It was the most fearful combination weapon of the day, (chariot and horse), and the king who had many of them in his military arsenal felt himself secure, and a force to be reckoned with! And the world today is little different when it comes to ensuring security; each nation seeking power and influence enough to protect itself from its enemies by making a stockpile of the most feared and devastating weaponry. This idea spills over into the world at large as we all seek the most reliable pain-killer, insurance or investment policy, seeking all the time to make sure our life is SAFE in an unsafe world. Where, and in what, is YOUR real trust today?
The Bible says in Psalm 20, found in the Old Testement verses 7-8
SOME trust in and boast of chariots and horses,
but WE will trust in and boast of the Name of the Lord our God....
They (the chariots & horses) are bowed down and fallen;
but WE are risen and stasnd upright!
=====
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'Turn your eyes upon JESUS; look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim,
in the LIGHT of His Glory and Grace'
The chariots and horses the Bible uses as imagery for worldly protection and security are rarely, if ever, seen to be used in today's world. but nothing has changed. We all still look for protection and for security in the world and in own lives. Something harder and harder to be sure of. WAR and the threat and visible hurt of it are still with us, And now we have 'Terrorism' and ISIS with all its terrifying nightmare stalking the towns and streets we live. Disease is still with us, and indeed multiplies. Economic collapse and and unreliability is making the future dark. We try to ward of the effects of all these things, and where we can't find a way to do so we live, cowaring within our imaginations, fair game for stress, depression, and often ready to take a trip away from it all with drugs, sex and crime. YES, and so we DO look to put our trust in something. Something at the very least to blot out our fears. It confronts us all at some time, in some way ........Why not put your trust in GOD?
For almost FIFTY years Esther and I have been here in Kenya, and we have been encouraged by the Word of God to Trust in God, and in Him alone. It has not always been smooth going, but, on the whole, we have not been found ashamed to have done so. BUT Kenya has changed, and the challenges of living here are more and more challenging for us. The pressure, at times, to look for more visible and tangible assistance to overcome our needs and to fortify our point of view, has been great. That great enemy of our soul sees to that. BUT He who is our Saviour has always assured us to 'FEAR NOT', and to just press on - and He HAS kept us and brought us through.
LAST THURSDAY evening the Tyndale School Team from Australia, hosted a Farewell dinner for our staff. Each time they have come they have done this and it is now a kind of tradition. Two full weeks of quite hard and concentrated labours to assist, improve, and strengthen us; and this year with the challenge of illness, excessive cold, and rain to cool their ardour. THEN dit is time to go. As the dinner was being eaten one and another was called upon to speak. This year our son Daryl Green, the now confirmed CEO of Testimony Faith Homes, was asked to share. Right at the end I was also asked to say a few words, And I shared this Verse from the 20th Psalm. It was very impromptu. But I felt very strongly that as with the passing of most things, changes can also come in. Now that WE are elderly and, apart from council and advice, ( we both remain on the Board and Management Committees), have less involvement in practical matters, changes will no doubt slowly come. How will things be in another fifty years?
I felt it was therefore a choice moment to REMIND all of us where Testimony has stood and indeed STILL stands at this moment in its history. WE trust in God still, and not the World, for all that we need, especially our Daily Bread, every day. Yes AND everything else. It was in many a ways a poigniant evening.
LAST Sunday was, as I mentioned on Saturday, our Baptismal Sunday and 28 went through the waters with Mike Potter, Head of the Tyndale Team and School, and Wykliff Ondanga, our Pastor and School Chaplain officiating It was VERY, VERY cold! all 300 of US in the Homes attended, and also another 200 boarders from the School. Daryl and Carol's adopted son Jeremy was one of those Baptised, and you will see him here standing with his mother.
Jeremy will be 13 later this year, and has truly longed to be Baptised. Something very special and meaningful to him. TWO were also Baptised from among the Tyndale Team visiting us, This is not the only time we Baptise, but it has become the most popular occasion, and it is especially looked forward to.
Life here, behind all the events has continued on. Our Nursery School Headmistress, the wife of our Pastor, is still laid aside with illness. This will be the 3rd month. Helen, our adopted daughter, is still busily teaching in Nairobi, baby Abigail with her. Last week she had one of her wisdom teeth extracted. It was very painful at the time, and has continued be so until yesterday - today she is feeling better. Our adopted son James 'Manu' who has been staying with us, also has a wisdom tooth extracted a couple of weeks back, and again it gave him a hard time, and still not quite right. He is hoping to move into his own accommodation in the near future,
During the week we were visited very pleasantly by Wilson Sway, our very FIRST boy who came in August 1969. He is now in his 60s and working full time for the Lord in Nairobi. He spent the night with us, and it was really good to have time to talk and reminisce. God is Good.
Our Love in Jesus to you all as always,
John, Esther and Daryl Green
And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim,
in the LIGHT of His Glory and Grace'
The chariots and horses the Bible uses as imagery for worldly protection and security are rarely, if ever, seen to be used in today's world. but nothing has changed. We all still look for protection and for security in the world and in own lives. Something harder and harder to be sure of. WAR and the threat and visible hurt of it are still with us, And now we have 'Terrorism' and ISIS with all its terrifying nightmare stalking the towns and streets we live. Disease is still with us, and indeed multiplies. Economic collapse and and unreliability is making the future dark. We try to ward of the effects of all these things, and where we can't find a way to do so we live, cowaring within our imaginations, fair game for stress, depression, and often ready to take a trip away from it all with drugs, sex and crime. YES, and so we DO look to put our trust in something. Something at the very least to blot out our fears. It confronts us all at some time, in some way ........Why not put your trust in GOD?
For almost FIFTY years Esther and I have been here in Kenya, and we have been encouraged by the Word of God to Trust in God, and in Him alone. It has not always been smooth going, but, on the whole, we have not been found ashamed to have done so. BUT Kenya has changed, and the challenges of living here are more and more challenging for us. The pressure, at times, to look for more visible and tangible assistance to overcome our needs and to fortify our point of view, has been great. That great enemy of our soul sees to that. BUT He who is our Saviour has always assured us to 'FEAR NOT', and to just press on - and He HAS kept us and brought us through.
LAST THURSDAY evening the Tyndale School Team from Australia, hosted a Farewell dinner for our staff. Each time they have come they have done this and it is now a kind of tradition. Two full weeks of quite hard and concentrated labours to assist, improve, and strengthen us; and this year with the challenge of illness, excessive cold, and rain to cool their ardour. THEN dit is time to go. As the dinner was being eaten one and another was called upon to speak. This year our son Daryl Green, the now confirmed CEO of Testimony Faith Homes, was asked to share. Right at the end I was also asked to say a few words, And I shared this Verse from the 20th Psalm. It was very impromptu. But I felt very strongly that as with the passing of most things, changes can also come in. Now that WE are elderly and, apart from council and advice, ( we both remain on the Board and Management Committees), have less involvement in practical matters, changes will no doubt slowly come. How will things be in another fifty years?
I felt it was therefore a choice moment to REMIND all of us where Testimony has stood and indeed STILL stands at this moment in its history. WE trust in God still, and not the World, for all that we need, especially our Daily Bread, every day. Yes AND everything else. It was in many a ways a poigniant evening.
LAST Sunday was, as I mentioned on Saturday, our Baptismal Sunday and 28 went through the waters with Mike Potter, Head of the Tyndale Team and School, and Wykliff Ondanga, our Pastor and School Chaplain officiating It was VERY, VERY cold! all 300 of US in the Homes attended, and also another 200 boarders from the School. Daryl and Carol's adopted son Jeremy was one of those Baptised, and you will see him here standing with his mother.Jeremy will be 13 later this year, and has truly longed to be Baptised. Something very special and meaningful to him. TWO were also Baptised from among the Tyndale Team visiting us, This is not the only time we Baptise, but it has become the most popular occasion, and it is especially looked forward to.
Life here, behind all the events has continued on. Our Nursery School Headmistress, the wife of our Pastor, is still laid aside with illness. This will be the 3rd month. Helen, our adopted daughter, is still busily teaching in Nairobi, baby Abigail with her. Last week she had one of her wisdom teeth extracted. It was very painful at the time, and has continued be so until yesterday - today she is feeling better. Our adopted son James 'Manu' who has been staying with us, also has a wisdom tooth extracted a couple of weeks back, and again it gave him a hard time, and still not quite right. He is hoping to move into his own accommodation in the near future,
During the week we were visited very pleasantly by Wilson Sway, our very FIRST boy who came in August 1969. He is now in his 60s and working full time for the Lord in Nairobi. He spent the night with us, and it was really good to have time to talk and reminisce. God is Good.
Our Love in Jesus to you all as always,
John, Esther and Daryl Green
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