Recently an article from one South Africa's largest Christian magazines published this article about Floyd and Sally and their journey to Cape Town:



When I first learned that Floyd McClung, author of the hugely popular The Father Heart of God, now lives in Cape Town with his wife, Sally, I was admittedly pretty intrigued about the prospects of meeting him in person. I was given his book to read when I was a young Christian, and remember how powerful it was in communicating the personal, parenting aspects of God. And when I did get to meet Floyd a few weeks ago, I encountered a man whose heart seems to mirror his physical staturehe's a big guy with an equally big heart for the things of God. We sat outdoors in the shade of a tree in what Floyd calls "his office" a quaint farm-style restaurant not far from where he and Sally are currently living in picturesque Kommetjie. He's already on friendly terms with the staffhe casually informed our waitron that he and Sally are praying for her. She was grateful and just a little perplexed at the same time I guess few patrons divulge this kind of information after a meal. Floyd is easy to talk tohe listens intently to each question, and answers with thoughtful, insightful comments infused with all sorts of anecdotes about his life and experiences of God's work. When he wrote The Father Heart of God in the 80s, he and his young family were living in Amsterdam, Holland, in what is known as the red-light district, where drugs and prostitution are traded as openly as burgers and fries in a fast-food outlet. So I was immediately interested to learn why he and Sally have decided to make Cape Town their home base for ministry after a lifetime of travelling the world.

Heartbeat for Humanity

Floyd and his family moved to Amsterdam in order to care for and help some of the young people who struggle in lifestyles they hate. In doing so, he learned a great deal about suffering and hardship, and the tragedies of those growing up in some of the most dysfunctional families. The Father Heart of God has many shocking anecdotes. It tells, for instance, of a young man who claimed that the happiest day of his life was when he heard that his parents had both been killed in an accident. Or the girl who wished she was dead because her mother kept comparing her negatively to her dead sister. Floyd takes his readers to what he calls "the wounded heart of man": the childhood abuse and neglect that causes so many people to embark on lives of drugs or prostitution, full of bitterness and anger. And then he leads readers to the God whom the Bible describes as a loving parent, helping those who have grown up with a negative view of God because of their own hurtful childhood to embrace the perfect Father. Now here he sits before me, aged 61, and still talking about this loving God whom he believes has a spectacular destiny for Africa. "Did you know that 52 percent of all missionaries in the world today are people of colour?" he asks me. I didn't know that. "Brazil and Korea are the second and third biggest missionary-sending countries in the world," he goes on between mouthfuls of salad, "so the West has ceased to be the major force of missions in the world. I really believe that the centre of spiritual gravity, so to speak, has moved from the West to the Southern Hemisphere. So we're excited to be in the place where the Spirit is moving." As you can tell, Floyd is a visionary, a dreamer, in his own words. Sally (58), on the other hand, is the practical, down-toearth one in this marriage team. "Sally has become my counsellor. She's always asking me about my latest five visions and how I think I'm going to implement them, so I've come to believe that if I can get one of my dreams past her, it's definitely of God," he says laughing.

The Pull of Gravity

"After living in Afghanistan and Holland for more than 20 years, Sally and I discovered that we are most fruitful in doing three things: making disciples, training leaders and planting churches," Floyd explains. "We love serving God. We never cease to be amazed that God uses us. As a 'mother and father' in the Lord, we feel we are entering the best years of our lives." It hasn't been easy for Floyd and Sally to leave their two grown children and two grandchildren in the States, but if this is the final chapter in their lives, they believe it will be spent serving God here in sunny South Africa. "It's a great country with such rich diversity," Floyd says, "which is the way God intended it, I believe. Every culture has something of God's nature deposited in it... so every culture has a contribution to make to the world.

But in what other country in the world can you find such incredible diversity as we find in SA?" So they have come to South Africa primarily to help us discover our gifts and passions and utilise them to spread the worship of Jesus where He is least known. "We have gone to the hard places of the earth to tell people about Jesus, and now we are called to ask others to do the same. And when they do, we promise not to forget them when they get there!" adds Floyd.

God's Heart for All Nations

They have already taken the early steps toward fulfilling their vision: a training and outreach community in Cape Town that will impact Africa from Cape Town to Cairo. "Our vision is for a multicultural community that exemplifies the kingdom of God and brings heaven a little closer to earth. Our vision is for people of all colours and capabilities to live and learn together. We dream about business people sharing their knowledge and skills, and the poor sharing their amazing capacity for simplicity and community." This American missionary, who has worked among some of the most broken and impoverished people on the globe, has not come to Africa with an arrogant imperialism clothed in religion. "There are 800 million people in Africa, most of whom suffer every day from poverty, war, injustice and preventable diseases," Floyd tells me. "6,500 people die every single day from malaria and other causes. That is the equivalent of a worldwide disaster every month! "Because of the huge needs of Africa, we believe the gospel must be given with two hands: one hand giving practical hope in the form of farming, microenterprise and medical care and with the other hand sharing the good news that Jesus is the son of God who died for the sins of the whole world," Floyd states. "There are hundreds of people groups in Africa that have not been reached with the good news of God's love. Poverty, corruption, preventable diseases and famine have turned whole countries in Africa to ruin. 'Invisible' children are abducted and turned into slaves to fight for greedy warlords in Uganda and the Sudan, and child-heads of households are forced to care for their siblings in Malawi, Zambia and other nations in Southern Africa. We are stirred to face these challenges head-on with faith in God's goodness and obedience to His commands." When I listen to these words, I'm encouraged that this is a man who will most likely not give up when the going gets tough. He'll do what every well-equipped missionary is trained to dohumbly become part of the land God has called him to, befriend its peoples, take time to truly understand its needs, and doggedly persevere against all odds to fulfill God's calling on his life.

Making Dreams Come True

This is not to say that Floyd and Sally, despite the wisdom of their years, believe they have all the answers to Africa's complexities. I was struck by how much Floyd is aware of our dark historyit may have a lot to do with the fact that he's visited the country regularly since the 70s. Yet I was equally impressed with how open he is to listening to our stories and expanding his knowledge. We discussed the perception, conveyed by some corners of the media and countless dinner conversations, that whites are the primary victims of crime. It's actually a mis perception, as white people only account for 1/33 murder victims. Your best chance of being a murder victim is if you're black, male and young. Floyd is keenly aware of our social issues, yet encouragingly optimistic. "The key for transformation in Africa is based on friendship between the various races," he says. "We believe God has a big dream for Africa, but we also believe He builds His church one life, one family and one community at a time, on the foundations of holistic spirituality, apostolic leadership, incarnational mission and simple church life. We dream big dreams for Africa, but we have learned that to do mission well, we must 'build small'. The maturity and effectiveness of any movement that has lasting impact can be measured by how effective it is in fostering a culture of small discipleship groups that effectively function as church for the people." The challenge with every dream is to make it a reality. Floyd, possibly thanks to Sally's pragmatism, knows that the key to an effective mission strategy is that it needs to be 'doable'. This is why they have begun to minister in two townships near their Kommetjie home. "We've tried to go in with a servant heart, to build relationships with people, and not just to do things for people but with people," he tells me. A great example is the relationship they've built with their domestic worker, whom Floyd describes as a born leader who would be a CEO today if she had been afforded the right opportunities of education and training. "Sally is asking how she can help this woman to start her own business and thereby empower her life and that of others and there are countless other relationships to be built in homes and communities all over this country," he concludes. After I wrap up the interview and say goodbye to Floyd, he remains sitting under the same tree to make a few calls from his cell and continue dreaming those big dreams for Africa.

Read more about our training opportunities by clicking on the "Training" tab above.

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There is no cliche’ that can comfort a person or a nation in pain, but there are wise words that can touch the human heart. I found the words of comfort below, taken from the Desiring God Blog, to be filled with tenderness and truth.

John Piper wrote these words after the Columbine shootings, then revised them after 9/11.

I hope they will help you to help others,

Blessings,

Floyd

21 Ways to Minister to Those Who Are Suffering

1. Pray. Ask God for his help for you and for those you want to minister to. Ask him for wisdom and compassion and strength and a word fitly chosen. Ask that those who are suffering would look to God as their help and hope and healing and strength. Ask that he would make your mouth a fountain of life.

2. Feel and express empathy with those most hurt by this great evil and loss; weep with those who weep.

3. Feel and express compassion because of the tragic circumstances of so many loved ones and friends who have lost more than they could ever estimate.

4. Take time and touch, if you can, and give tender care to the wounded in body and soul.

5. Hold out the promise that God will sustain and help those who cast themselves on him for mercy and trust in his grace. He will strengthen you for the impossible days ahead in spite of all darkness.

6. Affirm that Jesus Christ tasted hostility from men and knew what it was to be unjustly tortured and abandoned, and to endure overwhelming loss, and then be killed, so that he is now a sympathetic mediator for us with God.

7. Declare that this murder was a great evil, and that God’s wrath is greatly kindled by the wanton destruction of human life created in his image.

8. Acknowledge that God has permitted a great outbreak of sin against his revealed will, and that we do not know all the reasons why he would permit such a thing now, when it was in his power to stop it.

9. Express the truth that Satan is a massive reality in the universe that conspires with our own sin and flesh and the world to hurt people and to move people to hurt others, but stress that Satan is within and under the control of God.

10. Express that these terrorists rebelled against the revealed will of God and did not love God or trust him or find in God their refuge and strength and treasure, but scorned his ways and his Person.

11. Since rebellion against God was at the root of this act of murder, let us all fear such rebellion in our own hearts, and turn from it, and embrace the grace of God in Christ, and renounce the very impulses that caused this tragedy.

12. Point the living to the momentous issues of sin and repentance in our own hearts and the urgent need to get right with God through his merciful provision of forgiveness in Christ, so that a worse fate than death will not overtake us.

13. Remember that even those who trust in Christ may be cut down like these thousands who were in New York and Washington, but that does not mean they have been abandoned by God or not loved by God even in those agonizing hours of
suffering. God’s love conquers even through calamity.

14. Mingle heart-wrenching weeping with unbreakable confidence in the goodness and sovereignty of God who rules over and through the sin and the plans of rebellious people.

15. Trust God for his ability to do the humanly impossible, and bring you through this nightmare and, in some inscrutable way, bring good out of it.

16. Explain, when the time is right, and they have the wherewithal to think clearly that one of the mysteries of God’s greatness is that he ordains that some things come to pass which he forbids and disapproves of.

17. Express your personal cherishing of the sovereignty of God as the ground of all your hope as you face the human impossibilities of life. The very fulfillment of the New Covenant promises of our salvation and preservation hang on God’s sovereignty over rebellious human wills.

18. Count God your only lasting treasure, because he is the only sure and stable thing in the universe.

19. Remind everyone that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

20. Pray that God would incline their hearts to his word, open their eyes to his wonders, unite their hearts to fear him, and satisfy them with his love.

21. At the right time sound the trumpet that all this good news is meant by God to free us for radical, sacrificial service for the salvation of men and the glory of Christ. Help them see that one message of all this misery is to show us that life is short and fragile and followed by eternity, and small, man-centered ambitions are tragic.

(http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/577/)

I am contemplating the words of one of the first Europeans to land in Cape Colony, what is today South Africa, written on April 8, 1652. His lofty ideals were not to be lived out. I wonder what would have happened, in the history of the land, indeed in all of Africa, if they had been lived and practiced?

He gave this command to those serving under him: "Whoso, therefore, ill-treats or pushes any of the natives, whether he be right of wrong, shall, in their presence, be scourged with 50 lashes, in order that they shall perceive that such conduct is against our will, and that we are desirous to deal with them in love & friendship..."

I don't know if that is consistent with other things he wrote and believed, but in itself it is a powerful statement.

Floyd McClung

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

All Nations CPx – Cape Town, South Africa

How long is CPx?

CPx is six months long, three months of teaching and two months of outreach, and then a month of evaluations and debriefing. Depending on circumstances, these time periods may be adjusted by a week or two.

What is the curriculum for the three months of training?

The curriculum covers the following three core values of the kingdom of God:

• Loving God – the Father’s love, our identity in Christ, and nurturing a passionate daily relationship with Jesus


• Loving others who follow Jesus – simple church, community, team, leadership, submission, conflict resolution, forgiveness, servanthood, and being a disciple maker


• Loving those who don’t know Jesus – intercultural mission, sharing Christ with people of other faiths, holistic approaches to winning, gathering, and reproducing disciples for Jesus, starting small, simple, easily reproducible communities

The curriculum also focuses on intercultural skills and attitudes, including the following five practices:

• Pray – personal prayer, team prayer, seeing people through prayer, developing strategies through prayer, hearing God’s voice for specific direction to reach people, discerning God’s unfulfilled promises for a people or place, praying with non-believers


• Meet – how and why to meet people, meet needs without being paternalistic, story telling, serving people, dependency issues, relief and development, job creation, etc.


• Make disciples –making disciples before people come to faith in Christ, selecting a few disciples, discerning who leaders are and how to develop them, teaching the commands of Christ, teaching the Bible chronologically


• Gather – learning gathering strategies, how to fit in with the culture, gathering as a way of building community, preparing for the new community to be started before people come to faith in Christ


• Multiply – why and how to give birth to a church planting movement, how to be a coach without creating dependency, storying the story of God, and more!

The curriculum also helps students think through what church is, how to do simple church (Acts 2:42-47, Ephesians 4:11ff), and how to help new believers discover church without imposing the culture of the church planter.

What happens after the three months of teaching?

Students go on outreach after the teaching phase of CPx. They may stay in Cape Town to work in one of the two townships where All Nations is working, or go to another country. Exact locations of other countries will be decided based God’s guidance, the calling and interest of the students, and practical factors such as team composition and available leadership.

After two months of outreach there will be one month of debriefing and evaluations back in Cape Town.

What happens once a person finishes the full six months of CPx?

Students will have the option to stay on after CPx to do an internship with All Nations or apply to become full time staff members of All Nations. The application process for these two possibilities will begin during the teaching phase of CPx.

Does a person who participates in the CPx three month teaching phase have an opportunity to also participate in other programs run by All Nations?

Students will be given the opportunity to be part of local outreach programs initiated by All Nations staff members in the communities where we work.

What opportunities are there to help with HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs?

Students will have the opportunity to serve at Living Hope, a partner ministry that does awareness, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. Living Hope is a Christian center doing a wonderful work in the townships where All Nations works.

How many students are there on average?

On average there are between 10 and 30 students, normally 20 or so per school.

What is the average age of a student?

25 years of age is average, but there are many who attend who are over fifty and seeking God’s direction for a “second” career in missions.

What is the cost?

We have sought to respond to the economic differences of our students through a sliding scale depending on average income levels of the nation the students are from. We have found this to be the fairest way to address economic differences.

We base our charges for CPx on our budgeted expenses and by taking into consideration the national average Per Capita Income (PCI) of 215 countries and territories.

These countries are assigned to one of three categories based on the PCI. They are:

Category A – Countries or territories with a PCI between US $0 – US $4,000.

Category B – Countries or territories with a PCI between US $4,000 - $10,000

Category C – Countries or territories with a PCI of more than US $10,000

For a complete list of countries and the category they are assigned, please contact our office. The sliding cost scale for the CPx lecture phase found below. This does not include the outreach phase, and all costs are quoted in South African Rand. At present the Rand is about seven rand to one US dollar. The outreach phase will cost R10,000 per person in addition to transportation to the outreach, depending on where the teams go for the two months of outreach.

Three month teaching phase fees:

Category A country of origin – R9000 for singles, R13,500 for couples

Category B country of origin – R14,000 for singles, R21,000 for couples

Category C country of origin - R19,000 for singles, R28,500 for couples

In some countries where there is a mix of all three income levels within the same country, e.g., South Africa, we will ask people to pay according to their personal family income level if they are employed full time. Children under two are free. There is a daily minimal food charge for children over two.

If a person decides to stay on after the CPx is completed what is the process for joining All Nations?

During the teaching phase opportunity will be given to apply to become a staff member of All Nations.

What is your relationship to sending churches?

All Nations is a local church-oriented ministry that plants churches. We emphasize a simple model of church because we believe it is the most effective in reaching the unreached and the poor. Where possible we partner with sending churches to assist them to train and send their church planters, as long as they understand and support the approach we take to church planting.

We believe the church is the hope of the world! We believe the church carries the ongoing presence of Jesus in the world. We believe in church planting movements, church planting, and nurturing a disciple making culture in the churches we plant.

Are All Nations members paid a salary?

No. All Nations staff members are volunteers and are supported by sponsors who contribute to them financially.

What are the living costs for a person who stays on as an intern or staff member with All Nations?

There is a wide range of costs depending on life style and housing preferences. A minimum for a single person would be R5,000 a month. For a couple it would be a minimum of R7,500 a month, and for a family of four it would be a minimum of R12,000 a month. On average for the last 12 months the dollar has been worth R7.00. the exchange has varied over the last two years

What about a visa to come to South Africa?

Once you have submitted your application for CPx and been accepted, our office will supply you with instructions for how to apply for a visitors visit.

For further inquiries write to: allnationssa@gmail.com

FAQ, ANF, CPx, March, ’07

Three Possibilities to Learn and Grow in Cape Town, South Africa With All Nations – Two Weeks, Two Months or Two years!

1. CPx – How did Jesus train and equip his disciples? He demonstrated and imparted a new way of leading, doing community and reaching out to people. Then he sent out his disciples to experience it for themselves. In CPx experienced frontline workers walk side-by-side with you to help you start small, simple easily reproducible communities as you connect with people through your passions and skills.

In CPx you will learn to re-imagine church, then experiment with how do church as simple community that encourages and allows you to reach out to others. You will learn about models of church that are holistic, sustainable and reproducible. Follow up the six month course with eighteen months of hands on service while being mentored!

2. SERVE Internships – Choose either a two month, ten-month or two year internship. These internships will provide you an opportunity to put into practice your desire to serve. Weekly tutorials, one-on-one mentoring and service projects that place you side by side with experienced field workers gives lots of opportunity to test your desire to serve Jesus! You will have opportunity to care for HIV/AIDS patients, care for babies and orphans, and many other ways to serve. We believe in helping people using their gifts and passions, like dance, sports, computer skills, etc., to serve!

3. Biblical Studies Course – The BSC is a two week, in-depth course held each year in the month of August. The focus is the life of John. The course is all about learning to walk like Jesus walked.

Sound enticing? We hope so! We think you will love learning with us – as we learn with you. To receive more information, contact our office at allnationssa@gmail.com.

Want to hear more? Check out the new additions of my teaching messages on online. You can download as an MP3 or listen while you are online. Click here.

When a Woman “Covers” a Man

1 Samuel 25

Introduction: Much is written and spoken about the concept of “covering” in the Bible. Much of what is said in this context is about submission to authority, particularly women submitting to men. However, I don’t find a consistent theme in Scripture that warrants this teaching. In fact, there are many examples in Scripture of women “covering” men and of men submitting to women.

What does it mean to “cover” someone? Though I do not subscribe to this teaching, the impression I have is that it means God has designated men to be in authority over women, and in that sense, to be their protection. On a closer examination, I find there is much to say for women “covering” men.

Women “cover” men in the most vulnerable years of their lives: when they are infants and young boys growing up. If a woman has enough strength and wisdom to protect, nurture and train a boy to become a man, surely she has the spiritual authority to continue to speak into his life once he is a man?

Women “cover” men through their examples of Godliness, through intercession, by sharing wisdom from God’s word, and through acts of obedience when God speaks to them. Indeed, the Bible is filled with examples of Godly women instructing men, counseling men, nurturing men, and standing side by side with them in crisis and decision making.

It is my belief that just as surely as God did away with the hierarchical Old Testament priesthood in the New Covenant, so he has done away with the hierarchical and dominating ways of men relating to women in the New Covenant. If spiritual authority is relational in nature, then both men and women can exercise spiritual authority. Just as there are equally valuable roles for both a man and woman to play in nurturing a family, so there are equally vital roles for men and women to play in nurturing God’s family, the church. That doesn’t mean women ministering to women. Because Jesus taught that spiritual authority comes from serving, not titles or positions, both men and women exercise spiritual authority in the church, to the degree that they are Godly and mature.

The church is not a man made institution, but an extension of the trinity, the family in heaven made up of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three members of the trinity are equally God. They are equal in value and authority, though distinct in personality and role. So it is to be in the way men and women relate to one another in earthly families.

No story in the Bible makes it clearer that men and women have equally valuable roles than the example of Abigail and David.

Excerpts From The Story of David and Abigail: 

There was a certain man in the region of Carmel. He was very prosperous—three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and it was sheep-shearing time in Carmel. The man’s name was Nabal (Fool), and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and good-looking, the man brutish and mean.

David, out in the backcountry, heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep and sent ten of his young men off with these instructions: “Go to Carmel and approach Nabal. Greet him in my name, ‘Peace!

...I heard that it’s sheep-shearing time. Here’s the point: When your shepherds were camped near us we didn’t take advantage of them. They didn’t lose a thing all the time they were with us in Carmel. Ask your young men—they’ll tell you. What I’m asking is that you be generous with my men—share the feast! Give whatever your heart tells you to your servants and to me, David your son.’”

David’s young men went and delivered his message word for word to Nabal. Nabal tore into them, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? The country is full of runaway servants these days.

Do you think I’m going to take good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheepshearers and give it to men I’ve never laid eyes on? Who knows where they’ve come from?”

David’s men got out of there and went back and told David what he had said. David said, “Strap on your swords!” They all strapped on their swords, David and his men, and set out, four hundred of them. Two hundred stayed behind to guard the camp.

Meanwhile, one of the young shepherds told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, what had happened: “David sent messengers from the backcountry to salute our master, but he tore into them with insults. Yet these men treated us very well. They took nothing from us and didn’t take advantage of us all the time we were in the fields.

They formed a wall around us, protecting us day and night all the time we were out tending the sheep…

Abigail flew into action. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep dressed out and ready for cooking, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she had it all loaded on some donkeys…Then she said to her young servants, “Go ahead and pave the way for me. I’m right behind you.” But she said nothing to her husband Nabal.

As she was riding her donkey, descending into a ravine, David and his men were descending from the other end, so they met there on the road. David had just said, “That sure was a waste, guarding everything this man had out in the wild so that nothing he had was lost—and now he rewards me with insults. A real slap in the face! May God do his worst to me if Nabal and every cur in his misbegotten brood isn’t dead meat by morning!” No sooner had David said these words, than he met Abigail on the road.

As soon as Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey and fell on her knees at his feet, her face to the ground in homage, saying, “My master, let me take the blame! Let me speak to you. Listen to what I have to say. Don’t dwell on what that brute Nabal did. He acts out the meaning of his name: Nabal, Fool. Foolishness oozes from him…And now, my master, as GOD lives and as you live, GOD has kept you from this avenging murder—and may your enemies, all who seek my master’s harm, end up like Nabal! Now take this gift that I, your servant girl, have brought to my master, and give it to the young men who follow in the steps of my master…

David said, “Blessed be GOD, the God of Israel. He sent you to meet me! And blessed be your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and taking charge of looking out for me.

A close call! As GOD lives, the God of Israel who kept me from hurting you, if you had not come as quickly as you did, stopping me in my tracks, by morning there would have been nothing left of Nabal but dead meat.”

Then David accepted the gift she brought him and said, “Return home in peace. I’ve heard what you’ve said and I’ll do what you’ve asked.”

When Abigail got home she found Nabal presiding over a huge banquet. He was in high spirits—and very, very drunk. So she didn’t tell him anything of what she’d done until morning. But in the morning, after Nabal had sobered up, she told him the whole story. Right then and there he had a heart attack and fell into a coma. About ten days later GOD finished him off and he died.

When David heard that Nabal was dead he said, “Blessed be GOD who has stood up for me against Nabal’s insults, kept me from an evil act, and let Nabal’s evil boomerang back on him.” Then David sent for Abigail to tell her that he wanted her for his wife. David’s servants went to Abigail at Carmel with the message, “David sent us to bring you to marry him.” She then bowed down, face to the ground, saying, “I’m your servant, ready to do anything you want. I’ll even wash the feet of my master’s servants!”

Abigail didn’t linger. She got on her donkey and, with her five maids in attendance, went with the messengers to David and became his wife.” 1 Samuel 25:2-42 Adapted from The Message


Lessons For Personal Application:

1. Any man or woman can act a fool. Nabal was a descendent of Caleb but he did not possess the strengths of his great ancestor (1Sam. 25:3). Foolish behavior is a result of a lack of the fear of God (see 1 Samuel 26:21). Saul became a fool in how he treated David. You and I can become fools if we do not spend time daily with the Lord, seeking his counsel and soaking in his word. Humility, bathed in the wisdom of God’s word, is God’s antidote to becoming a fool.


2. Abigail’s actions and communication is an example of Godly wisdom. He name means, “my father’s joy.” We can bring joy to our earthly and heavenly fathers if we study and emulate Abigail’s life. Abigail was a woman of “good understanding.” She acted boldly when it was time to act, she showed respect for others, she exhibited discretion and wisdom in her communication, she knew the difference between the right thing to do and the right time to do it, and she was direct and honest. She interceded for her husband. She took risks. She was not afraid to sacrifice her life for what she believed in.


3. Abigail understood there was a time to speak and a time to be silent. 1 Samuel 25:18 says she did not tell Nabal what she had done on his behalf until the right time. Wise leaders know when to speak and when to be silent. They discern the difference between the right thing to do and the right time to do it.


4. Abigail was discreet. She was careful to avoid embarrassing or upsetting her husband unnecessarily; she was careful not to reveal confidences; she was subtle and circumspect, ensuring that no undue attention was attracted to herself, yet bold and forthright when she needed to be. She was courageous and yet not ostentatious or flashy.


5. Abigail was a courageous intercessor. He plea for Nabal’s life to David is found in 1 Samuel 25:24-31 is filled with wisdom and is a great model for how to appeal to leaders and those in authority.

Personal Illustration:

I am married to a beautiful and understanding woman, an Abigail in her own right. I have been protected from many foolish mistakes by the wisdom of my wife, Sally. Just recently I made a decision to gloss over a serious difference with a close friend. Sally shared her disagreement with me, yet did so with wise and kind words. She was bold, spoke from her heart, and appealed to me to reconsider. When I reflected on what Sally said, I found my own heart identifying completely with her. I have denied my own feelings for the sake of superficial unity with a close friend. I didn’t want to open a wound. But it was Sally who put her finger on some deeper issues we needed to work through. Because of her honesty, and because she communicated with such wisdom, she protected me from a serious mistake. I am grateful for such a Godly wife and partner in life and ministry. It is such a gift to have a Godly friend and wife to journey through life together.

Prayer of Response:

Dear Lord Jesus, please teach me to honor and submit to others you bring into my life. Please give me the grace to see you in others, no matter if they are male or female, black or white, young or old. I choose today to receive from all those you bring into my life. I need others, Lord. I repent from pride of seeing myself as automatically “over” certain people. I repent from looking down on people. I especially ask you to forgive me for wrong attitudes toward women. Heal this part of my life, I pray. Reveal the attitudes and beliefs in me that are not pleasing to you, dear Father. In your name I pray, amen.

The following tribute was written by Pastor John Thomas about the life and funeral service of Pastor Phillip Mokson:

The last 17 days have been days filled with pain and tragedy as we have sought to work through the murder of Pastor Phillip.  There have been difficult days of deep, dark valleys and the fog surrounding his tragic death has caused us at times emotionally to fail to see our way ahead.  Despite that I've been extraordinarily conscious of the peace of God that passes understanding and the comfort that the Holy Spirit.  I have no doubt that many prayers around the world have helped sustain all of us and particularly the Mokson family at this time.  Thank you for your prayers, your emails of support and encouragement.  It has meant so much.  We have kept every single email and are cutting and pasting it into a scrap book type file for Minah, Nolifa and Nomzamo and the grandchildren to be able to keep and reflect upon what you have said about Pastor Phillip.  Some of you have not written but have given generously and for that we thank you.

You are aware of what took place on the tragic night of the 22nd January 2007 – it has become abundantly clear through eye-witness and police reports, that after two shots had been fired and missed, Pastor Phillip got up and took the bullet for the young people present at the Bible Study.  As he walked towards Vusi  Dondolo he said, 'no brother no'.  Those few precious moments gave some of the young people chance to escape and when Phillip was at point blank range, Vusi shot and killed him.

The rainbow nation Memorial Service we held at King of Kings was one of extreme Christian character as Minah and her girls had the grace and the spirit of true Christian charity and forgiveness, to allow the Dondolo family to sit alongside them and together they wept over the loss of a father and a son.  It was so extraordinary that the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Premier of the Western Cape who had come to pay tribute noted it and said that this is the spirit of forgiveness and restorative justice we need in this country. Even in Phillip's death, this family has taught us what it means to forgive.  At his Memorial Service, Vusi's father told the long and complex story of his son's emotional confusion.  He shared in detail how his son had in fact proposed to two women over recent months, one of them being Tamara.  Tamara, he said, had consistently refused any relationship with Vusi.  When that failed, he met with the church leadership on the 21st January and effectively asked them to force Tamara to have a relationship with him and even to sleep with him. That was the level of his confusion.  Pastor Phillip responded with strong, clear Biblical guidance on sexual pre-marital abstinence.  We were told Vusi left the church angry on Sunday.  The next time he returned to church was on Monday 22nd with a pistol in hand.

There is no truer verse in Scripture than the one found in John 10:11 if we apply it to Pastor Phillip, 'the good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep'.   He gave his life protecting the sheep he loved and cared for.  He gave his life in every way serving the Lord and finally he gave his life for the Lord's work and for his sheep.

Phillip was one of my closest friends and I feel the loss enormously. At the same time, I can best describe my feelings as one of incredible peace at the sovereignty of God.  I know that God ordained his 23 993 days which he lived, but yet one is left feeling sad and broken at times, and at other times numb, and at other times overwhelmed by the peace of God.  When African's are in trouble, they sing.  I've been incredibly ministered to by the wonderful singing of African and Western hymns and songs as we have focused on God and His greatness in difficult days.

After his schooling Phillip went to VolksWagen in Uitenhage where he worked as a welder. He obeyed the Lord's call to full time work and went and trained at the Baptist Bible Institute in Fort White. He served as a pastor for 30 years in three churches, Mbekweni in Paarl, Guguletu in Cape Town and Masiphumelele in Fish Hoek which he started from scratch.  There is no doubt that Phillip was a man who God used to bring many to Christ as Saviour and disciple them to Christian maturity.   He served on the Board of directors of the Cape Town Baptist Seminary, he was a founding Trustee of Radio CCFm as well as a founding Trustee of Living Hope Community Centre.  He also helped pioneered the first school in Masiphumelele and the helped established the municipal clinic.  His Church building is a daily hive of activity of people being treated by Home Based Carers and filled with children every afternoon who are in Children's clubs learning about the God's plan for their lives.

He was also a remarkable community leader.  He was a peace-maker.  He was a man of courage. There are many stories of his intervention in dangerous situations where he brought resolution and hope to tense situations. He was a great carer.  He was the unofficial community chief.  One of the more poignant moments for me after his death was when a group of Muslim Somalian businessmen who had been forcibly ousted from the Masiphumelele community a few months ago and then returned to Masiphumelele mainly because of Phillip's intervention, recently arrived at the church to give a financial gift to Pastor Phillip's funeral costs.  He was a great reconciler.  His Memorial Service was filled with people of all colour and class.  He was a great family man, a great father, whose last words when he left his family were, 'I love you'.

The Funeral Service held in Uitenhage on Saturday 03rd February, was one of great organization and incredible dignity.  A crowd of about 1000 people gathered outside Phillip's home in Uitenhage and then made their way to the community hall which seated 1500 people, where the actual service commenced.  On the way to the hall, the roads were closed and manned by traffic police to allow the procession freedom of movement.  After the service, again the roads were closed as a convoy of about 3 kilometers long made its way towards the cemetery.  It was truly remarkable to see the new South Africa, there was a white Afrikaans traffic policeman, standing almost at attention, as the hearse passed.  His grave was in the midst of the Smit's, Taljaard's and Uys'.   A true sign that we have really come to a wonderful new South Africa, where colour of skin makes no difference.  The Funeral Service was extremely well led with great dignity.  Over 40 Baptist Pastors attended and close on 1500 people filled the building.  I have never seen so many pastors at a funeral in my life.   Speaker after speaker described him as a deep man of God who worked tirelessly for his sheep and for the community in which he lived.  There is no doubt that he touched the lives of many people.  In fact, tributes have poured in from all over the world.

In August 2005, Jay Johnson took Pastor Phillip and me to Martin Luther King's grave in Atlanta.  I've kept that photo and cherished it.  In many ways, Phillip was our own mini Martin Luther King.  He achieved so much in bringing people together in the community and around the Word of God.  What greater way to go to glory than with a Bible in your hand in a church building.  We have lost a great servant in the Kingdom of God.  He was a really good shepherd.  A true shepherd who risked his life for his sheep.   Job, when faced with the loss of all his assets and children said, 'the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised'.   The Lord gave us Pastor Phillip and we have to hold onto the fact that the Lord took him away. May the name of the Lord be praised for his life well lived to the glory of God'.

Someone asked me recently how I handle team debriefing. Here is how I answered their question. Debriefing to me is all about learning, growing, and working through the things God wants to me and the team to learn. Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated experience is the best teacher.

It is best that debriefing start as soon as a team comes together, with regular "check-in times" with each person by the team leader. A weekly "how are we doing?" time for the team is important. This hopefully allows feelings, struggles, conflicts, etc., to be addressed as they come up and not stuffed inside.

Here are some principles that are the foundation for debriefing:

1. Debriefing is a time for team members to internalize what God is doing in their hearts, work through problems and disappointments and conflicts, and prepare for the future. It's hard to prepare for the future, either the next day or a long way in the future, if we are carrying emotional baggage and unresolved pain from the past. From the outset it is important that there is a clear mission and values for the team. Expectations have to be discussed. It is helpful to put these things on paper to have a context for debriefing one's expectations and role in the team.

2. After a major event, team members need time to emotionally recharge and get perspective. They will approach a major team debrief much better if they have time to be alone and catch up on sleep, have time with the Lord, etc.

3. Personal conversations should take place with each team member on a regular basis, and if necessary, with those individuals who need to work through conflicts with each other.

4. Time should be taken on a regular basis to review the values and vision and of the team. These reviews should be inspirational and can be creative in nature. Personal goals and expectations naturally come under review during these times of reflection.

5. Team debriefings give the team leader time to teach on how to do a debrief, personally and as a team.

6. The following four questions are one way to conduct a debrief, personally and as a team:

• What was life giving to you? (or rewarding, etc., the language can change) about _____________ ?

Goal of this question: to focus on what God did, give him glory, get good perspective about the good things that happened, etc. This sets a context of gratefulness and God centeredness. God is always at work! Words create a world in which we think and live. It is important that our words are God centered.

• What are some lifetime lessons you take away from __________ ?

Goal of this question: to learn the principles that allowed God to work, and lessons learned about how to do work together effectively. This is a values oriented question.

• If there were three things you would do differently in this event, what are they?

Goal of this question: to put into words the mistakes made and lessons learned, to voice lingering frustrations, etc., but in the context of the two above questions of gratitude and learning.

• What would you like to take into the future from ___________ ?

Goal of this question: application and implementation.

God is a God of second chances. In one sense, there are no failures in the Kingdom of God, only opportunities to learn and grow in God's grace! Debriefing is one way of redeeming the past and learning for the future.

Here are some of my messages from last year.

Discipleship

Finding God's Will For You Life

God Will Shake The Nations

To download these MP3 files to your computer, right click on the link and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As".