worse. It ended up taking about 10 minutes of kick-starting my friend’s moped before it would eventually start. It was very frustrating to deal with in the beginning. There were times I thought of getting rid of the thing even though it wasn’t mine! It seemed not worth the trouble nor the frustration. My patience lasted up to 2 minutes at first but has since been stretched past the 10 minute mark. I checked the plug, the electrical system, fuel, immobilizer and eventually pulled the carburetor apart and still found nothing. Then I checked the spark plug again, filed it down and readjusted it, opened the throttle just slightly (instead of all the way) kicked it twice and it came alive! Oh my goodness!! After all of that it was actually such a simple fix – a new spark and less throttle. More lessons learnt.

(“Hold off on the lessons for a while – I’m about to overload!”)

GOOD STORY I often hear of miracles and they encouraged me but sometimes I wonder if that was a real healing. Well, a few weeks ago one of the students broke his ankle. A doctor’s visit and an x-ray confirmed it. Being a drummer and about to head on a missions trip he was really bummed. Many people prayed for his foot to get healed but there was no change. Then during a Monday morning service a girl came up to him, said God had told her to pray for his foot, did, and then ran away, probably embarrassed. His friends told him to put down the crutches and test it out. As he did he felt no more pain and then started walking around as normal! What I like best about this is that he returned for a second x-ray which showed no break and bewildered the doctor. He’s been fine since and is now on outreach. It’s a simple story but really good I think.

MALAWI Milling Project update Thanks again for those who helped send money  for the Maize Mill project. $400 was raised and has been sent to the home. This week we will work out a finance structure and possibly and have a milling machine connected again and run in a sustainable way. I now also have a contact person in Malawi who can help us with this. I will keep you posted.. You can read more about the Children’s Home <here> SUPPORT Everyone at  Youth With A Mission raises their own support for rent and living expenses. If you would like to support me or the Malawi Children’s Home while I’m here then please email me or click <here> THANKS Last words I hope in some ways it was encouraging. Life is good and God is even better. He is doing such an amazing work in restoring my life – the Christian life is a life of righteousness, peace and joy, and that’s what I coming back to. So good.

Map Gustorf, GERMANY gallery Comments Rebekah on Proud to be boring Blog at WordPress.com. Subscribe Subscribed Ekkehart Hoenen Sign me up Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now. Ekkehart Hoenen Customize Subscribe Subscribed Sign up Log in Report this content View site in Reader Manage subscriptions Collapse this bar   Loading Comments...   Write a Comment... Email (Required) Name (Required) Website