"I Have A Dream"

Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that black children and white children would play together, be educated together and ultimately learn how to live together in society. It was no easy task for Dr. King to share that dream. And it is no easier in this world today to speak the things God puts on our hearts! Dr. King, like Moses, stretched out his hand so the captives could cross over their Red Sea into the promised land. Enormous faith and trust in God is required to continue this work today for God. Moses had enjoyed the favor of living in Pharoah's palace. Realizing who he really was compelled him to take his rightful place and do all God commanded him to do. God commanded Joshua to be very strong and courageous, indicating this is not a job for scaredy scats or temporary do wellers. It just may cost everything to go in the name of the Lord. But what is everything when the Kingdom is at hand?

When God commanded Abraham to:

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
He must have had a pretty tremendous relationship with God. He was 75 when he set out. He took his wife, nephew and all their possessions. Was it continuous, unbroken fellowship with God and one another that kept them going? How did they remain full of faith that God would do all He said he would. Abram left a settled world and began a pilrimage with God to a better world of God's making. Did he wrestle with doubt and unbelief? Hebrews says his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Hebrews 11:8-10: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receeive as his inheritance, obeyed and went,even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

What about us? Do we have this kind of relationship with our God today? What do you believe? What are you expecting? Or are you just responding and reacting to life as it happens?

Nehemiah heard about the exiles and what they were trying to do. He'd been born among the exiles and heard of Jerusalem's history. He was curious to know whether God's promises were being realized. He wept, fasted and prayed when he heard about the conditions. Not only that, but he repented on behalf of all, including his forefathers and cried out for God's promises to be fulfilled. He even offered to serve himself in anyway God would want him to do. He asked for favor with the King and with God. But he didn't arrive and announce he was the great hope! No, he got into relationship, he listened, he learned, he humbled himself and prayed. And then when he told the others about what God had said and what the king had done the others said, "Let us begin this good work." They began together, family by family, gate by gate; restoring the community; allowing God to rebuild family in community.

We all know these scriptures well. But have we applied them in our own lives? Are we willing to take the hard look, receive the rebuke, turn from our wicked ways, humble ourselves and cry out to God to heal our land? It requires all those. Not just a trite word of prayer routinely, but a heart that breaks over the condition of the city, nation and nations. A heart of compassion coupled with faith and trust in relationship with our God and King. And it will require much of our labor, extravagant giving of funds, time and service along with faith, hope and love. Who will go for Him? Who will come into agreement with us to build this new "last greatest place on the earth?" It requires 24/7 unbroken communion and obedience in serving the Lord. There are tests and trials in abundance that come to shake us from the foundation that is Christ, our Rock. Will you also believe with us? It will require that we not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Breaking out of old molds and standards into new levels of faith and hope for new family in community. By faith we believe a family center will be built for the orphans in Kigali. By faith, we believe we will travel to Durban, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Congo with the transforming message of building family in community among the nations. Will you partner with us? Would you be willing to be like the king, making supplies and the opportunity to leave jobs behind to go rebuild families in the nations where they've been ransacked and devastated? These are daunting tasks, but no task is too great for our God! And nothing is impossible for those who are in Christ Jesus! Come go with us! Or partner with us and watch and see and be utterly amazed! God is about to do something that even if He told you, you wouldn't believe! March 17, 2007 bnfrsa@sentechsa.com

Missionary Chronicles

Oh the life of a missionary! I still remember that day I told God I would be thrilled to go for him. What was too much to ask compared to what He had done for us? Giving up the life of luxury my husband's job afforded us and the kids to be trusted to give love to the poor wasn't so hard at the time. We had faith but there was a little uneasiness in the camp. How would God support us? We didn't know! Our nine-year old was not impressed! He didn't want to move! We had a huge estate sale selling all our collectable antiques, sold the house and cars and moved to the inner city. Ten years later we sold everything we had again and moved to Cape Town, South Africa. God had been faithful in those ten years. We hadn't always lived comfortable and there were times even when I cleaned houses to pay for school tuition. The ministry needs were met, maybe not always when we needed it but surely God never abandoned us! So we trusted him for Africa, too! Whew! How we trusted Him!

Thinking about that word missionary brings me to a realization. Missionaries are usually seasonal. They don't normally give their whole lives up, but serve God for a certain time. So what does that make us? We've given our lives to live for Christ wherever He would ask us to go. This is no light statement. It basically means that no matter what, where, when or how we say, "We will go for you, Lord."

I've come to realize that is a lifestyle statement rather than a career choice. We will literally go for God wherever we are whenever He chooses. So that is at the grocery store, the pharmacy, post office, library, school, work, bus stop, train, traffic light, etc. Once we've made that commitment there is something else required. Like Jesus, we need to be in such relationship with God that we know what He's doing! How can that be? Well, we don't promise to know everything God's doing only that which He has asked of us. How? John White used to call it 'unbroken communion with God'. He was constantly in conversation with our Lord. Perhaps telling him what was on his heart, what he saw, experienced, lamented about, cried out for, had compassion for, etc.

So obeying, following and making that commitment to God brings me to the place where asking for donations seems a bit trite! Almighty God has asked me to go for Him into the nations! Why should I ask you to help? Why should I think I deserve anything from you? Good news, I don't! When I ask it is truly offering you a position to serve God with me, where you actually partner with God. Your financial giving not only supports me and my family but enables us to go places, meet people and reach out to them to supply their needs as God leads us. How can you trust me? What accountability is there in this day and age that assures you that I am not living off your money alone for myself? Trust,faith and this little scripture in the Bible that says 'if you are faithful to obey and follow my commands as I lead you then I will bless you!' He is faithful to pay back all those who loan to Him. As I write that for you I realize it is the faith with which we have moved to South Africa and spent our own funds to go to places like Rwanda, Uganda, and other nations. Because we believe God will provide. This is where He gives folks like you the opportunity to go for Him!

Well, sometimes all that gets a bit clogged up and people like us who gave up permanent paychecks to share life with the poor get held up by those obstacles. This puts us in situations where we might need to sell our car to pay the bills for the month. There are times when God has given us the opportunity to give our car away to others who are in need. We have always trusted that He will provide even more when He asks us to do things like that. So we don't shake our heads and hide in the sand, we do it! People get blessed, God gets all the glory!

Right now we are in great need. Monthly support dwindles. Some have said because there is skepticism about our name and locating in South Africa could link them to people thinking we are a terrorist organization! Some are unsure how to hold us accountable, not because we've done anything wrong, but they maybe have been burned by others. Some are just going through tough seasons themselves and don't really have any to give. Grace and peace to all of you! Please pray for us. Please ask God for those who can give to be obedient. And for heaven's sake, please trust us. We live our lives completely in God's eyes and presence. And as God counts on you to be extensions of His provision, we do too as we go to those who are crying out to Him here and in the nations of Africa. We really do have a heart for the poor, for the youth and the nations. We really are raising funds to build family homes for many children left orphans due to the genocide in Rwanda and neighboring countries. We really are working as hard as we know how to bring hope, peace, joy and God's presence to those formerly unaware of Him. But we can't do it without you. Thanks for believing with us and in us. Most of all, we covet your prayers and relationship!

Rebuilding Family in Community in the nations of Africa

God led us to South Africa in November 2000 with His own divine purpose: To Rebuild Family in Community in the nations of Africa.

Having served the poor and homeless in the inner city of Atlanta for 10 years, we felt ready to serve the poor, oppressed and relationally broken people of Cape Town. To our surprise, God led us to a place we were unfamiliar with, but promised to show us if we'd be willing to learn. He led us first to a place in relationship with Him and one another. In our experience with Blood N Fire Atlanta, we'd come to be at ease with caring for the needy and evangelizing in His name. Out of our comfort zone, God now wanted us to know the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord!

Since then God has had us on incredible journey discovering a love we could only dream of before, not only in our marriage but in our family in community. 1 Corinthians 13 has made all the difference in our merging in love with God and being willing to serve others versus serving ourselves. Fifteen years ago, selling our home in suburbia USA to start a full-time work with the poor in the inner city of Atlanta; we set off from Atlanta Vineyard Christian Fellowship to launch Blood N Fire Ministries and it was prophesied:

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day, declares the Lord, 'you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'

In that day I will make a covenant for them... I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord. In that day I will respond, declares the Lord...

I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called, 'Not my people, 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'" Hosea 2:14

Applying Christianity as a lifestyle, not a system of rules in our home, marriage and family, testifies to the truth prophesied that day. As we learn to live a holy life, a life in community, we've found that there isn't a formula, only an experiential relationship with God and one another. We've endured countless trials and hardships in our journey, yet we choose to believe living by the law alone brings only wrath. Romans 4 admonishes us not to waver in unbelief but to be strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, BEING fully persuaded that God has power to do what He has promised. This is righteousness and it was credited to Abraham not only for him but for us who believe in The Father who raised Jesus from the dead, paying for our sins and raised to life for our justification! The place we fear most just may hold the divine assurance we need to overcome. God's heart is that we not fear one another, but serve one another in love! Recognizing our differences as our uniqueness helps us realize how we are called to work together as a body. As the church we are called to speak the creative and liberating truth of God by BEING who He has made us to be. Jesus' disciples, filled with Holy Spirit, had the courage to be who God had made them to be, and they ushered in the power and presence of the Kingdom of God through signs, wonders and miracles!

While praying early one morning in Kirstenbosh Gardens a worker appeared like an angel. No sounds alerted me of his approach. Suddenly he was just there! I watched him weeding away and a word came to me by the Spirit: "Africans born on African soil have no concerns about belonging somewhere else, they know where they come from." When we know who we are and where we come from, there is God's peace! There we can learn how uniquely we complement one another, how to affirm and work together in unity. Then I saw a garden, God's garden and in it were many varieties of plants. A blue flower next to a pink flower caused each to be all the more beautiful. Ones with different leaves, stems and flowers creatively amazed the uniqueness of another that was very different from it. God was showing us that we all are different; whether African, American, Chinese, Mexican, etc. But when we know "the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord" upon us, we become who He made us to be! Alone we do not possess the wisdom, courage and power needed to set the captives free. Isaiah 61 teaches us it is because the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us! It is by God's grace and His divine Holy Spirit that we live and move and have our being. What happened at Pentecost? They believed Jesus and waited for the counselor to come! Holy Spirit, the divine presence of the Kingdom of God healed, imparted and transformed them! They met together daily, broke bread together, prayed, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and many were added to their number; many were healed and set free. God has been teaching us how to spend time in His presence, to BE who we are as Jesus also demonstrated; then we will do what our Father is doing. Mahanaim is that place where God dwells within us, where His presence compels and transforms, melds and moulds us into one body, one mind, one spirit, one Bride.

Janice VanCronkhite gifted Blood N Fire, RSA with a prophetic painting recently, entitled Streams from the Fountain. Holy Spirit revealed:

"As I prayed about a painting for BNF SA, I woke with the image of the fountain in the Hill's pool area. It represents a lifegiving Holy Spirit flow. I painted the living water silver and gold, silver to represent redemption and gold, the nature of God which is the result of the emersion in His presence and the importance of spiritual family. I felt it significant that the song by Kevin Prosch, Streams From The Fountain is sung nearly every week at the Hill's twelve meeting, whether planned or not. The beautifully lush flowers and different fragrances around the pool speak of God's people coming together with their different gifts and aromas to form a beautiful Kingdom garden which is fed by this Fountain. To further confirm what the Lord was revealing, my daily Oswald Chambers reading finished with Psalm 87:7, "All my springs are in you." He is our supply. "For with You is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." Ps 36:9"

This is exactly who we've meant to be; especially as God reveals and sends us to the nations of Africa.

"Let Him cleanse and purify you; wash your conscience clear and fine,

Pry you loose from the world's ambitions, ravish you with the joy of life."



Streams from the Fountain, Kevin Prosch
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