A few minutes with Julian Adams

Julian Adams

What do you do to relax?
I’m an avid chef. I love cooking good food, having people over – community, having a little red wine and listening to jazz.

What are you passionate about?
Seeing people understand their full identity in Christ and being established in local churches that extend the Kingdom.

What is the weirdest food you’ve eaten?
Crocodile. It’s a “mind-bender” and it tasted good.

Who is your favourite Bible character?
David. He is imperfect but had a heart after God.

What is your current favourite album?
“Barebone” by Madeline Peroux and “Here is love” by Bethel Church in Redding, California.

What is your favourite quote?
“A day without a miracle is unnecessary.” Bill Johnson

What are your thoughts on Momentum 2010?
I can see the Apostolic Momentum for a people in Zimbabwe. My experience is contrary to what I was expecting. People are taking responsibility for the country in extending the Kingdom amongst difficulty.

By Molly Manhanga

God's amazing creation.....

The beauty of our God…..

Amazing sunset

“You are beautiful beyond description
To marvelous for words
To wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who grasp your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depths of your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above.

I stand, I stand in awe of you
I stand, I stand in awe of you
Holy God to whom all praise in due
I stand in awe of you.”

Manhanga family visits Kezi

The love of family - ---------

(Right to left) Stephen, Douglas, Imelda, Ezekiel, Rosalind, Malachi
Little Damien and Jasmine

It was excellent spending time with family in Kezi. We stopped at Crossroads Community Church and Ebenezer Training Centre before the men went fishing. I was only too delighted to take the ladies to the dam wall and enjoy the scenery. It was a pretty relaxing day and really great for part of our family to see where Stephen and I are based.

Jasmine Manhanga – just too adorable!

By Molly Manhanga

"Thought for the week"

Psalm 145: 8 - 9

"The Lord is gracious and full of
compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all
His works."

The "blues" of too much rain.....

Ebenezer dam - AWSOME!

We have had incredible rains this past week, especially on Friday when it really came down. The rivers were flooded, we had serious thunder and lightening and.....the marquee at Crossroads collapsed. We marvelled at how quickly our tent came down amidst the storm that hit the Kezi area.

Sam preaching at Crossroads Community Church

NOTHING will keep us down! For the next couple of weeks we will hold our services at Ebenezer Training Centre. We had a GREAT start today.....

Despite the down side, we thank God for His provision of water. The Ebenezer Dam is looking stunning and everything is super green reflecting LIFE in abundance.

Ripped marquee at Crossroads Community Church

By Molly Manhanga

Sam and Marlene Poe at Crossroads Church

Sam and Marlene Poe

Sam and Marlene Poe are in Kezi, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe until July 2010. During their couple of months in Zimbabwe, Sam and Marlene will be serving into the Kezi community at Crossroads Community Church with Stephen and Molly Manhanga as well as at Ebenezer Training Centre mentoring the apprentices.

Sam and Marlene are hoping to apply Chronological Bible Storying into a local church context and hope to see it through the full cycle with the hope of it reproducing itself.

We are so, so privileged to have this extraordinary couple with us.

By Molly Manhanga

"......Camp Momentum 2010......"

Mbonisi Malaba

Mbonisi Malaba opened up the camp session with a dynamic word from 11 kings 4:1 – 7. He said:
This story was set 3000 years ago. A prophet had just died and he hadn’t paid all his creditors. What can we do to receive from God. God wants to bless us more than we can imagine. The lady has problems – financial problems weighing her down. Death has taken her husband and now debt is threatening to take her 2 children. Her family was being ripped apart. She went to Elisha the prophet.

We get to come before the King of Kings, the Great “I AM” who is bigger and stronger than Elisha. When God is about to move, He loves us to move with Him. We need to exercise our faith. If we are growing in faith, we are growing in God.

Elisha told the woman to get as many jars as she could from her neighbours and friends. Elisha knew God wanted to do something.

Jars

There were two specific instructions
1. The jars needed to be empty. God cannot fill up a jar that is already full. “When heavens fullness meets earth’s emptiness, flow happens.” God gives grace to the humble and He opposes the proud. Come to God as a needy person. God wants to fill up things in my life that I didn’t know were missing. The widow does exactly what Elisha instructed.
2. The miracle takes place when the woman starts to pour the oil. The oil only stopped flowing when there were no more jars. Nothing in the entire universe could stop the flow only the lack of jars. Earth’s need ran out before heaven’s flow. “We are coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring.” Heaven looking for our emptiness and expectancy. When it comes to spiritual things we have a lot more say than we realize. Press in to Jesus. Look at Blind Bartemaes and The woman with the issue of blood. We need to change the way we view God. Need plus faith means God will meet our need. The woman pressed through with emptiness and expectancy and God will meet her need.
We are coming to Jesus at momentum 2010. We serve a God who does things, who is ALIVE and can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. There are 2 sides to expectancy:
1. General
2. Specific
When we come EXPECTANT, God will meet our need.

Summarised by Molly Manhanga

"What God has joined together....."

Stephen Manhanga

It was awesome celebrating 14 years of being married to my precious husband Stephen Manhanga. The 14 years have been an incredible journey – more highs than lows. We have moved towns 3 times and homes 6 times. Between that, we’ve made precious, life-long friendships, grown stronger in the Lord and have seen God’s grace towards us. 14 years seems like a long time and yet to us, it’s like yesterday. We can retell moment by moment of the day we said “I do” to each other.

One of the qualities I love about Stephen is his passion for God. It’s unwavering. It’s probably what drew me to him in the first place. What I LOVE about our home is the peacefulness. What a pleasure! Thank you Lord for the man you have blessed me with.

The 6th April 2010 was even more special, as we had treasured friends share it with us: Mbonisi and Tashinga Malaba, Sam and Marlene Poe, Mathew Hosier, Flora Chizana (Tapiwa Chizana was working in Harare) and Mark and Heather Wells.

Stephen and I look forward to the years God has for us….”To have and to hold….”

By Molly Manhanga

A few minutes with Sam Poe

Sam Poe

It is such a privilege having Sam and Marlene Poe with us again at Momentum 2010 and having them stay with us. They are just an excellent couple and such precious friends. Sam and Marlene are from Tacoma, USA and will be serving in Kezi, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe until July. I caught a few minutes with Sam between sessions at Camp Momentum and this is what he said

M.M: What do you do to relax?
S.P: Fish

M.M: What is your favourite quote?
S.P: “Faith is taking the first steps up the stairs when you can’t see the top of the staircase” by Martin Luther King Jr.

M.M: What is the weirdest food you’ve eaten?
S.P: Balut in the Philippines. It’s not my favourite thing!

M.M: Who is your favourite Bible character?
S.P: Apart from Jesus, Joseph because of the grace of God’s presence in his life and how he co-operated with that. I also like his grace toward his brothers.

M.M: What is your favourite current album?
S.P: “Slow Train Coming” by Bob Dylan

M.M: What are you passionate about?
S.P: Apart from Jesus, seeing the Big Redemptive Story through Christ from start to finish

M.M: Who has influenced you recently?
S.P: Tim Keller’s book “Counterfeit Gods”

M.M: What are your thoughts on Momentum 2010?
S.P: There is a real sense of unity and enjoyment as a family of Churches. There is a strong sense of God’s presence in the meeting and everyone is having a good time.

M.M: We had such fun with you at Crossroads. What are your impressions of the Church?
S.P: I am thrilled to see the growth and influence of the Church having had the joy of seeing its inception one and a half years ago. I’m also thrilled at seeing people envisioned.

M.M: Thank you so much Sam. I really look forward to working more closely with you and Marlene in the months ahead.

By Molly Manhanga