Bless the Bo – Mme

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Blog by Danell Czarnecki, Oceans’ Board Member 

I recently had the privilege of being at Beautiful Gate Children’s Center in Lesotho, South Africa. I traveled with my daughter and a life long friend and her daughter. It was amazing to experience life at Beautiful Gate through their “first time” eyes. I loved watching our two daughters serve the Bo-Mme and fall in love with the children of BG; and them falling in love with our girls. Ah, to love and to be loved, one of God’s many gifts.

I too couldn’t help but love the little ones at BG, but every time I travel there, my heart is drawn to the Bo-Mme. Bo-Mme translates to “mother” in Sesotho, the native language of Lesotho. And the Bo-Mme of Beautiful Gate are super mothers in my opinion.   Each Bo-Mme cares for 12-15 children at a time between the age of birth to 5. Their day consists of endless loads of laundry (which need to be hung on the clothes line every morning so they are dry by afternoon), to folding the clothes, cooking 3 meals plus snacks and feeding, changing diapers, bathing, dressing and tending to a myriad of other needs as they arise; and they do so with such joy and love!! The children in their care are happy, content, and have so much love to give back to those who serve BG in other areas because they trust in their caretakers. The Bo-Mme give these orphaned children a family and a hope for a future; such a beautiful gift. I cringe to think what might have happened to these beautiful children had God not brought them to Beautiful Gate.

As I watch the Bo-Mme “mother” the 70 plus children at the orphanage/children’s center, I am reminded of how our Heavenly Father tends to our every need. Phil. 4:19 says “And my God will meet all your needs…” But God is not satisfied with just meeting our physical needs, as BG and the Bo-Mme provide a home and a family for the vulnerable children of Lesotho, God does not leave us orphaned, but adopts us into His family, making us heirs to a future filled with hope. As the Bo-Mme give of themselves, many sacrificially, so the children of BG will know they matter and they are loved, God greatest desire for you and me is to know we matter and to know and share His deep love for us. And like my heart for the Bo-Mme, as they loved on my daughter, my love and desire to bless them grew deeper. I think God feels the same for us; as we give away His love and serve others, God’s blessings for us increase.

I had the privilege of praying with some of the Bo-Mme and to hear their stories. Watching the Bo-Mme take great delight in the children, rejoice over them with singing and quiet them with (His) love took on deeper meaning as I knew what they sacrificed to do so. God takes great delight in us, rejoices over us with singing and quiets us with His love. (Zeph 3:17) He too sacrificed much so we would know His love and care. I am grateful He sent His son so I might be rescued from my abandoned state, I cringe to think of where I might be if He hadn’t claimed me as His own and cared for me every need.

I pray you too know the love and care of our Gracious Abba and can someday experience the Kingdom in the Sky of Lesotho with me or someone you love. In the meantime, won’t you join me in praying God will continue “Blessing the Bo-Mme” in their work at BG, and as we do I trust He will also bless you and bless me.   Molimo a o Hlohonolofatse!! (God Bless You)

Open Heavens

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“Hey Tim you need to come take a look at this painting with the clouds!”

 

Earlier in the week I was telling Mike Verkaik how I sensed God speaking to me and it had to do with clouds (More details to follow in future blogs). Curious to see what Mike was talking about I followed him to see the painting and sure enough I was truly blessed.

 

Both of us were attending the conference Open Heavens and during one of the first sessions an artist painted while we sang and worshiped. The finished work of art result is above. I would have loved to take the painting home-but it would have been difficult on the plane. I’ll have to wait for a smaller print to be made.

 

You won’t want to miss the artist’s meaning behind the picture:

 

Childlikeness climbs up the ladder of faith.

In an Open Heaven of God’s Presence anything is possible!

ONLY BELIEVE!

(Theresa Dedmon)

 

One of my prayers the last few years has been for the Father to give me simple childlike faith. A faith that believes my “Daddy in Heaven” can do far more than I could ever hope for or imagine. That as His beloved child I would learn to daily dwell in His presence and let my life flow out of His loving affection for me.

 

Take a few minutes and prayerfully meditate on the picture of the painting. May it lead you to rest in His overwhelming love for you. Go ahead and hand over your impossible into His big hands. Allow Him to do something glorious with this impossibility as you exercise your childlike faith.

 

 

 

26 – “I will not leave you as orphans…”

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26 has always been my favorite number going back to Nov. 26, 1978. This is when the Father arrested my heart with the overwhelming mercy and grace of His Son Jesus Christ that saved me.

 

26 was also my football # in high school and during that time I watched a beautiful blonde play volleyball #26 was on her jersey. It took some time, but on Dec. 26 I started to date that young lady and 5 years later I married her on June 26.

 

26 also represents in Judaism the most holy name for God YHWH (Yahweh, LORD), the Great I AM.

 

This past weekend I led a retreat for a group of men in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The theme was Stepping into New Seasons. Our Father is always calling us to follow Him in faith and believe that in every new journey and experience we are not alone but He travels with us.

 

We discussed Jesus’ final teaching time in the upper room before heading to the cross (John 14-16). Did you know that 15 times Jesus tells His disciples that He is about to leave them, which didn’t go over so well with the group. But Jesus emphasized that it was a good thing He departed and here is why.

 

26 times in these 3 chapters He uses the name Holy Spirit, Counselor, Spirit of Truth, and a bunch of pronouns, to describe the gift that Jesus and the Father will send to them.

 

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – The Spirit of Truth… you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you…” (John 14:16-18).

 

26 times Jesus wants to remind you and me that His Spirit will “teach you all things,” (14:26) and remind us of “everything” Jesus has said (vs. 26). He will keep “testifying” about Jesus (15:26). He will “guide you into all truth” (16:13) and “will tell you what is yet to come,” (16:13). But there is even more, Jesus goes on and says; “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you,” (16:14-15).

 

May the words of this blog remind you that you are not alone on this journey! You have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who shouts out that the Father and the Son have made their home in your heart (14:23) and will be with you and lead you every step you take along the way. Oh and I should add that I am not superstitious but do enjoy making fun connections.

 

 

 

The Purple Door

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Why in the world a purple door? Last week my dad and I toured a ministry called Providence Network. A ministry miraculously birthed 30 years ago that continues to transform addicts, homeless, abused woman, at risk teens and a whole bunch more for the glory of God in the heart of Denver.

 

During our tour of this holistic ministry we stopped at a hip looking coffee shop called The Purple Door. I love coffee shops and this one was special! It had a cool vibe about it and an audacious vision.   The coffee shop takes homeless and at risk teens off the streets loves on them and gives them a job at The Purple Door.

 

They young lady behind the counter was telling me how since being there doors opened for her to get into college and she is pursing an accounting degree, amazing!

As we were sipping some tasty lattes we asked, “so why the purple doors?” I mean it did kind of stand out. She proceeded to tell us that the ministry wants each person who walks into the shop as well as each employee to know they are royalty!

 

Such a profound statement to indicate that each teen rescued from the streets and each customer enjoying their cup of coffee are created in the image of God and therefore royalty. The vision of the owners is that The Purple Door will bring people to understand that through Christ we become sons and daughters of a loving Father!

 

My heart leaped for joy as this vision was shared as it parallels the heart of Oceans Ministries. Christ came to open the door for us to the Father’s House so that we can live as royalty. As He said in John 14:6

 

“I am the way, the truth and the lifeno one comes to the Father except through Me.”

 

Jesus’ crimson blood was shed so that you and I can wear a royal robe of His righteousness and walk into the Father’s house boldly as His beloved royal kids. When we come to understand the metamorphosis that happens in our hearts because of this truth- the Kingdom of heaven comes to earth.

 

The Purple Door is a powerful visual reminder to walk into Abba Father’s House and to live as royalty! I praise God for the truth this coffee house teaches and lives into. I hope to enjoy a cup of coffee at The Purple Door sometime and you are invited. But in the meantime let us remind one another that we are His chosen and royal sons and daughters!

 

Go Find a Rock!

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I looked for a stone that would fit into my hand to hurl into the lake but all I could find were small pebbles and the big rock pictured above. Every year during the Jewish feast day Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets, Lev. 23:23-25), I practice a Jewish custom of throwing a rock into a body of water. This is a visual act of an inward repentance for sins for the past year. 10 days after Rosh Hashanah comes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Holiest Day on the Jewish calendar which is celebrated tomorrow, September 19.  Yom Kippur remembers the high priest act of once a year entering the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of bulls and goats on the mercy seat to atone for the sins of Israel (Lev. 16).

 

So one day I threw a rock in a lake and another day I was doing a men’s retreat in Kansas City. I love teaching on Hearing the Voice of Your Father. I shared how the first step to hearing the Father’s voice is developing a humble repentant heart that follows Jesus into the Jordan River (Mt. 3:13-17). Jesus identified Himself with the worst of sinners and walked right into the Jordan as sinless lamb. This act of obedience pointed to His upcoming sacrifice on the cross. Jesus-the Cornerstone-cast Himself into the water as a humble servant to demonstrate that He would take on our sins and not only thrust them into the depths of the sea, (Micah 7:19) but also open up our hearts to the forever love of the Father.

 

I shared with the men how the Jews believed that the 10 days of repentance before the Day of Atonement would open up the heavens to those whose hearts were repentant and the result was to encounter the voice of God. Now don’t miss this, when Jesus emerged out of the Jordan River after the baptism of repentance He heard the Father say,

 

“This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased,” Mt. 3:17.

 

I challenged the men to let the Spirit reveal their sin, their rebellious heart, find a rock, confess their sin, and hurl that rock into the water. But since there wasn’t any water at the retreat center we were at we improvised and had a bonfire to symbolize the removal of our sins. Abba moved during this time of repentance-many of the men’s ears were opened to hear the loving voice of their Abba Father.

 

It has been a week since I rode my bike to the lake, confessed a ton of sins, and with both hands and all the strength I could muster threw that big rock into the water. What a relief to place all my wrongdoings on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Yes, that rock made a gigantic splash! I must admit I felt like hiding behind a rock when I scared a couple sitting nearby. Oops I guess we neither of us will forget that day!

I rode my bike back home full of joy, full of the Father’s love, knowing I am His son because of the gift of the Son. I cherish the words He speaks over me. May you cherish the word He speaks over you!

 

You are His son, His daughter and He is proud of you!

Go find a Rock!