I don’t believe in coincidences/Chances/Accidents

I just finished the two meetings I had scheduled for today with the pastor of New City Fellowship- Chattanooga. Kedric and I drove around looking for a coffee shop with wi-fi. Niedlov`s is the place we settle on- I find a table for us and get some coffee while I tell Ked about my meeting. In the far left corner is a lady working hard on her computer and as usual, I am loud so she can hear everything I am saying. After a while she walks over to our table and introduces herself; her mom is from Zimbabwe and she has two very close Kenyan friends- who attend NCF. As we chat and exchange pleasantries our waitress walks over to us and we start chatting, I find out that she also goes to NCF. Things get really exciting when the lady at a table behind us also introduces herself and says she`s been to Kenya…and was actually working on some projects for Kenya… what a small world? But were these accidents, coincidences, or chances that I met these people? 

So do I believe in coincidences?  The last time I made a similar comment to my pastor, Randy Greenwald, I got a lecture from him (I said I didn’t believe in luck and Randy got ‘all theological with me’ and proved to me that there`s something called ‘luck’). I do believe that God has a great sense of humor, and I do believe that he uses the most ordinary, and extra ordinary means to communicate with us. I think one of the ways God communicates to me (and I stop to listen) is through people. I have learned not to take for granted people who walk into my life, especially people I ran into randomly at coffee shops, churches, on phone or the corridors of RTS-Orlando. Ked is a witness to some amazing relationships that have come out of such random meetings- and most of these relationships always have to do with the Resource Center. So I am convinced that God is really up to something and that the CRC will go a long way. It almost feels like this is God`s way of saying to me “son, you are not in this alone” God is encouraging me through these God-sent saints and servants- so if you`re reading this and you`re one of those people I`ve met randomly, just know God sovereignty planned it, and I`m glad we met!

Inadequacy is a Gift

 

If you asked me what I thought about my trip to Chattanooga on Wednesday evening my answer would have bee- cold, very cold. I was freezing during the whole drive from Orlando, because we decided to take Ked`s car which didn’t have heat. I had a couple of jackets on, hand gloves, hood and a blanket on but nothing could beat Ked`s cold car. On the other hand though, I was able to hold snow in my hands-for the very first time. I also experienced the pain of driving through sleet and icy roads- the Floridians (Kenyans we were) freaked out when Ked couldn`t navigate a steep hill on our way to Bryan College. He asked me what he should do and I told him, “Ked, I`m from Kenya, what do I know about driving in snow?” The cold aside, the trip was quite a blessing and an encouragement to me. Brian and Hellen were wonderful hosts- I had Ugali and fish for dinner, which was a real special treat, thanks to Hellen. Brian and I were able to talk about ministry in Kenya, and it was such a blessing to hear what God is doing through R3 ministries.

The highlight of the trip was meeting the New City Fellowship Church pastor- Randy Nabors. He was so kind to meet with me but also offer much needed encouragement and wisdom on the way forward for the CRC. He talked about the importance of training and equipping local leaders and the benefits of having a sustainable project which does not always depend on funding. When I shared with pastor Randy about my own personal struggles and feelings of inadequacy he smiled and then said something I was not expecting to hear from him, ‘inadequacy is a gift… I feel inadequate as the pastor here at NCF, and I hope you don`t grow out of feeling inadequate.’ That was his prayer for me! When we feel inadequate we can depend on God`s wisdom and strength more than relying on our own ability and strength. The CRC is a bigger vision than I envision it to be and it can only be done through God`s power. My feelings of inadequacy should lead me to look at Christ and see that he has began a good work in me and he will be faithful to complete it in me. I was also reminded of my own selfish ambitions and how easy it is to lose focus of what this Center is for- the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the CRC is not gospel centered and being a witness of Christ to the Kenyan community, we lose the vision. 

II Cor 12:9 “…my grace is sufficient for you, for my power if made perfect in weakness…”

“Cowboy Hats for Kenyans”

I got an opportunity to visit Houston, TX during the Fall break, thanks to Justin & Brandi Hyde and Dr. Jammie Johns of Hamoreh. Justin and I met in Kenya while I was there last Summer, he was preaching at my dad`s church in Utawala, Nairobi. He also taught a few classes at the Kenya Baptist Theological Seminary (KBTC-Brackenhurst) in Limuru during his visit to Kenya. I told him a little about the CRC and he seemed very excited about the idea of having a Resource Center which would cater for the needs of many pastors in Nairobi. I got acquainted with Dr. Johns on phone- we had never met; little did I know that Justin and Dr. Johns were friends. He has been involved in training and equipping pastors in Kenya for a while now through Hamoreh Ministries. He has taught and continues to do so at Daystar University, Nairobi International School of Theology (NIST) and Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST). They were both excited to hear about the CRC and how they can work together with the CRC in providing resources for pastors in Nairobi. Christ Community Church in Branham- the church plant which Justin is a pastor is planning short-term mission trips to Kenya to try and be part of the training and equipping pastors and hopefully will work with the CRC in this endeavor.

A visit to the great state of Texas would not be complete for a Kenyan without a cowboy hat- so I think. So before the end of the trip Justin and I walked into a store and I purchased my first cowboy hat, when we got into the car and I put the hat on, Justin took a picture and posted it on blog with these words “cowboy hats for Kenyans”. At that moment I thought about the analogy of cowboy hats and how it related to the vision of the CRC. The CRC intends to provide resources-(hats) for pastors. For you to understand this analogy however, you`ll need to know a few things about my background…

 I grew up in a small village- dry and hot climate in Eastern Province of Kenya. I was a shepherd boy herding goats and cows in the dry heat. I quickly learned that to be a shepherd, three things were essential, (there maybe more, but I never became a good shepherd, so I wouldn’t know) water, a stick/rod and a hat. A hat especially if you were herding goats as they like to run wild and graze as fast as they can and not allowing you to get some much needed shade from the elements. So I know a little bit about hats and how important they are for a shepherd. Pastors in the same way are shepherds of the flock with Jesus as the Chief and great Shepherd of all. Pastors are called to protect the flock from harm; from false teachings and from the divisive ways of the evil one. They are called to ‘wear hats’ if you will- to be ready and well equipped as the shepherds because the devil will not sit and wait for them to get some shade under a tree before he attacks the flock. Shepherds are to be ready at all times and willing to protect the sheep from false teachings and nurturing the flock to maturity. This is God`s calling for the ministers and pastors- the CRC intends to be part of this endeavor; to prepare and provide resources which will equip men and women of God to be better shepherds of the sheep. We seek to provide these ‘cowboy hats for the Kenyan pastors/shepherds’.

II Timothy 4:2-4 “…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths”