Where is Home?

/1 Comment/in /by

I have been thinking a lot about home lately. Recently I flew back from Africa to join Patty and meet our new granddaughter, help another daughter and husband move out of our home in Colorado to a place of their own, put our house on the market, and buy another home where we can shut the door and have no worries when we are in Fish Hoek.

In between all this, I began a book project about finding home- inspired from Jesus last teaching to His disciples the night before His death-and for some reason I can’t get the old John Denver song out of my head;

 “Country roads take me home, to the place I belong…”

Perhaps you understand why “home” is on the front and center of my prefrontal cortex. Where is home? South Africa, Colorado, where family and friends live, where is that “place that I belong?” As I counted up all the places over the years I have called home that number is quickly approaching 20. So home has to be more than a place where we dwell. And as for family and friends-they live all over creation so it’s hard to define that as home.

So where on earth is there a place called home-where I truly belong? The other morning I was reading from a man who traveled around a lot and for the last 40 years of his life he was constantly on the move living in a tent. Yes, Moses knew something about transition and leaving the security of a palace in Egypt to become a shepherd nomad who had no permit place to call home.

Moses words in Psalm 90 leave us with profound wisdom for our journey through life, right away in verse one he lays before us this great truth:

  “Lord, through all generations You have been our home! (NLT)

 In that one sentence you have the most important truth in all of life. All of Scripture given to us by the Spirit of God leads us to our real home-the only place where we truly feel we belong.

As the early church leader Augustine so rightly said,

 “Our heart is restless until it rests in You oh God!”

 We will never find the perfect place with the perfect people on this earth where we can find true peace; we will be forever “restless” in the search. Our heart’s true REST can only be found in knowing our home IS IN the Father’s arms of LOVE.

Moses encountered “his home” one day looking after sheep, it took the form of a burning bush and a heavenly voice declaring, “I AM.” What an astounding way for Moses to understand where his true home was (see Ex. 3). After that day Moses knew where home was and it wasn’t back in Egypt or even in the land of promise, it was daily dwelling in His Father’s eternal house of unfailing love.

This is why Moses could pray later in Psalm 90:

“Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives!” vs. 14 (NLT)

As we approach Holy Week, meditate on how the suffering, death, resurrection of Jesus, “The Great I AM” is all about bringing you to the Father’s heart of love. His love for you, this is your true home. Sin pushed us out of the garden; but Jesus’ finished work brought us back in. This “heavenly garden” is the only place on earth where you can truly be satisfied and find a true home, a place of rest in a restless world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Acts of Kindness

/0 Comments/in /by

I love to wake up early with a cup of coffee and spend time dwelling in God’s Word. On this particular morning I was reading Mark 14, the story of the woman who lavishly anointed Jesus feet with expensive perfume just a few days before His death. One translation described the scene as Jesus describing this gesture as a “beautiful act of kindness,” (Mk. 14:6).

While meditating on this Scripture my phone beeped and then beeped again. Bernie, the director of OceanView Care Center, was sending pictures of the “track uniforms” for the 60 new preschoolers and the teachers. Over the last several months a seamstress in the community received the appropriate measurements and sewed each uniform to size. Not only did each student and teacher receive a warm outfit for the upcoming South African winter, but also this local businesswoman was provided an income to provide for her family. The message from Bernie was full of thankfulness and joy!

As my thoughts returned to the scripture, this woman’s sacrificial and demonstrative act of love, and to Jesus’s description of a “beautiful act of kindness,” I thought to myself, “this is how Christ’s Kingdom spreads.” You see from 12,000 miles away leaders from Parker Task Force, a non-profit in Parker Colorado, was moved by their love for those living in a township and decided to give funds to Oceans Ministries to pay for the uniforms in order to bring joy and dignity to students and teachers.

“beautiful acts of kindness” always starts with a vision that is consumed with the glory of Jesus. The passage tell us on that day when the woman anointed Jesus’ feet many others were present in the home of Simon, including former lepers and all of the disciples. And yet, it seems that the unnamed woman was the only one who understood the glorious act of love that Jesus was about to endure on the cross.

This woman encountered a supernatural love from Heaven in Jesus, a love that was full of forgiveness and pure acceptance. Through the eyes of faith, she knew she was held forever in the arms of Jesus as a dearly loved daughter. That is why she could let go of a costly treasure, maybe her retirement fund, all because she found a love far more secure than any amount of money.

Over the years people just like this woman give costly gifts, “beautiful acts of kindness,” because they have been overwhelmed by Christ love for them. At Oceans Ministries we continually shake our heads and feel so humbled by these acts of kindness. And we get to watch first hand the impact of these beautiful acts have in so many hearts and how it spreads Christ’s Kingdom into difficult and dark places.

Jesus sees it all, and He is honored by our “beautiful acts of kindness.” At the end of this story Jesus makes this bold statement:

“I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to Me will be mentioned in memory of her.” (vs. 9)

As I reread those words, I think how Jesus is highlighting to each one of us how His Kingdom and the Gospel spreads. When we love Jesus by loving others (see Mt. 25:31ff) it is a “beautiful acts of kindness.” This kindness than points others to our Beautiful Jesus who gave everything for us on the cross so that we might truly know a love that will never let us go.

Please join me in this prayer:

Jesus, during this holy season of lent and beyond may Your beautiful Act of kindness at the cross overwhelm me. May I experience Your perfect love, knowing it is Your love that moves me to love others with beautiful Acts of kindness, so that Your Kingdom will be known all over all the earth! Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kingdom Hearts: Rebound and Rebuild

/0 Comments/in /by


Written by Mike Verkaik

Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is within you.”
– Luke 17:20-21 (NCV)

On Christmas Day, I received a message from Tim early in the morning. As I listened my heart was devastated to hear that the residents living in Jim Se Bos woke up to a severely destructive fire spreading through their community.  Shack after shack was consumed in flames and many residents lost their homes and all their possessions.

With over 30 current students and teachers having traveled to South Africa on Ocean’s Kingdom Encounters, I texted them photos and videos asking for prayers for our partner ministers and the residents of Jim Se Bos. Over a month later I received a text from a high school senior, Claria, asking if we could get a cup of coffee and talk about the ramifications of the fires in Jim Se Bos. Her kingdom heart was percolating with love and compassion.

While meeting together, Claria said, “Mike, you know I am not a leader, and I don’t really know what I can do, but I need to do something. I think God is calling me to lead.” The kingdom heart within her was listening and responding her Father’s voice as He triggered a memory of what she experienced in South Africa. As Claria wrote me, “ The things God taught me and the people I met while I was in South Africa had a huge impact on my life, and I have a desire to live differently today because of the two weeks I spent there.”

The stirring in Claria’s heart to “do something” led us to ask all the high school students who had been to Jim Se Bos to meet during their study period time at school. As we talked and prayed, the group was in agreement that sitting on the sidelines was not an option. There was a unified desire to see their love for the Jim Se Bos residents birth into action to assist them in some way. Out of the meeting came the idea of Rebound and Rebuild.

Rebound and Rebuild was our desire was to use our basketball game between our rival Christian school to raise awareness and resources for Jim Se Bos. Abba’s answer to the stirring in Claria’s heart was to use the intense stage of competition as a platform to demonstrate our unified love for God and our neighbor.

The objective was to symbolize to those in attendance what divides us, our school colors, and more importantly what unifies us, our desire to be used to advance the kingdom of God. Navy and maroon t-shirts would be the representative of our differences, and the common artwork and verse on the shirts would represent our unification.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
– John 13:35 (NIV)

On faith over 700 t-shirts were purchased for the game. This was the number of t-shirts needed to meet the goal we prayed to achieve. As one student said, “If we need to sell that many t-shirts to meet our goal, let’s buy them.” How encouraging it was to witness student hearts sensing God moving and responding in obedience and trust in His provision, even when we didn’t pre-sell. It was that faith and obedience which allowed for the miracle to happen. As fans purchased t-shirts from both sides, the stands filled up with a sea of maroon and navy t-shirts. When the game was ready to start the two teams stood together at half court as fans from both sides joined together in prayer to bless Pastor Raymond and the residents of Jim Se Bos.

Yes, February 20 was an amazing night at the two gymnasiums where the boys and girls teams played. Abba doubled our goal for the evening, which was amazing. However, he also taught us once again to be attentive to His voice, and obedient to His desire for us to show His love in our actions. Their were literally tears of joy from students that night, while they witnessed Abba taking a whisper in a young girls heart and turning it into a blessing for the broken and the hurting, as well as a reminder of Jesus’ desire for us as believers to work unified for His kingdom to come to earth.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
– John 17:22-23 (NIV)

 

The Power of Love

/0 Comments/in /by

Written by Mike Verkaik

Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. (1 John 4:7- TPT)

Remember Huey Lewis? Or how about the movie Back to the Future? The song where the above title comes from has been stuck in my head for the last few weeks. Not because I heard it, watched the movie, or even have the desire to. It came to me on a prayer walk while I was reflecting on the conversations I had with Ted*.

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from Ted, a former resident at the motel where Oceans does ministry. Not recognizing the number, I let it go to voicemail. His message sounded something like this:

”Mike, I don’t know if you remember me, this is Ted. My family lived at the Motel where Oceans Ministries has a presence. We used to talk over lunch. I’m wondering if we could meet up sometime for lunch again? God has placed Christian evangelism on my heart and I have some questions I would like to ask you.”

Ted and his family landed at the motel in 2021 after the ramifications of Covid-19 left Ted unemployed and his family homeless. As Ted openly admits, this was one the darkest seasons of his life as he was angry, bitter, and struggling with his marriage and kids. In the midst of all those struggles he finds himself in a small motel room with his family, surrounded by other residents who are in similar situations and struggling with their own vices.

The strongest vice in Ted’s life was anger, and it was a physical altercation with the owner which led to his families abrupt departure from the motel.

As Ted and I ate lunch together he began his conversation with thanksgiving for the love of Christ he received from the volunteers during his stay at the motel. “Mike”, he said, “I want to thank all of you for loving my family so well while we were at the motel. It was the darkest season in my life, but now I believe God had to knock us down, so we could look up. I know in the midst of my pain and shame I was not able to express my thanks, but thank you for what you are doing. “

What soul refreshment it was to listen to Ted share his faith and the miracles Abba has done in his life over the last three years. He saw and experienced Jesus’ love for him through others, accepted the free gift of Christ’s love for himself, and is living for opportunities to show his gratitude with others who are struggling with similar situations.

What a beautiful example and reminder of the power of the love of Christ. A love that is planted in us as believers, birthed out of us as we live in obedience to His command to love one another, and bears fruit when others experience His love through us. It is the message Paul was communicating to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:19:

And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God. In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God. (TPT)

How is the power of love in your life? The ability to love others on our own is limited. It is based on how we feel about the other person and the way he or she treats us. If that was the benchmark for Ted to receive love during his stay at the motel, we would not be having this conversation. However, when we live into the grace and forgiveness of our Father’s love for us, we are able to look past grievances and receive the ability to love others the way Jesus loves us. It is a 1 Corinthians 13 love, and that love is contagious and powerful.

*Name has been changed

Prayer: Dancing with the Invisible God

/1 Comment/in /by

I was struggling to put a talk together about prayer for students from a tutoring center, this is the organization that Oceans is partner with to start a Christian high school. As nothing was coming I took a brisk walk hoping it would bring some inspiration. Sure enough a phrase popped into my head – “Prayer is like dancing with the Invisible God.” As I thought about the phrase a list of ideas came to mind.

1.Created to Dance with God – Adam and Eve, our first parents enjoyed daily conversation or prayer with their Creator and what a joy that must have been. But in the midst of “the dance” they walked away and received the invitation to join a masquerade- a lie that brought sin, shame, separation, and death.

2. A New Invitation was Given – The Father sent His only Son Jesus, and invited us to return to the dance. Jesus would pay the entry fee with His life. The dark veil that separated us from the Father’s arms was ripped in two by His death on the cross. Now there is free access, open communication through prayer. We can once again be embraced by a Father offering love, forgiveness and eternal blessings.

3. It takes Faith to Dance – Just as dancing can make one feel vulnerable so can prayer. When we open ourselves up via prayer, we may face insecurities and old lies of the enemy whispering; “You aren’t good enough to dance with Father God. You have sinned way too much He will never dance with you. Why would He show up and spend time with you, who do you think you are?”

Yet, His Spirit constantly invites us to take the step of faith and He promises we will find Him:

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…” Mt. 11:28

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD…” Jer. 29:12-14.

Sometimes we may take the step-but it feels like we’re dancing all alone. All our prayers and time with the LORD seem to be a solo dance void of His loving arms. During those seasons the Spirit reminds us to keep dancing in faith:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…” Luke 11:9

The verb “ask” in the original Greek means to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

4. Our Great Dance Instructor: All we need to do is daily observe how Jesus danced with His Father. For many years it seemed like silence for Jesus, but at the Jordon River as He was praying at His baptism the dance begun.

The Invisible Father God broke into creation ripping apart the heavens and through the Spirit shouted out and affirmed His Son saying; “You are My Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased…” Mark 1:9-11

It was that loving embrace from the Father that brought Heaven’s power and love into His heart and birthed the Kingdom through His ministry, death, resurrection and eternal reign.

That same Spirit of Christ lives in all who believe and gives us faith to step on to the dance floor and believe the Father in His perfect time will flood our hearts with Heaven’s perfect love. He is the one that hears our prayers.

How we need dancing followers of Christ who will break through the fears, shame, and lies of the enemy and give us courage to get on the dance floor, to offer that prayer of faith. Our Father is waiting with arms wide open to wrap us in love and together as Father and beloved son or daughter dance together for His glory!

I’m not exactly sure how the teenagers received it all, but I trust that hearing the invitation to prayer and knowing that the God of the universe sees them in these tough teenage years will be encourage them to step forward in faith on that dance floor.

I’m not sure where you may be today, but I know I need to step out on the dance floor once again with my Abba Father! I hope you’ll join in as well!

“If you earthly fathers, though you are sinful, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” Luke 11:13