Grace is without doubt the most beautiful concept in life. Not just a concept mind you, but a manifestation of unmerited favor, by the God who loves to the ones who don’t deserve that love.

Grace is brought to life in the story of the prodigal son, the son who received unmerited favor and blessings from the father. A ring, a robe, sandals and a party. Authority, character, freedom and a celebration.

The story encapsulates grace as we know it. ‘Encapsulates’ is actually a poor word choice, because one of the beauties of grace is that it can’t be contained. Grace doesn’t stop with the prodigal son. There is another character in the story, an older brother, and the antagonist through whom grace is re-awakened in another form. There’s grace that takes you home, and grace that keeps you home…

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

I’ll never grow tired of discovering contemporary truth in ancient scripture. There is a worship revolution taking place in this country and beyond, and it’s happening now. The time has indeed come; the Father’s glory is being revealed in the light shining from every tribe, tongue and nation joining together to lift up His name.

It was truly uplifting to see hundreds of young people show up for Ignite recently, a gathering with the sole purpose of uniting the body in corporate worship. But what’s even more exciting is to see that God is carrying out His plan not just through a select bunch of people, but through independent groups all over the place. In Cape Town the same vision is being carried by Simply Worship. Young people are encountering God at the praise parties and “battles of the bands” organised by various local churches.

Of course all of these events are not an end in themselves, but serve to set the hearts of believers aflame so that their hearts may be changed, and eventually the world would be transformed by our lives lived out as acts of worship.

Here are some gatherings coming up during the next few weeks in and around Jo’burg:

• Friday 18 May 2007 6pm: Worship at Trinity Methodist in Linden
• Friday 25 May 2007 6:30pm: Aflame at Northfield Methodist in Benoni (youth)
• Saturday 2 June 2007 8am: Jubilee Worship Seminar at Alberton Methodist Church
• Saturday 9 June 2007 4pm: Battle of the Bands at Dutch Reformed Church Mondeor (youth)

For more details about any of these, check the calendar.

Praise the Lord!

Alberton Methodist Church is hosting a world-class worship seminar on Saturday 2 June 2007. This is a valuable opportunity for worship leaders and their teams to come and grow in their ministry. All worshippers will benefit from attending though, not only those in leadership positions.

Leading worship at the seminar will be Evan Rogers, the Music Director of Jubilee Community Church in Cape Town.

Keynote speakers:
Rev. Dr. Dion Forster
Rev. Barry Marshall

Workshop leaders:
Evan Rogers
Barry Marshall
Dion Forster
Rowan Rogers
Mandla Gamede
Brian Smith
Gary & Jacqui Rivas

Download Registration Form & Programme

Cost for the day is R50 plus a non-perishable food item for the poor. A packed lunch is optional and will cost R15 extra.

For more information email Bronwen (or phone her during the day on 011-907-2807).

I’ve found the most despicable person in the bible. No it’s not Judas. It’s not Pilate, or Herod or any Roman. It’s not the Pharisees or Saducees or any religious leader. It’s not Ahaz or Jehoram or any other wicked king. It’s not Jezebel or her spawn Athaliah or any evil woman. He’s just an ordinary guy, with an ordinary job: Minding the king’s sheep. His name is Doug, and he’s the most despicable person in the bible…

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It’s true that God reveals glimpses of Himself to us in everyday life, through a multitude of different ways. But there’s something extraordinary that happens when hundreds (or even thousands) of people draw together for corporate worship. Psalm 133:1 emphasises “how good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity!”

When we as God’s children are united together in His presence with a concerted desire to bring Him honour and praises, the individual sparks are fanned into a roaring flame — in a word, ignition.

The vision for Ignite4101 (for the one and only One) was born out of this flame. From the web site:

Ignite is a worship movement that seeks to unite and ignite the hearts of young adults to burn with their whole life for the glory of God’s name.

The next Ignite is taking place on Friday 4 May at Alberton Methodist Church. It will be primarily geared towards students and young adults, but of course young and old alike are welcome. Squiz the flyer below for more details.

http://www.ignite4101.com
http://myspace.com/ignite4101

Be careful when standing in the way of God’s Holiness. This is the warning we get from the bitter story of Moses not being allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Moses the man who guided a disobedient, stubborn and completely recalcitrant nation through a 40 year desert journey gets things wrong, less than a year before the nation would triumphantly enter the Promised Land. 40 years of stumbling, 40 years of hoping, 40 years of disappointment and grind, and on the eve of freedom Moses himself stumbles. But before the story is over there’s a stunning twist…

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Remember the Night of 1000 Drawings? Well, whether you were there on the night or not, here’s some exciting news. The Legion graphic gurus have compiled all of the pro photography for the event - mailers, promos, Paballo outreach stuff, and (most importantly) a selection of the artworks - into a gorgeous 58-page coffee-table book.

It’s going for 100 bucks and of course the money raised goes directly to Paballo’s outreach initiative. To get your hands on a copy, contact David at 1000drawings@gmail.com or give him a ring on 082-600-0011.

Trust seems to be a forgotten word these days. Or maybe not forgotten, but perhaps the power of the principle has been lost in the wake of the all-conquering trust demolisher: Scandal. We see so much of it in our daily news. Politics (Armsgate), Business (Fidentia), Sport (Bob. Sadly missed).

Scandals like these have led to the erosion of trust as one of the rocks upon which humanity stands. It’s a foundational principle that we seem to have lost, and yet is so glaringly obviously needed… 

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Sometimes we can believe we’re so right and yet be so wrong. An idea or vision or plan can seemingly come enveloped in God-breathed bubble wrap plastered with God-adorned neon stickers boxed inside a God-shaped container labeled with God’s return address, and yet not actually be from God.

And when the bubble bursts and the Thank-You post bounces we’re left wondering what went wrong, and how so blatantly a good idea - no a God idea! - could have failed.

This almost happened to King David. King David prior to roof-top spying, census-taking and child-denying. This was the King David fresh off the back of mighty displays of God’s glory in magnificent military victories. King David fresh off the back of uniting God’s people into an earthly kingdom that was absolutely God-centered it’s identity. A man filled with the presence and power of God. And in a moment he reveals something about himself that all of us God-seekers have found in ourselves… Read the rest of this entry »