PICTURES

Have fun with a few pictures out of my life right now. It is mid November...hard to believe for me for it is warm and summery here where I am. Blessings your way!

theSHACK

“WHAT the heck is the SHACK?” That was my first question after someone told me about a book with this title. SO what was that book about and why was my friend so fond of that book? I started to love good books 3 years ago in Oregon where my friend Alexis gave me THE ATONEMENT CHILD by Francine Rivers to read. You have to know something about me: After 7!!! Years of studying literature, I was pretty much done with reading. The only reading I would do was skimming through a book but then I would always ask you first: Is there a movie out on that book? Anyways, other than the bible books did not really get me at all. After my read of several Francine Rivers books, I discovered Karen Kingsbury as an equally skilled and blessed author. Now, I am coming to the very thing that made me start to write this note in the first place. THE SHACK. This is a simple title for a book that made my mind blow open with new ideas, with a fragrance of love and joy. While reading, I experienced much laughter, many tears of a touched heart of a little girl and much more. I won’t go into detail for I want YOU to read the book on your own. Check out some information on the website: http://www.theshackbook.com I am trying to recover my mind, my thoughts…it is hard. I just finished the book and my cheeks are still burning from healing tears. If I like one thing about a good book is when it brings me into the throne room, into the room where I meet my Jesus, my Father, my Holy Spirit and where I can HANG with them, where I am changed , healed, and renewed in their presence!! Three in one……seriously, read the book, it will blow your mind! I guess, I will write more on what reading this book has started in me. There are millions of thoughts, squillions (as little Anna would put it in the book: Anna and Mr. God) of emotions and so many joyful tears ……….. How does a good friend of mine say? – Life is a journey, a process – are you ready for the RIDE OF YOUR LIFE?

PottersHANDS

In the Potter’s hands I am glad I know the Potter. I am glad I know my God....but then I wake ap and my longing increases to get to know HIM even more. Then I realize I hardly know HIM. I am in the Potter’s hands. Think with me: as the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they must have been amazed and in total AWE. Yet, shortly after that, they find themselves grumbling and being impatient for the promise of God had given them was not as close at hand as they tought. They found themselves at Marah, the place with the bitter waters NOT KNOWING that in God’s bigger picture they would reach ELIM, a place with fresh springs of water and Palm trees. They did not see it coming. I I can see this being displayed in my life right now. I try to trust God and believe my Potter for the desire of my heart that seems to grow stronger and stronger. Yet I am faced with my own grumbling, disbelief and my doubts andmy struggles. I hear myself complain to the Potter – listen to THIS: The clay is complaining t o the Potter Himself!!!! I realize that God sees the bigger picture and that He is actually leading me to the bountiful springs of Elim, to provision and at the end to the Promised Land. This is a time of character building o….yet again. I love my Potter, I love Him soooo much and as I come as Kerstin to Him, my wish is to be moldable clay, my wish is to bear good fruit, to be patient and wait for my ELim. I am in the Potter’s hands!!

GERSHWIN

Gershwin This blog post is not about music, not about that music style that Gershwin the composer professed. It is a about a normal man, a man that suffers, a man that is desperate, a man that needs God. I am talking about Gershwin who lives near the area that I find myself these days: a suburb area of Cape Town. He lost his son of little age not long ago. Now he wants to give his son at least a proper place. He needs money for his coffin. He walks the streets to ask people for money. He walks the streets like so many people do. Some among them are not safe people……….but some are. One day, my doorbell rang. I went to see who it was. I kept the door closed for I did not know this man. He said: “Ma’am, I saw your car parked outside here and I thought I could ask you”. Then He went on telling his story. All that time, I am praying for insight, praying for wisdom. “Is this a safe person God or is this trouble?” My guts told me to step out of the door and pray with this man. SO I did. I prayed for open doors for him and for the money that he needed for his child’s coffin to come through. As we both said AMEN, I felt compelled to give 30 Rand towards that coffin. (30 RAND equals about 3 $ and 80 cents). The man started crying and thanked me. I encouraged him some more and he was on his way again. Gershwin was his name and I never forgot that name. In the nights I would pray for him asking God to bless Gershwin, to help Gershwin mourn his child’s early death and to provide for him. Three days later, my doorbell rang again. “Ma’am, do you remember me? I was the one man you prayed for a few days ago?” Surely I did. “It’s you, Gershwin?” I heard Gershwin start to cry. He was so touched that I remembered his name. He said: “This time I come because I need God and I want to be his child, Ma’am, can you please lead me to the LORD? Now?” I stood behind the door, still, praising God and in awe. I opened the door and came outside to lead Gershwin to Jesus. After the prayer, he looked at me with such shining eyes. “Now, I am a proud son of God, Ma’am!!” Hope filled this man’s face and heart and he showed me even the receipt of the funeral home where they had the coffin for his little child. I encouraged Gershwin in his new identity in Jesus now some more and off he went. At the end of the day I stand before my God, still in awe, thankful and praying for Gershwin that God provides for him, that God protects him and that now a new relationship between God and Gershwin can grow! Halleluhja!!! A new son in the kingdom, Lord please let Gershwin grow in you and give him hope for his every day life!

McGyver

McGyver Do you remember the series on TV in the 80is called “McGyver”? He was the one who could fix everything with the coolest tools. He was cool and he always had new ideas. If someone always knows how to fix things in new ways…I say this one can “mcgyver” things pretty well! I say, this one is a true McGyver. Can you follow me? I know a true McGyver. It is a Madame McGyver and I call her that a lot and we both grin. I want to introduce you to Madame McGyver, to my Madame McGyver: Her name is Granny Jenny and I live and stay here with her. She is a true Madame McGyver. She knows how to make a door UNsqueek, she knows how to get a stain of heavy paint out of my pants even after that one had been washed 3 times in the machine! She comes and just “mcgyvers” it!! I really loved watching that series on TV in the 80ies. And I love calling Granny Jenny Madame McGyver. Do you know a true “McGyver” in your life? I mean the ultimate McGyver is Jesus, the one who restores, the one who saves, the one who who knows it all very wel……yeah I guess that is HIM then, hugh? This post is for Granny Jenny and even more this post goes to my one and only real Mr. McGyver, my Savior, the one who saves my day, the one who heals my broken soul and helps me to see the world from different angles!!

niceMEMORY

I am looking at this picture. A few moments ago, while I was going through all my pictures on my computer, I stumbled over this one. It shows a scene from 8 ½ years ago. Back then, I was a freshly converted Christian (3 months old) and this was my first international student conference. That day I met Steven. He is from Africa. I don’t remember from which country. It has been a while . I was a bit late to get to my workshop about parents and family issues. I bumped into him at the stairs. We started chatting and went into a good conversation and some deep talk about family and generations. After two hours, I realized that Steven was my workshop for that day. In the evening, we had a session with everyone in the big hall and I sat with Steven not knowing what would happen. That night was a night with MISSIONS as the big topic. It did not really interest that much. However, I listened to the sermon. At the end the guy who presented that whole evening asked if we knew where God wanted to send us or if we had asked HIM about a special country. Had God put a country on our heart? Why shouldn’t we ask right there and then. I did not see me doing missions or going anywhere as a “missionary” (isn’t that funny? I am laughing here, God DOES have humor!!). “Oh well”, I thought and asked God in a little prayer. OOPS, I did hear something but totally disregarded it. I heard AFRICA. Oh well, I said to myself, that is not coming from God. I was talking to Steven earlier and he is from Africa and Missions and Africa kind of go hand in hand….no, God did not speak to me.” Having decided that, I tried to follow the rest of the evening session. Then I quickly forgot. MISSIONS and MISSIONARIES just did not really get me; get my attention for some reason. After I met the South African Pastor Xavier Adriaanse in July of 2006, I looked at GOD with a fearful heart and let HIM speak into my heart about this matter….finally….like 6 years after that first night sitting next to an African Christian. God said that night: It was me, Kerstin. The voice you heard was from me and I gave you the word: AFRICA. BOOOOM! Oh well, here I am, in one of the most beautiful countries of that same continent!! That moment there was a really great one and I will always remember it. Steven and I in Aschaffenburg, Germany in April 2000.

SchoolTALK

So here we go, after more than a week of sickness and a recent news that I was coming down with my first bronchitis, I started to feel better today. Antibiotics do the rest. I never drank so much in my life. I had a lot of time to think and pray and rest from the last two weeks that seemed like the hardest weeks I've had so far. Spiritual warfare, physical drain and some other stuff made it really really hard. One big lesson that i am learnign these days is not to be in JESUS' way, not to tak on HIS burden and to AGAIN just be myself!!! It seems that this is a lesson I need to learn and relearn again and again. As Psalm 118 verses 6 and 7 day so truthfully: my Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid- What can mere mortals do to me? Yes my Lord is for me and HE also helps me so I can look with TRIUMPH at those who hate me! This morning I was scheduled to speak at a Local Primary School (grades 4 to 7 which means fromt he age of 10 to 13). I was sooo looking forward to it. My topic was; YOU A A PEARL, YOU ARE SPECIAL and YOU HAVE CHOICE. I picked up Jesus' shortest parable in the BIBLE. Let me tell you this, it was fun and I once again experienced that I looove speaking, I looooove looking in a bunch of faces. I looove this. Thank God I was physically fit to go there this morning. I had been in bed for the last 5 days. I still have a bit of a Bronchitis and am mindful of what I do. I love my Jesus, really do!!!

RESTisWARFARE

I am figuring out more and more which is good and part of a growth process, I guess. My newest thoughts involve warfare and rest and how actually REST is a vital part of warfare. I even think it is the most important part in warfare. Warfare is not just standing with my amor on and quoting and believing Bible verses. It is not just binding the forces of hell and releasing the grace and blessings of heaven. It is mouch more. The secret of a good battle strategy is to know when you need to rest and how to do so. I am in the middle of that. I know taht God has gifted me with a tenacity and umph in prayer and warring. Yet I find it so hard to know when to rest and how to. I am in that phase right now. I have to say I am exhausted physically and spiritually. But then that is where I find my Lord, I crawl under HIS wings of refuge ( do you know the song REFUGE?) and comfort and then I sleep and then I memorize scripture and stand on HIS truth and hope! Warefare is not only about Ephesians 6 and God's armor and how to wear this one, but it is also about Psalm 91 and knowing that God commanded HIS angels to prtect me. It is also about Psalm 118:6-7 and knowing that HE is for me and with me and that HE helps me and that I will look in triumph at those who hate me. Warefare is to thank GOD in total peace that HE protects you right now! God bless!

welcome to my blog

hey hey

happy birthday, daddy

It will be my dad's 70th birthday on the 5th of August, celebrate with us and enjow the pics!!!

video about our church

I made this video to let people in our church know what some of us were doing.... we have been having a great time painting and brooming!

TAKEaSeat

Take a seat, enjoy the presence of the FATHER. As I came to our church service last sunday, I had to stop at this site and take a picture. Soon we will be in our new church building and leave htis site behind. God is mocing in our church here. I love this pic!!! Take a seat, start to talk to the FATHER!!! He is waiting for you! Follow me, I just sat down :) The Father's heart is beating for you and me.