Monday, June 24, 2013

Psalm 31

This is my paraphrase of Psalm 31, to be said responsively.

Lord, I seek your protection – keep me from further humiliation.
I seek deliverance from the only One Who always does what is right!
Please hear me; please rescue me.
Be a rock solid safe house for me.
To me you are like an inaccessible summit, and for the sake of that irrefutable reputation please lead me and guide me.
Even though some seek to ensnare me in their web of deceit, you will untangle me and strengthen me. 
You hold my life in your hands, and so I am certain that you will intervene on my behalf, because you are and always will be the God of Truth.
And because you alone are the God of Truth, I will avoid those who deal in worthless falsehoods and I will put my trust in you.
I know that this momentary affliction will give way to rejoicing and praise because you are merciful.
Yes, indeed!  You are a God who is well acquainted with my pain and well aware of how deeply distressed I am.
You will never allow me to be tripped up by those who seek my harm because you enable me to stand firmly.
Even so, dear Lord, I am in distress right now and I am in need of your divine favor.
My eyes are swollen because of my grief and I am emotionally exhausted.
My life appears to be ending in pain, and my final years in groaning.
My past sins haunt me and make me feel feeble and frail.
Those who seek my harm have caused others to distrust me and to abhor me.
They have even managed to turn my friends against me, so that they now feel awkward in my presence and consequently seek to avoid me.
I feel so lonely.  It is as if I am being erased from people’s memories like someone who has been deceased for a long time.
It is as if people regard me as something to be discarded like a worthless broken jar.
I hear what they are saying about me, and their slanderous whisperings cause me great distress.
When they plot together against me, they try to figure out how to take away my life.
Nevertheless, in spite of all this, I still trust you, dear Lord.
I still declare openly that you alone are my God!
You alone are the one who determines my destiny.
They can plot all they like, but you will rescue me from their powerful schemes.
Please let me become aware of your comforting smile once more.
Deliver me because of your unceasing faithfulness.
Lord, they seek to humiliate me, but I have called out to you for help.
Do to them as they seek to do to me and make them as silent as the grave.  Indeed, let arrogant and contemptuous lips that spread poisonous falsehoods about the innocent be silenced!
I marvel at the greatness of your goodness toward those who remain loyal to you.
It is plainly evident to everyone by the way you openly favor those who hide in you.
You enfold them in your secret presence and keep them safe from the snares of the slanderer.
You conceal them in a shelter where they are safe from harmful gossip.
Lord, you are worthy of my praise, because you have demonstrated your wondrous faithfulness to me while my life was under siege.
I mistakenly jumped to the wrong conclusion!  You were watching over me all the time and you never once left my side!  You heard every plea when I cried out for your help!
And so I encourage every one of you who seek to live godly lives:  Love the Lord your God!  Follow Him even blindly because He is known to preserve the faithful and He will pay back in full the arrogant and prideful.
Be strong and unwaveringly confident as you patiently continue to wait on Him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

So, like...wow!

One of my all time favorite words used by our younger generation...and lately that means everyone under 40...is the word 'whatever'.  To me it is like 'hocus pocus' or some other magic word that can be used to get you out of whatever pickle you may be in at the time.  Can't win for losing?  Whatever.  Walk away and leave the egg behind.  Love it...

But there are a few other words I enjoy using...words like 'so' and like 'like'...in many ways these two little words, when used together help you express yourself when you are so totally gobsmacked that you have absolutely no idea of how to respond appropriately.  'So, like...wow!'...just says it all.  And everyone around you will nod and say something like, 'like so totally awesome'...or is awesome not used anymore?  Words change like so quickly these days that it's like not just my legs that can't like keep up anymore...so...whatever...

But I used those two little magic words today...or three if you include the golden oldie word, 'wow'...

Today I learned that the clergy and vestry of Holy Trinity, North Augusta, decide to adopt, not only Louise and me as missionaries to Gambela, but they also adopted Gambela and its people as their mission project!  I sat motionless in front of my computer screen reading the email Fr. Rob Hartley had sent to me and I like totally lost it...like whatever I had to lose, like, you know, that is...and all I could get out of these lips was, 'so, like...wow!'

Thank You Jesus!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

June Newsletter

Johann & Louise Vanderbijl
~ Touching The Whole Person – Body And Soul ~
  




- Vision with action can change the world -

An anointing for preparation…
“Johann and Louise; we anoint you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We anoint you with an anointing of preparation…”  The Revd Nancy Kenny and Nancy Hartley prayed for us before we shared our Lord’s vision for the people of Gambela and in the Horn of Africa in general with the folks of Holy Trinity, North Augusta.  As we shared, we saw heart-felt compassion take root and begin to bud.  For both of us, it was an anointing of preparation.
The Rector of Holy Trinity, The Revd Rob Hartley, has a passion for the work of the Lord in the Horn of Africa and in South Sudan and his passion shows.  We are all anticipation to see how our Lord leads this Spirit-filled parish to partner with Louise and me in the future.

A pearl of great price…
In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus tells of a merchant who sold all that he had in order to purchase one pearl of great value.  Of course, the object of the parable is to illustrate the forsaking of everything to gain the kingdom of God, but it could very well apply to Louise and me at present.  While everything we have done in life up unto this point is very precious to us and dear to our hearts…the men, women, and children we have served and the many friends we have made both here and abroad…we believe we have found a pearl of great price in the people of Gambela, Ethiopia.  To many, this pearl appears to be without value, but our Lord has graciously shared with us His heart for the displaced, the disenfranchised, and the discarded people of this region.  To others it seems as though the trade is not justified, but to us…well, how does one share the hidden depths of one’s passion? 

The immediate future…
There are a number of steps one has to take when preparing to go into the mission field. One of them is psychological testing.  This past Saturday we took the tests...3 1/2 hours of question after question after question...from every angle, negative and positive.  

We just had our post-test psychological interview...no red flags, thankfully and the results were very accurate.  Louise and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to extrovert versus introvert!  No surprise there.  With me perfectionism was a bit on the high side as was self-sacrificing and a dislike of confrontation.  No surprise again.  Louise also registered on the high side when it came to a dislike of confrontation…the psychologist said this must make for a peaceful home!

The next step is attending the SAMS Crossroads Conference July 1 to 3.  Then the matter of people/partner raising and the paperwork necessary to get the right visa for working in Ethiopia.  

In the meantime, we have been getting all our personal paperwork in order – I applied for a copy of our marriage certificate from South Africa – we lost our original!  We are not sure how long that will take.

Also, Louise will be attending a Missionary Medicine Intensive course offered by Equip International October 27 to November 7, 2013.  Please pray for Louise!  She has two sizeable prescribed books to digest before the class starts!

Thank you for your prayers and your ongoing support. 

Blessings!

Johann & Louise
  
 The Rev Dr Johann Vanderbijl and Louise Vanderbijl are hoping to be missionaries of SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) serving in the people’s region of Gambela within the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa


Friday, June 14, 2013

Preparing to go to Ethiopia!

There are a number of steps one has to take when preparing to go into the mission field.  One of them is psychological testing.  This past Saturday we took the tests...3 1/2 hours of question after question after question...from every angle, negative and positive.  

We just had our post-test psychological interview...no red flags, thankfully and the results were very accurate.  Louise and I on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to extrovert vs introvert!  No surprise there.  With me perfectionism was a bit on the high side as was self-sacrificing and a dislike of confrontation.  No surprise again.

But there you have it...very close to the Myers-Briggs result.

ESFJ (Extravert, Sensor, Feeler, Judger)
People of this type tend to be: active, friendly, and energetic; outgoing, affectionate, and talkative; concerned about others and careful to be polite and cooperative; realistic, literal, and conscientious; highly sensitive and easily hurt; organized, responsible, and conventional. The most important thing to ESFJs is their relationships and helping people in real, and practical ways.

The next step is attending the SAMS Crossroads Conference July 1 to 3.  Then the matter of people/partner raising and the paperwork necessary to get the right visa for working in Ethiopia.  

In the meantime , we have been getting all our paperwork in order - applied for a copy of our marriage certificate from South Africa...not sure how long that will take!  We will make that a matter of prayer too.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Book Review: Clear Winter Nights: A journey into truth, doubt, and what comes after by Trevin Wax

No work of fiction has ever touched me this deeply.  I often had to stop to think, meditate, pray, and search my own heart.  Then this:  "In those quiet moments, when the stillness of the house set in and the winter evening sent a chill through everything, Gil cried out to God, asking for strength and wisdom.  From his heart poured his own regrets, his failures as a father, his decisions that had caused unintended pain."  At this point, I had to put the book down.  

No, my circumstances are totally different from those of Gil Walker, his son, and his grandson, but at this point in the book I felt my heart connect with his.  Later Gil would confess what he perceived to be his failures as a father.  "Well, I still regret some things I did and some things I didn't do.  Early on, I had my priorities all mixed up.  I would often let ministry become my idol and neglect my family much more than I should.  I cheated them in that regard.  Failed to see them as my primary ministry."  You see, I am a father and a pastor...I too have been on my knees before the Lord regretting decisions, actions, words...things done and things left undone.  Now, I am a grandfather too, and I can't help wondering if my grandson will one day seek out my counsel as Chris did Gill's.  

Yes, this review is very personal because that is the impact the book had on me as I read it...and I am sure it will have a similar impact on everyone else who reads it, whether a father, a grandfather, a son, or a grandson.  At the same time, this very true to life book serves as an apologetic to those who share Chris' hurts, anger, doubts, and fears.  I really don't know where Wax gained such insight into the struggles of the heart.  It is as if he has been given the gift, not only to see inside the deepest recesses of people's lives, but also to find redemption for the broken mess inside.  Alongside the raw pain of the two main characters, with glimpses into the pain of Chris' uncle, his mum, and his dad, Wax paints a portrait of hope for the sinner..all sinners...and for failures...all failures...

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."