A Random Overview?!

So, I’m back on the blog!

I arrived back in South Africa on Tuesday 23^rd July and so far it’s been great to be back and see people this side and start easing back into ministry here.

S’bu and I are no longer the only ones on the property we live at, either. When I came back, a guy called Tom had moved in to one of the studio flats. He’s also from the U.K (or should I say, the kingdom that’s not so united). He’s on his summer Uni break between second and third year and has come out to Jo’burg, to serve at Hope Church. It’s been cool getting to know him so far and it’s been very encouraging to see his willingness to get stuck in with things this side. Despite the fact that he’s a Liverpool fan and doesn’t like Rugby (which I might forgive him for), it’s going to be great to have him around.

Tom on the left, and friends!

So without further a do, as I mentioned on my last post, let me present to you, some brief thoughts on some overall reflections of my time in South Africa, so far. Thought it would be good to give you a very brief overview in one post. So, in no particular order:

 

• I’ve experienced God’s faithfulness in so many ways, whilst I’ve been here! Through everything which I’ve witnessed others go through or that I’ve been through, it’s been so evident to see God’s hand over things and I hope that this at least, somewhat come through in previous blog posts which I have written. I could list many tough circumstances which have stood out over the last year and a half but in each one I can look back to see how God has been at work – it really is such a joy to be able to write this!

 

• Youth work is really tough but is so worth it! It’s been a joy to serve the youth in a context of so much diversity. However, it’s been tough to see so much more brokenness in the lives of the young people which I have got alongside, compared with my experiences in the UK. Family breakdown, gang culture, lots of emotional baggage, heavy peer pressure and disunity in diversity would be some of the things which I have encountered. However, seeing how the Gospel is so relevant and speaks into these immensely challenging situations has been incredibly powerful.

Speaking on Ephesians 2:11-22! Looking it up might start to explain the cardboard boxes which were then knocked down

 

• Race is such a prominent issue in South Africa. Let me add though – as things stand, it needs to be a prominent issue. It needs to be something which is talked about in constructive dialogue to address past injustices and seek further unity and reconciliation. Seeing how the Gospel speaks into the many issues that have come up with regards to race is also pretty remarkable.

 

• I’m, ultimately, not in control but God is!

 

• People greet amazingly well here! Greetings are regular, warm and open – a simple handshake that is typical in the UK is pretty boring really (just saying).

 

• Driving round Jo’burg tests your prayer life! A wise person once said to me when learning to drive, ‘assume that everyone on the road is an idiot but that you’re the biggest idiot of them all’. These are words which have applied heavily here! After all, I have already described myself as the idiot abroad.

 

• I still can’t dance but that doesn’t stop me! Dancing is pretty popular this side and to the embarrassment of many, I have had no shame in embracing some of this culture. I was at a party once and in my attempt to bust some moves was told that the only reason I was doing this was due to acting on ‘liquid courage’. My following remarks were that surely it was just the bold reflection of a typical children’s/youth worker.

Theresa May (the previous Prime Minister of the UK) having a boogie when arriving in Cape Town – she clearly set a high bar for all Brits who would want to emulate!

 

• Going to comedy gigs is a great working trip! A large part of my job involves being able to communicate and communicate well. I’ve been utterly fascinated, intrigued and often blown away at how some of the comedians I’ve seen have been able to communicate so well. Watching them has been quite an education for me as well as a good opportunity to let off steam and often have a good laugh with friends.

The local comedy club – just up the road from where I stay

 

• I love the music range in SA. At one event, during the day, the diversity of music on offer was immense and a little surreal, at times. Genres of deep house, hip hop, jazz and indie all featured. A pretty eclectic mix? But a stunning mix nonetheless and a wonderful show of the great musical diversity in this country.

Jo’burg Day is the place to be to see such a diverse array of music

 

• I’ve got so much more to learn in ministry but seeking to remind myself and others that God is able to use people where they are for the sake of his kingdom and his glory.

 

So, there we have it – a somewhat random selection of some of the things that have stood out to me but there are loads more as well. I could go on with many other things that have stood out to me but I thought I’d pick a random selection of 10 for the sake of all of those who’d rather not read a dissertation (despite some of my other posts coming close).

 

Until next time,

Adam 🙂

August 6, 2019August 6, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

World Cup Winning, Church gathering, Application writing joy – Howzat?!

Some of you may be aware that I’ve been back in the UK over the previous few weeks and there are some remarkable parallels with my visit this year compared with last year. Last year, I returned back to a wave of giddy optimism sweeping the nation, as England mania had taken grip. I made a wild prediction in my blog post last year and I would like to highlight that I may not be too far off. The predictions were that by 2022 England will have won the world cup two times in a row and the sensation of a song ‘3 Lions’ will have been top in the chart for 4 years running!

I returned to the UK, this year, to the Lionesses (the English female football team) playing in a world cup which was broadcast across the BBC and received a large audience. What a great thing this was to witness for the women’s game but here’s the parallel with last year: The Lionesses sadly got knocked out of the World Cup in the semi’s and the men got knocked out in the semi’s last year. I live in hope for the next one!

But then comes the good news with some of my prediction still standing. Another world cup was running alongside the football! Cricket was back in town – or as the mad English contingent in the stadiums chanted, ‘it’s coming home, cricket’s coming home’! By the way, those lyrics were adapted from the sensational ‘3 Lions song’ which topped the charts last year. Who knew a variation of it would be sung this year as well. So, echoes of optimism from last year started to emerge but this time they were met with majestic victory. The England cricket team did bring it home with the closest win I’ve ever witnessed in cricket. It’s never easy watching England play in any sport but it’s a key part of the experience this side. My prediction from last year isn’t too far off right – I didn’t specify what sport we’d win two world cups in, by 2022, and this is the second year of the ‘three lions’ song, or adaption of, becoming popular again.

It really did – Cricket did come home

Another parallel with my visit last year and the one this year was being able to attend the church week end away. There are some who are under the impression that I just came back for the week end away – happy to let that rumour of great commitment to church week ends away waft around! My second week end back home was spent at the church week end away, of my home church in Cheadle (St Mary’s Church). The weekend provided an excellent opportunity for me to catch up with friends from church, all in one space – they had nowhere to escape from the return of ‘the now slightly less pale Brit’! It was fabulous to reconnect with many people and have some quality time with people over the weekend. I really can’t even begin to express how much I enjoyed this opportunity. Church weekends away are always a special time to spend with church family and to have time away from the usual crazy busyness of life. Another great opportunity of weekends away, like the one I attended, is to also receive some quality teaching on the Bible. Boy, did we get this, whilst away! Teaching was delivered on the book of Jonah and it was class – great to dwell on the compassionate, sovereign God who longs for more people to know him and uses weak people as instruments in his mighty hand!

Quality game of ‘disk golf’ on the church wk end away! You may have just learnt of a new sport…

In other news – a further development is that I’ve very recently decided to pursue studies at a theological college in Cape Town, in January next year! In short, after much prayer and many discussions I thought that pursuing this would be the right thing as I feel that working in South Africa longer term is something God is drawing me to. So, I’ve recently had the great opportunity to tell more people about my plans and begin to ask people if they would be willing to sponsor my studies in Cape Town. Studying is dependent on quite a lot. All minor things like, getting accepted and a study visa approved! I’m taking it one step at a time and trusting where God leads.

George Whitefield College, in Cape Town

On top of this, I also want to take this opportunity to be incredibly honest with you as well. My time in the UK has been wonderful and refreshing in so many ways but since being back I’ve felt that a wave of exhaustion has hit me hard. It’s been quite tough to process but I’m in conversations with people back in SA about how I can ease back into things there. I would really appreciate your prayers for recovery and ultimately that this would help me to depend more wholly on our gracious heavenly father. If you’re a praying person, then please do pray for a speedy recovery to full strength and that ultimately, I would be driven to depend more on God in everything I do.

Being back in the UK has given me a wonderful opportunity to reflect a lot more on the last year and I’m planning to do a later blog post on some of the key things I’ve learnt – I’ll mix it up and… try to keep it short (‘as if’ I hear you say)! I leave to head back to Jo’burg on Monday evening – in God’s strength I will keep pressing on for the Kingdom!

Peace and love,

Adam

July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

Time to turn the silence off

I’m currently visiting the UK and I’ll be writing again shortly to update you on how my stay has been and what my plans are for next year. In the meantime, let me draw you back to something far bigger! I want to give some time over to writing about an issue which is so prevalent in South Africa but, in fact, around the world.

Last year, you may remember that I wrote a blog post off the back of a conference held at the Bible college I attend called Johannesburg Bible College around the contentious issue of Land reform in South Africa. Why do I remind you of this? Well, a short while ago, Johannesburg Bible College decided to tackle another huge issue in South African society and, as I’ve already mentioned, an issue around the whole world.

Whilst I’ve been based in South Africa, the extent of the brokenness in many areas of life has become apparent. Jo’burg, in particular, is a city of extremes in many ways. It’s a city which is home to some of the richest yet also the poorest in South Africa. It’s a city that is a melting pot of culture which is a beautiful thing to be part of but also a city which still experiences huge racial, cultural tensions. Ministering to people in this context has been such a joy yet the challenges are large and unique.

One of the areas where it’s become apparent that brokenness is deep is in the area of Gender Based Violence. It is an issue which is widespread, complex, sensitive, deep and tragically not talked about enough in our societies.

Photo of the JBC Indaba on Gender Based Violence

Before I continue, let’s go over some definitions. What is Gender based Violence? It is violence which occurs between men and women in relationships, in the home, at the workplace and in the community. It is about power and control and can take the form of physical, emotional, sexual, financial or spiritual abuse.

The conference which I attended at JBC sought to begin to raise awareness to this pervasive issue and I found it eye opening, shocking, harrowing and challenging. The stats are horrifying – internationally, we see that violence against women is a feature of all societies around the world. Globally, 1 in 3 women will suffer abuse in their lifetime (UN, 2013). In South Africa, it is thought that 1 in 2 women will have been raped by the end of their lifetime. There are very little figures to show for men that have been abused and this is largely due to the fact that many cases won’t get reported for various reasons – such as stigma and fear.

In my post last year, on Land Reform in South Africa, I wrote about the importance that I see of engaging with this issue through the lens of the Gospel. I also addressed the important point that, in the Bible, you just can’t help but escape the great news that God is a God of compassion, reconciliation but also of justice – retributive justice, distribute justice and restorative justice. God cares about this world and is involved in this world and to ignore that, is ignoring what the Bible has to say on the whole area of social justice. Exactly the same attitude needs to be taken with the issue of Gender Based Violence.

In the Bible, we see a God who makes every human being in his image and with immense value. We see a God who upholds the cause of the oppressed. We see God himself come in human form as God the Son stoops into this world to love and rescue sacrificially. The Son goes on to warn his followers not to seek or abuse power, to liberate the oppressed, bring healing and restoration and honours and respects women and resisted violence. The Bible then calls followers of the Son to walk in the way of the Son. Our relationships are meant to reflect God’s sacrificial love for a broken humanity. I could go on. It’s wholly justifiable to state that there’s a firm basis for following after God’s heart and taking action to make a stand against this major issue. If there are Christians reading this we really cannot underestimate the influence and responsibility we have in being salt and light and in seeking to be used by God in transforming our communities. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution.

I mentioned how the conference at JBC was eye opening, shocking, harrowing and challenging. However, there’s a key additional word which I felt an overwhelming sense of: ‘mobilisation’.

I’ve been unbelievably encouraged by the work of an organisation called ‘Press Red; over the past couple of years and how God has used various people to grow this work to raise awareness and continue tackling the massive issue of Gender based violence, particularly towards women. Please do check out their website: https://pressred.org/

Shortly after the JBC conference, I flew back to the UK to visit and I was eager to meet up with the Chief Executive Officer of Press Red. I met with her a couple of days ago was eager to get her thoughts on how something could grow in Jo’burg from the awareness which has already been raised, through the college’s conference. I don’t want this to be something which dies down – momentum needs to be built and was to keen to gain more insight into how God enabled this to happen from the very first Press Red conference in 2017.

I was given a lot a lot to get thinking about and am keen to have further discussions with others in the UK and people in South Africa about how this could grow.

There’s a lot more that I’m already envisaging needs to be done. Greater awareness needs to be raised about how prevalent an issue this is and how people can act. It needs to be flagged up and addressed in teaching in churches, information needs to be made more readily available for local help. Churches, community groups and more individuals need to be educated and safeguarding policies need to be reviewed. Abuse needs to be discussed more in various courses in church – youth groups, marriage prep courses etc. More spaces need to be created for discussion – specifically for men on what it means to be a man (in particular, a disciple of Jesus). Specialist training and counselling needs to be offered to those working in churches, with partnerships created or strengthened with local service providers.

The list can go on and it may seem overwhelming, but I’ve been encouraged to remember one key thing. If this is something which God wants to see an end to then he will empower the work that people are seeking to do, in fighting this. I firmly believe the first port of call must be prayer. We must be depending on God throughout planning and thinking through any future steps to seek change. If you’re a praying person, please would you join me in praying for the work which I’m keen to see grow back in Jo’burg. Please pray that people involved in moving this forward would take this one step at a time and trust in God’s sovereignty and providence throughout.

Peace,

Adam

June 20, 2019June 21, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

Back again…with some explaining to do – Part 2

So, where was I…let me continue from where I last left off by attempting to give you the low down, on the past couple of months.

Just to reiterate, the beginning of the year presented some changes in what my role consists of. Last year my primary area of responsibility was working with the youth and my secondary area was helping with the music team. This year, although my primary area remains with youth, I’ve been moved to assist more with student ministry. I’m grateful for the opportunities that this has been presenting and new ways in which I can serve in my final year of internship. Since the end of February, a student called Shaun and I have been helping to lead a bible study on one of the private residences for student accommodation. I’ve been particularly encouraged by how these have been going but also amused at the status that I hold when I arrive at the private residence (called The Richmond). Much to my amusement, when I was first signed in to the system, at front reception, there was no option to put me down as a UK citizen so the lady on the desk saw it fit to put me down as what would seem to be the next best match – Ukrainian…obviously. Citizens from the UK and the Ukraine do clearly share much in common…or at least the abbreviation of the United Kingdom are the first couple of letters of my new, adopted country of origin. Clearly, this residence were likely to receive more visitors from the Ukraine than they were from the United Kingdom. Or, perhaps a fair subtle point was being made to visitors from the Kingdom that is currently not so united, but I’ll leave that one up in the air?! So, I’m Ukrainian when I’m at The Richmond residence.

But, if dual nationality was not enough, not too long ago, I went to visit a friend at the neighbouring student residence called ‘The Richmond Central’. I was faced with a similar situation when signing in for the first time but clearly the gentleman behind the desk saw it fit to put me down as an Australian this time – again, the United Kingdom wasn’t an option. My identities in these venues have given me a newfound sense of being ‘Mr Worldwide’ – but for anyone who knows me well, I should probably still stay well clear of attempting any of the accents!

The place where the Ukrainian is embraced with open arms (aka. ‘The Richmond’ student residence)

As part of my responsibilities with serving in student ministry, 6 times throughout the year, I have the wonderful opportunity to help out at a larger student gathering called, ‘Engage’. We’ve already had two of these, this year, and the most recent one tackled the issue of politics and how Christians can engage with the current political landscape in SA. With the general election coming up on the 8^th May this was a pertinent, encouraging and challenging session. A couple of key aims of these Engage events are to draw in as many students as possible to grapple with relevant and pressing issues, through a Biblical perspective, and then draw even more students into Bible studies around the area.

As I mentioned earlier, working in the area of youth ministry continues to be a primary area of responsibility for me. As with our student studies, the youth studies on a Sunday morning have also involved going through the Gospel of Luke. I’ve been encouraged by how the teens have engaged with the studies so far and continue to long that they would come to see more about who Jesus is, why he matters, why he came and what all of this means for their lives here today in South Africa. For our youth sessions on a Friday night we have recently been taking our youth through a model of explaining the Gospel called ‘3,2,1: The story of God, the world and you’. We wanted to use this as an opportunity to get the teens thinking about the basics of the Gospel message with the aim of encouraging them to share this with the people around them. We’ll be seeking to push this throughout the year, with our teens. The question we want to keep challenging our teens with is ‘do they want people around them to come to know Jesus or know him better if the Gospel really is wonderful and monumental news?’. We’re longing for our youth sessions on a Friday night to be a good start for giving our teens an opportunity to invite friends to the session to hear more!

Our youth sessions on a Friday night

In other news, during March, my immediate family had the great opportunity to come out and visit me! It felt a little surreal having them around at first but soon felt unusually normal! It was great to be reunited with them again and to enjoy a couple of weeks with them. I even say that despite the trip somewhat turning into the ‘roast Adam show’ on tour – that was the humbling element of the holiday! I was just glad that they seemed to get it out of their system relatively early on so by the time we all visited Hope church together they were pretty well behaved – God is good! But that aside it was a refreshing and enjoyable time for all of us and I know that they were really glad to visit SA and experience more of the things which they had only been able to hear about, before. We were able to do a range of things which included going on Safari, visiting Cape Town, attending the morning and evening services of Hope Church and exploring parts of Jo’burg. There was a lot more we could have done but I was very pleased with what we were able to cover in the 2 week break.

The Tomalin clan posing together, at the Pilanesberg National Park

As I begin to conclude, I’m writing this post shortly after our church Easter convention. The convention presented a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with church family and welcome in new people. It was great to serve as part of the youth team as well and we’ll keep praying that the enormity of the message of this season will resonate in the hearts of all those who came to church over the week end.

The programme for the Easter Convention wk end

To finish off, there are exciting prospects on the horizon and I’m also aware that this year will be a year of some pretty big decisions – particularly with my current visa due to expire at the end of the year. Questions like – do I seek to apply for another, do I study in SA or back in the U.K, do I seek to work longer at a church (at Hope church?). These are all just some of the questions that I’ve already been thinking through. The process of investigation and fact finding will certainly increase in intensity over the next few weeks and I’m keen to get hold of a lot more information so I can make a much more reliably informed decision. I’m hopeful that things will become clearer soon.

I should probably give you a break now…but there are plenty more stories to tell and experiences to share – I’ll try my best to post sooner.

God bless,

Adam 🙂

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

Back again…with some explaining to do – Part 1

Turbulence, trepidation, yet trust was the title of my last blog post. Well, I’m sure you’ve probably lost trust in my ability to produce more regular blog updates and if you’re reading this for the first time, no I wasn’t writing about Brexit. The last time I broke the radio silence like this on my blog I had to explain how I hadn’t completely disappeared off the scene, where most of you think I’m at, and was writing from a suspiciously comfortable location! Oh the irony – I can’t even do this, this time, as I’m currently writing this post from a city apartment in Cape Town, with a nice view of Table Mountain.

The view from where I wrote this post…the lamppost, bridge and steel work is stunning!

So, without further ado, let me hit you with another two parter! That way, I’ll be setting myself a target to get my next blog post uploaded quite a bit faster compared with the time that went between this one and the last post. I’ll begin by writing to give some more detailed musings on fewer things, which, in turn, I hope will be helpful and encouraging. Then, perhaps the best way for me to continue in the second part is to give you more of a scatter gun, highlights package of a few more things which have taken place over the previous couple of months. All of which will hopefully lead to why I’m currently sitting in an apartment in the city centre, in Cape Town, with a nice view of Table Mountain.

 

Let me begin by attempting to justify my elusiveness on this platform by explaining how busy I’ve been…with going to comedy shows recently! Yeah, seriously, I’ve been to several of these over the past couple of months. I’m not performing yet, to the jubilation of many but I’ve been watching a few shows and now I should probably give a few sentences over to trying to bring your raised eyebrows down on your foreheads. I’m a big fan of stand up comedy for various reasons. It’s a wonderful platform for performers to express their views and opinions in front of people who they probably don’t know and then…attempt to make whatever is communicated, funny. For this reason, it also makes it one of the most precarious, tenuous and risky platforms too but that’s all part of the fun! When done well though, and even that is subjective, the wonderful art of stand up comedy, is certainly brought to light. It really is an art form. It requires the ability to express yourself in a clear, composed and articulate manner in the midst of a massive cauldron of the unknown (aka, ‘the audience’, with all of their own views, expectations and quirks). Recently, some of the comedians I’ve come face to face with have taken the stage by storm, mostly for good reasons. These comedians have demonstrated a wonderful ability to communicate well, be funny (in my opinion) and also address topics, that many try to avoid, in order to get people to think more over certain issues. I take my metaphorical hat off to these artists!

A large part of my job involves being able to communicate and communicate well. I’ve been utterly fascinated, intrigued and often blown away at how some of the comedians I’ve seen have been able to communicate so well. Watching them has been quite an education for me as well as a good opportunity to let off steam and often have a good laugh with friends. I’m always looking to communicate better with people – to grow in my ability to be more engaging, more bold, more composed, more eloquent, more sensitive and more understanding. to name just a few things.

Communication is a central part to all of our lives, whatever we are doing, and is an area which we’ve all got things to learn about and grow in. I feel incredibly blessed to be in a position where I’m supported to work with young people, at school and university, to communicate the Gospel on a regular basis. I’m even paid to do this, which blows my mind, but I’m in job where I can give more of my time trying to communicate the truth of the Gospel in as clear a way as possible and training others to do the same. As a Christian, it is my joyous duty to speak the truth of the Gospel, in love – whether that is to a member of the youth group, a university student, a staff worker at church or anyone else. My actions are to also reflect and communicate the Gospel and any situation I come across should allow me to engage through the lens of the Gospel, whether directly on indirectly. I have plenty of opportunities to do this but the challenge that always remains is…how can this be done well?!

Perhaps old techniques need to be adopted once again?!

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been attending the first term of Johannesburg Bible College. I’m now doing the second part of the course. I loved the first part of the course last year but the part which I’m going through now has been incredibly helpful and engaging, so far. We’ve had the opportunity to get further training on how to better communicate God’s word, the Bible, with people and how to look at so many of the things in the world which we all engage with and work out how God’s word (the gospel) speaks into those. We’re taught by incredibly effective communicators which has been such a blessing and it’s wonderful to see how God is using these people to teach and encourage others and I to engage with God’s word in a profound way.

If Jesus really is who he said he is, if his message really is true and God’s big plan, shown in the Bible does make sense of the world, then this is worth talking about and showing off in a bold yet loving way! If true, it’s a message that should filter into every area of our own life – something which we are speaking and living out. We should let it seep deep into every single echelon of our existence…. if, the power of the message, is the source of true and lasting transformation in a tired and broken world, crying out in need of restoration?

Let me give you a more specific example which I hope demonstrates more of this. There are a few lads in our youth group who are going through a particularly hard time at the moment. The ones I have in mind have had a particularly hard upbringing and it pains me to see the struggles which they have had and are currently going through. These particular lads have struggled with the tension of a whole range of different influences in their lives, from views of parents and church members to gang leaders and school bullies. I weep at the some of the things which these young lads have been exposed to, yet rejoice that they have the opportunity to engage with the relational God, through his word. These guys are going through a rough time but the hope that holds out is magnificent. Through the trials and the tests and all the hardships from any mess these lads can look to one far greater who knows any of their pain. They can look to the creator and sustainer of the whole universe, who didn’t remain far and distant, who isn’t this mighty force – high on power and low on personality. They can look to Jesus – fully human, yet fully God. They can look to the life of a Jesus – a man who would have laughed, cried, made jokes and experienced all of the joys of humanity. However, this was a man who was also, mocked, scorned, betrayed, forsaken, had his backed ripped off, was nailed to a piece of wood and left hanging to die – this can be their God. The one who knows what it’s like to experience pain and sorrow to a level that many of us will struggle to imagine. They can look to a God who can relate to the pain of this world but who has also crucially provided the greatest answer. This God died but he also rose again which changes everything. Because of this, death is crushed, evil loses, hope conquerors and love wins. Death is swallowed up in victory and these lads can know that there is no grief without hope. They can have a certain hope of a glorious future in the midst of short term uncertainty, in this world. They can know a peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of the deepest sorrow and pain. They can know a love in a world that often seems to have forgotten the true meaning of the word. They can have perspective in a world which encourages a short-termist outlook on life. They can experience true change in the context of a loving, redemptive relationship with the King of the Universe who himself changes us and speaks to us through his word!

It’s reasons like the above why I’m passionate about wanting to grow in my ability to communicate the Gospel message better. I can see the change which it’s had in my life and the change which I can see it’s had and is having in the lives of people around me. Whilst seeking to grow in this, I’m aware and need to keep reminding myself that I can’t grow in this ability by myself. If God is the one who changes people then my ability to communicate will never hold the power to bring this about. I will only ever be an instrument in his hands and will need to be ever dependent on him who makes true and lasting change happen. When communicating the Gospel, whether in word or deed, I need to be dependent on God throughout it all. I would never want people to think that I or anyone else has the sole ability to transform through mere human logic. Otherwise, where would someone really be putting their ultimate trust in – God or the human who’s communicating?

Let me encourage you to keep depending or even to start depending on the author of creation and the one who longs to communicate with us and use us to communicate his love to others. After all, we were made for this – to be in a loving relationship with him and his people.

Watch this space for the second part of this post, coming soon.

(P.S…I’ve been on holiday with my family recently so the next post will, of course, feature the chronicles of the challenges eh hem…I mean…. time with my family. And you thought this post was long!)

 

God bless,

 

Adam

March 30, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

Turbulence, trepidation yet trust

Well, what a long year January was?! Sorry, meant month…did I just write a year? Well, we’re now well into 2019. How are those new year resolutions going? What about the dreams and plans to revolutionise your field, to be a mover and shaker, to blow people away with the newfound talent, make it into the trials of your favourite sporting team…how are we doing?

Reality check: I guess the fact of the matter is that we haven’t reached these astronomical heights yet, going into 2019? Maybe you have and, if so, I genuinely am pleased for you but for the majority of us maybe we’re at another place. Maybe it feels like not much has taken place over the last month and it’s hard to see many things changing this year. It just seems like another year of rolling through the motions. Perhaps you’re feeling like you’re in a place where there has been some change but in the midst of the change has come a lot of uncertainty. Perhaps, there’s optimism for what the rest of the year holds, yet, it’s somewhat tainted with the nagging awareness of the unknown, looking ahead.

Upon reflection, I’m associating myself more with the latter. The previous month was a month of some new things starting and change coming up. For me, a fair bit of turbulence yet an overwhelming sense of peace is what seemed to dominate January and I’m incredibly grateful for that!

I’m keen to enlighten you on some of my thoughts and musings from the previous month but hopefully you’ll be understating that I can’t share everything with you. So, without further a do, let me start from the beginning:

I arrived back at work shortly into the new year. In many ways, I felt like I hit the ground running a bit. This was something I was anticipating but getting actually getting back into the swing of things can always be a bit of a shock to the system. So, I basically began the year trying to get my head round the youth situation at church – i.e. how things would look for the rest of year, leaders that we’ve still got on the team and things and making tighter plans to draw together things that were discussed in year planning meetings towards the end of last year. Nerves, worry and a sense of excitement all dominated my thoughts. Amongst all of this, I felt a pressure to ‘perform’ and get things ‘right’ in the midst of the uncertainty. It really wasn’t the best of attitudes to take into the year and most of it had been unhealthy expectations that I had placed on myself. I was falling into the trap of a self-reliant mind set which I have so very often tried to guard myself and warn others against. It’s even something which I’ve addressed in one of my previous blog posts.

Then came the stark reminder. I sat down with my mentor for this year and was abruptly reminded of the fact of the matter. I’m not, ultimately, in charge, and my role isn’t as all encompassing as I was starting to believe. That particular conversation was wholly reassuring for me; another reality check, if you will. I was reassured of my expectations and responsibilities, given my current role. My mentor is keen for me to know that I’m within the framework of a church which wants me to grow in skillset but, importantly, in my relationship with the living Lord Jesus.

It’s worth stating that the responsibilities within my role at church are shifting a little. I’m now going to be involved in more student ministry compared with music ministry. The reasons given were that church are keen to develop me in certain areas which they feel will be of value going into the future. It was good to hear people were keen to fight to ensure that, in the midst of this, I would still retain a work schedule which would be balanced and sustainable. My terms were very clear and straightforward. I would only commit to the proposed changes given two things. One, the changes didn’t have a negative impact on my schedule, causing an unsustainable imbalance. Two, that the youth ministry, which is still a primary area of ministry for me, wouldn’t take a hit. I’m grateful that these points were taken on board and we’ll keep a close eye on how things progress going into the rest of the year.

Further developments followed this start to the year. Amongst the changes going on in my area of work, I’ve also been faced with other experiences which have been teaching me some valuable lessons. I’d rather not go into too much detail but lessons about guarding my heart, being honest with others and myself have presented me with some sudden yet worthwhile experiences to navigate. My faith and dependence on him have been developed through a somewhat delicate period in recent encounters with individuals I’m close with – but I’m glad about how things have progressed.

Above all though, a certain period of events has really driven me to my knees recently, in a way which I wasn’t wanting but at the same time, glad has happened. Again, I don’t want to go into too much detail but the youth work at Hope Church has been struggling recently and was leaving the team in place where we were all beginning to feel pretty helpless and uncertain about the future. To some degree, I still feel in this place but let me explain how my mindset has radically altered over the last month. I began the month feeling this sense of pressure to perform and get things ‘right’ – the majority of which I feel was self inflicted. However, developments in the youth ministry situation have driven me to the important realisation that I REALLY am not in control – which is a good thing! It was in a time of despondency a couple of weeks ago that I felt a real sense of peace. Peace that it’s such a good thing that I’m not in control because, my word, God is. It has been important to keep reminding myself and others on the team that the King of the Universe loves our youth far more than we ever could and has answers to our current issues which none of us currently have. This might make the current period a tricky one but, man, has it helped me to remember that ultimately the work I do is not my work but God’s. He’s the one ultimately in control and he wants his kingdom to extend, so trusting and moving in faithful obedience to the King is all I can do. In some senses, the growing awareness of this has released a massive burden from my shoulders and helped me to appreciate so much more that God is doing at our church! I feel so much more at peace about the situation and pray earnestly that I and the rest of the team would continue to grow in this period of uncertainty.

I’m thankful for the experiences I’m going through here – the highs and lows of ministry. I’m particularly grateful that the last youth session was a real success. Our youth group is still growing, the session ran smoothly and the levels of engagement were mind-blowing.

I also want to give thanks for the celebration of the marriage of a wonderful couple called Jess and Aubrey – both of whom have been heavily involved with the youth ministry at Hope Church. I praise God for their zeal and passion for young people and was so honoured to be involved in their wonderful day. Jess and Aubrey, you rock!

The wonderful couple…with some of the crazy youth leadership team!

So, there are some of my reflections on the past month. I hope to write again soon.

God bless,

Adam x

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

New year but keep on depending…

So, 2019 is well and truly upon us! I wonder how you’re feeling about this year? Most people I know are glad to see the back of 2018 and embracing 2019 with new ideas, vision, zeal and anticipation.

You get the cheesy stuff…new year, new me, onwards and upwards, resolutions galore but amidst the familiarity, I really sense that there is a great sense of a new beginning for many I know.

For me personally, I’m aware that this year will be a year of some pretty big decisions with my current visa due to expire at the end of the year. Do I seek to apply for another, do I study in SA or back in the U.K, do I seek to work longer at a church (at Hope church?). These are all just some of the questions that I already know that I’ve got to think through. What about the ones that I don’t know about yet? What about all of the surprises that life is bound to spring, that may almost certainly keep leading me to make decisions that seem big.

You may have noticed that a reoccurring theme throughout many of my recent blog posts has been on the concept of dependence. Particular attention has been given to show how dependence on God, as one is who closer than we know, more involved than we could ever imagine and loves us beyond comprehension, is of worthwhile and monumental significance.

I would like to continue to elaborate on this as I talk about the work that I’m involved in, with a much broader view. I’ve also written a new song to build on this theme…please do read to the end to discover more…

Christian ministry…every month, thousands of people leave Christian ministry, whether they are working in ‘full time Christian ministry’ or alongside of other pressurised work. They have not lost their love for Christ, or their desire to serve him necessarily. But for one reason or another, they are exhausted and simply cannot carry on. The causes are diverse but they show the intense pressure that many in Christian ministry find themselves under.

Burnout is real and it’s tough

Over the last year, I’ve felt challenged and pushed to analyse my own motives for being involved in the work I’m in. I’ve been challenged to carefully consider my work/life balance in a pretty demanding job. Also, I’ve had time to carefully consider where my priorities should lie, bearing in mind all of my limitations and weaknesses as a human being.

One of the opportunities that I had last year was to read a book called ‘Zeal without burnout’ by a pastor based in the UK, called Christopher Ash. He is a zealous and influential man in ministry, who himself has gone through a couple of experiences of burnout during his life in ministry. He wrote the book in order to help people to reflect on why people often burn out in this way and what can be done, by God’s grace, to help avoid it. It’s a book which clearly communicates the importance of running the long race. Ministry is a marathon and not a sprint. The book clearly conveys the importance of striving for sustainable sacrifice rather than energetic but brief work, which so often quickly fades in exhaustion. There are principles in this book, taken from scripture, that seek to show and help people in ministry to maintain zeal without knowing the bitterness of burnout.

I feel that over the last year I’ve been reminded of many key things. Firstly, I’ve been reminded of the importance to give my all and recognise that more often than not that will require me needing to step out of my comfort zone, big time! The life transforming and fulfilling yet pain staking process of denying myself and following in the way of my saviour, by taking up my own cross, has become even clearer this year. I realise that I’m called to give myself wholeheartedly to the work of the Gospel.

However, the past year has presented me with the chance to seriously evaluate many practical things, as well. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I getting enough rest? Am I getting enough days off? Am I spending enough time with friends? These may seem like simple and basic questions but all too often I’ve found myself slipping into bad patterns and further evaluation of why has been telling. I’ve been growing to recognise the liberating truth that although we all need sleep, rest, friends and inward renewal – God does not. His work can continue without us.

You see, God doesn’t actually need us humans to do his work and this work isn’t what actually defines us anyway. In Christ, you are already adopted, chosen, forgiven and redeemed. I’ve been learning the importance of striving to keep grace the main thing of what I believe – what a privilege it is to be recipients of grace.

I feel that in many areas of Christian ministry, corporate ideas of measurement and success can so easily be incorporated into the fold of church life. In particular, numbers can be a pretty big focus for many areas in ministry.

Now, I completely understand how numbers are important for the kingdom – in the sense that we long to see more people saved and safe for eternity – I completely see the importance and urgency of this. I also see the importance of giving thanks for leaders that are ambitious for the gospel and giving thanks for the gifts which God has given people, to be used by him, in the extension of his kingdom.

However, I do believe that focus on numbers as a measurement of growth, in my opinion, can be misleading and sometimes unhelpful.

Christopher Ash’s book, ‘Zeal without burnout’ mentions ‘that we need to focus on the Lord’s definition of success. Ministry isn’t about numbers. It’s about faithfully preaching, teaching and loving the people’. I appreciate this quote comes across as quite abrupt and when referring to numbers as not being important. However, I don’t believe he’s intending to mean that we shouldn’t be concerned about more people coming to faith and being safe for eternity.

This is a whole topic that I’ve been giving a lot more thought to recently and the viewpoint quoted above is a viewpoint which I’ve been warming to a lot more recently. I guess others I know have recently challenged me to ask the question of ‘where should our first focus be, for success in ministry’? I trust that God is the one who converts and transforms hearts through his powerful word. Planning and strategising is of course important and often the planning which we do can be more easily measured, numerically, such as church budgets, church buildings, ministry plans, programs and networks etc. These are important but the question that needs to be asked is ‘are they the most important’? The really important stuff – changed hearts – cannot be measured. God in his grace sometimes gives us some evidence, a glimpse and some encouragement of this change but it can’t be measured in a way that our limited human faculties can fully comprehend. I think that focus on the quality of word proclamation, relationships and faithfulness are the key things which God uses for growth. They can be hard and even impossible to measure but that’s where trust and dependence comes in…

Is this something we’ll fully focus and depend on this year…God’s amazing grace?

So, there you have some insight from me on what I’ve been learning this year on the need to strive for sustainable sacrifice, whilst fully depending on the one who gives me the very reason to do what I do. I’m eager to approach 2019 with keeping the main thing, the main thing in Christian ministry – rejoicing in God’s grace for his glory and testifying to this grace by pointing people to God’s authoritative word.

My prayer is that those reading this would also grow in dependence on God and his grace, going into 2019.

To finish off, I would like to try to encourage you by pointing you towards a song that I’ve recently written. I hope that it reassures you going into the rest of this week and year:

God bless,

Adam 😊

January 7, 2019January 19, 2019 by keepingupwiththetomalins

It’s the most wonderful time of the year?

‘Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, in the lane, snow is glistening a beautiful sight we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland’. Well, in reality, this couldn’t be any further from the South African Christmas that I’m about to experience. ‘Heat waves, thunder storms, proper BBQ’s (called Braai’s over here) and everyone leaving Jo’burg to go on holiday’ – doesn’t sound quite as eloquent and poetic as the lines from ‘Winter wonderland’.

‘Walking in a winter wonderland’ – it’s even played in supermarkets here!

I’ll try and salvage this by presenting you with a poem that is hopefully better. It’s a poem that I wrote last year which I hope summarises a message which is relevant for everyone, everywhere, this Christmas time. Please read on to the end to find out more but before the poem I just want to take this opportunity to update you on the last few weeks. Hopefully, reflections on the past weeks may build up to the poem well.

I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been a pretty tough month. I won’t go into too much detail but my work load over the last few weeks has been a lot larger than I was anticipating, due to a series of unforeseen events. However, this was compounded with issues that a group of apprentices, from church, had with finding accommodation for next year. Plans had been made by all of us but due to unfortunate circumstances, these plans soon came crashing down and left all of us in a position of frantically looking for a place to stay, for next year. In hindsight, it’s probably been the toughest part of my time, working in South Africa, so far.

Saying all of that though, I can already look back at many positives that have already and are starting to emerge out of the testing period. In the space of a few weeks, I feel that the group of us going through this time can say that we’ve learnt a lot about ourselves. For me, I really think I’ve learnt more about myself and others than I have in the previous months I’ve spent in South Africa. This has been a good thing though because I feel that despite the strains and tensions, we’ve all grown a whole lot closer to each other. I’m also confident that we’ve all felt that we’ve grown a whole lot closer to God.

I’ve personally felt that I’ve been learning a lot about patience over the last few weeks and about the reality that I’m really not in ultimate control of what I go through. But thank God that this is the case. If I was in ultimate control, my life would be a right mess.

We all felt stretched to the limit and pushed to extremes but through the trials of the issues that we were presented with, we know that someone far greater than all of us has been at work. We’re already looking back, thankful for what God is doing in our hearts but we’re hugely grateful that he is providing for us materially as well. The girls involved in the housing situation have now found a new place and are about to move in. My flat mate, S’bu and I, have also come across a place owned by a friend, who’s willing to let out a couple of rooms. Conversations are yet to be had to finalise this but we praise God for where we have been led so far.

To add to all of this, I’ve just got back from a youth camp called ‘Crossword’, which seemed a great success. The teens that we went with from our church and the church plant from Soweto, of which numbered 39 in total, seemed to really enjoy the time at camp. It was just so great to spend time with the teens as we all learnt more about how awesome God is and the need to follow him and wholeheartedly put our trust in him. It was also great to see how well things came together on camp – yet again another great demonstration of God’s control and providence over all things, for his glory.

Crossword 2018 was epic!

I’m planning to write more soon, to update you on how camp went. However, the primary purpose of this post, in the run up to Christmas, is to get you to think more about who God is.

Over the last few weeks and over the week end just gone, it’s been demonstrated to me again, in such a tangible way, that God is far closer than I know, more involved than I could ever imagine and loves me like a perfect father.

I wonder what your preconception of God is? A distant creator? A deity, high on power and low on personality? A harsh Judge? A cruel taskmaster?

Let me encourage you this Christmas to look at the person of Jesus. Look at Jesus in the cradle. Look at Jesus on the cross. And let him turn your view of God upside down this Christmas. You may be going into Christmas with a sense of fulfillment and great satisfaction of what the year has brought. However, perhaps like many, you’re going into Christmas with a sense of great loss, of painful burdens, of dreams that were never realised and hopes that were never satisfied.

The only solution?

Amongst the feasting, the gift giving, the songs, the carols and the family gatherings – take a look at the one who came born in a shed, who came to the shameful, who bends to the weak, becomes the lowly, who cannot speak but know this…a real Christmas with eternal meaning…so let’s start at the beginning:

 

A perfect constant, the love is flowing,

Three united in love; all powerful, all loving, all knowing.

The purest example of mutually self giving love,

A father, a son and a spirit like a dove.

The magnificent dance of the dynamic trio,

Eager to give joy, to share glory; no ratio.

 

 

A creation then begins so auspicious and fruitful,

But oh the irony of the fruit, the freedom of will so crucial.

The wholeness of relationships that were meant to be,

Completely perfect, when under the king you see.

The majesty and splendour presented in glorious light,

But the alternative is clear – ‘surely we can know what’s right?’

 

 

The dance seemed attractive, for we were all made to join,

But the other choice was beckoning, another side of the coin.

So, the dilemma was presented and turned we did,

To look inside to find a hope and meaning, ah, so avid.

Through self-absorption, broken man is left,

Static and often wondering, ‘Am I bereft?’

 

 

The stark reality of the world we live in,

Beauty yes, but the darkness akin.

This uncomfortable fact, so a solution we seek,

What is the problem and if solved we’ll peak?

Capitalism, socialism or science to make it better,

But history truly shows the ‘V’ – a temporary letter.

The heart of the problem, we’re told, is with our heart,

So external solutions alike surely aren’t where to start.

Countless theories and methods man has tried,

‘We will achieve greatness’, leaders have cried.

Why then, that feeling that we have more to give,

‘I know I need help but move away God I want to live’.

So true meaning and purpose we will carry on to search for,

We’ve tried within and we’ll only hit rock bottom, the floor.

 

 

So, the situation is bleak but the story hasn’t ended,

This is only the beginning; hope has been founded.

For the people in darkness have seen a great light,

They may surely rejoice now and sing songs in the night.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,

Out will the peak of darkness now be driven.

 

 

Bold claims these are – a babe to solve our need,

Though it’s the mission of this boy, so take heed.

God could have looked upon and stayed so very distant,

But it was humanity he chose; the vulnerability of an infant.

The infant, he grew though and endured the world,

He knows true pain; for it was humanity he held.

From the cradle to the cross, the only solution,

He was pierced for our iniquities, no retribution.

Death then conquered and a relationship restored,

To the King’s triumphant rising and eternity outpoured.

 

 

So, true purpose and meaning is ours now given,

Let‘s follow the King towards life eternal in Heaven,

He’ll never be irrelevant because it was for you he came,

A truth so potent, 2000 years ago to now – yes the same.

God’s eternal rescue plan for all humanity,

So look to him and not within – no vanity.

Whoever, wherever and whatever you are,

He is for you – now and always – never afar,

Impersonal and distant – no, not this God, praise be,

Instead, Emmanuel – God is with us – importantly.

 

God bless and hope you have a wonderful Christmas,

Love from Adam 🙂

December 17, 2018December 17, 2018 by keepingupwiththetomalins

The return of the blogger…

The long radio silence has finally been broken…I am back writing on my blog! I’m alive and well and still working in the Rainbow nation. I’m aware that my more recent blog posts haven’t really been too specific to my weekly routine or experiences with work here. So, let me quash any rumours right now that I may have just moved away, keeping my whereabouts on the down-low! I can give you full assurance that blog posts haven’t been written from a rooftop in Los Angeles.

It’s a nice view isn’t it…but, like I said, I haven’t been writing from here…just so you know!

But in all seriousness, I do apologise for the amount of time that’s passed with no updates here. To be honest, more generally, I’ve been dreadful at getting in contact with more people further afield over the last few weeks but am keen to enforce an abrupt stop to that. It can start with this blog post! So let me stop waffling and get updating…from the confines of my shared cottage in Auckland Park, Jo’burg…

Let me begin by taking you nearly two months back, to the beginning of September. I had the privilege to be a leader on a Kids Camp run by Hope church in partnership with another local church. Although I wasn’t involved in the organisation and planning of the camp I was aware that it was particularly tricky to organise this year. The key individuals involved in running the camp from Hope Church had been busy with a whole host of complications for a long while before camp began. Even as the camp began it still seemed like there were a lot of things that hadn’t been ironed out and sorted.

It’s definitely worth pointing out that one thing that the whole experience drove people to was prayer. I’ve already shared, on this blog, the importance that I believe prayer has on our lives, as we demonstrate our dependence on the ultimate one, who is really in control. Nevertheless, a fantastic team of leaders were called upon and we sought to soldier on and trust that God would work something far better than any of us could have ever planned for. That attitude might make you think that I was in dreamland and longing for something that could never really materialise.

Now, giving you some background understanding on the lead up to camp is incredibly important because it will highlight, all the more, how much of a success camp was! I was so blown away by how Kids Camp went. Despite the state of flux that we all felt in, everything seemed to come together – games, talks, no major incidences or major behaviour issues from the kids. The theme of the camp was ‘Heroes’ and throughout the week end we looked through various ‘Heroes’ that are upheld in scripture to see how God used them to demonstrate that ultimately, he is the real hero. This all culminated in looking at how the real hero, as spoken of throughout the Bible, was the one who stooped into the pit to live the life we could never live and die the death we deserved to die. Like a cannon ball shot from the heavenly realms he plunged to the depths to lift us up to beauty to walk in the way of the King. We can live a life of true meaning and purpose and not have to live in simple existence, apart from the true light. We saw how King Jesus was the ultimate hero.

Going through this theme throughout the week end was something which the kids really seemed to engage well with and it was great to see their hunger and enthusiasm, as we progressed through the week end. I felt so encouraged by the theme of the weekend as it was great to be reminded of who was really in charge, particularly in the midst of a camp which was embarked upon with so much uncertainty and apparent disorder. As prayed for, God really did take all of our planning, time, strengths, energy and the camp that came about really was something far greater than any of us could have planned for, at any time.

To build on this encouragement, you may be aware of some of the recent struggles that we’ve been having amongst our youth in regards to unity, particularly amongst the diversity. About a month ago, we had the opportunity to hold a few socials over the school break and these seemed to be a great success. I wasn’t part of all of the socials but from what was fed back and what I was involved with, it was fantastic to be able to spend time with the youth outside of our usual sessions and continue to be intentional in building relationships with them. The break that we had from our normal programme was quite long so as a youth leadership team we recognised the importance of arranging extra events to meet with the youth. I felt that the socials helped to encourage unity amongst the teens but we’ve still got a long way to go. As most of our youth head into a period of exams it’s going to become harder to strive towards building momentum in this way. However, as we come towards the end of the year, we will be putting a good amount of time aside to plan as best as we can for next year. Our planning will be particularly focussed around considering future events and how our regular meetings can be intentionally structured in a way that will continue to encourage unity in our group. Hopefully, this, in turn, will also offer a more welcoming environment for newcomers.

The Youth Camp taking place at the end of the year … see below for more. ..

To build on the topic of unity amongst the youth, the youth team recently held a car wash to help raise further funds for a youth camp, taking place next month. The car wash, itself, presented an excellent opportunity for the youth to come together and work with each other in what turned out to be a mad scramble of great fun. We were washing the cars of people from church, whilst they were in the service. Over the last few months we’ve held similar fundraising events and, in fact, last week we had an ice cream sale for the same purpose. These events have all been held to raise funds for a youth camp called Crossword. Crossword Camp is taking place from the 14-16^th December and it will provide the youth going with a fantastic opportunity to have lots of fun, enjoy great food, chill out with each other but crucially hear more of the monumental news of the Gospel and why it’s so important for their lives. As a church and a youth leadership we’re committed to encouraging and enabling as many of our teens, as possible, to go on the camp. The issue which stands for many of our teens and their families is that the camp isn’t cheap and we’re determined that money shouldn’t be a barrier for the youngsters to attend. Therefore, we’ve been holding fundraising events to help raise money to subsidise or fully cover costs for teens who would struggle to be able to afford the whole cost of the camp. It’s currently looking like we’re going to be taking a good number of the youth to camp – it promises to be a great week end so watch this space for more details!

On a completely random note, as I’ve been writing this blog post I’ve realised that I haven’t been able to include many photos due to the nature of what I’ve been talking about. I can’t post many photos of the groups I’m involved with due to safe guarding reasons – or in other words, protecting the identity of youth and kids who haven’t given consent to having their photos posted online. So, to balance that out a bit I’ll post this random photo of the janitor of Hope Church – a man called Tebogo, and I. We’ve recently both decided that we’re going to commit to wearing a cap on Tuesdays and Fridays – so here’s the most recent selfie from Friday!

He is indeed supreme!

Here’s to Cap Day! Lots of love from Jo’burg,

Adam 😊

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 by keepingupwiththetomalins

#thelandissue

So, in light of my previous post, I will continue on the theme of dependency on the relational God by highlighting a key area where I desperately feel the need for this has manifested itself, recently.

Let me begin by sharing a bit more about a conference which Johannesburg Bible College held a few weeks ago. You may be aware that, at the moment, one of the main discussions in South Africa has been around the issue of Land Reform. It’s been a contentious issue of political discussion for a while now but has suddenly resurfaced, as a result of mounting pressure being put on the government in an effort to seek to push for further reform and restoration from the country’s troublesome history.

The contentious question being discussed…

I was impressed by the college’s willingness to engage with the whole issue, from a Biblical perspective, and I found the whole event incredibly insightful and particularly challenging. I went into the conference fully aware that I’m at the early stages of coming to better understand more of the context of South Africa, culturally and historically. I found the conference a helpful time, to listen to a range of opinions on the whole issue; opinions on how progress can be made in the best possible way.

The JBC conference in full flow

I’m no political commentator and have a lot of reflection to do on what I think is the best way forward on this issue. To be honest, I may never come to a clear and concrete conclusion – that’s how complex the issue is. But, theologically speaking, I firmly believe that whatever opinion I come to, it must be through the lens of the Gospel. I believe that the Bible must have something to say to inform our approaches and conversations in an endless multitude of areas. So, it’s with that in mind that I’m of the conviction that the Gospel must also give us a fresh lens and perspective on the land issue, in SA, too.

To set up some context for approaching the land issue in this way, it’s definitely worth considering that various proposals for land reform derive from profoundly different ideological frameworks. The beginning of the JBC conference did a good job of getting us to first think along these lines. The point was raised that it’s important to first consider the material world and approaches taken on what people view of the material world. Is it positive or is it negative? Was the world that we know today, created positively, with purpose and therefore, demonstrating God’s glorious instruction and wisdom – but then corrupted by human brokenness and awaiting restoration? Or, is the material world that we know today, something to flee from – something which is broken and will never see full restoration? Surely, these are contextual questions that need to be very carefully considered?

To further inform the discussion around this issue, I also firmly believe that the character of God needs to be taken into consideration. Too often, even in Christian circles, I’ve seen people describe things in a way where it would seem like they’re trying to put God in a box. If you’re reading this, as a Christian, you may have found the same thing? One of the key areas where I see this is when it comes to the whole area of social justice. Some people in the church may act and communicate things in a way, where it comes across that their view is that that God only cares for people’s individual salvation. Therefore, the focus and orientation of the church nearly always seems to be around this. I agree that longing to see heart transformation and people saved, to enjoy an eternal relationship with God, is of paramount importance. However, this is no reason to side-line the huge importance of social justice, which is highlighted in the Bible. To do so would be narrow minded and unbiblical. Very sadly though, it would seem apparent that certain parts of the church, in the past, and even now, would seem to do this. In the Bible, you just can’t help but escape the great news that God is a God of compassion, reconciliation but also of justice – retributive justice, distribute justice and restorative justice. God cares about this world and is involved in this world and to ignore that, is ignoring what the Bible has to say on the whole area of social justice.

Bearing this in mind, I believe that it’s important to bring this view into the area of land reform. Now, when it comes to policy on this contentious issue, that’s where I’m yet to do far more extensive research. People may subscribe to the same fundamental beliefs on God’s justice in the world yet believe that this can be best reflected in different ways, through different stances on policy. It’s worth bearing that in mind.

I’ve got a lot to think through, on this issue, and my hope is that this post has got you thinking, as well. However, it’s with the complexity and uncertainty of the situation, in mind, that I must refer back to my last blog post on dependence on God. God knows those who are suffering and those who have suffered with this whole issue. He knows the anger and sadness. He knows our fears and hopes. He knows our longings and expectations and he knows the future of this land. It’s because he knows this all and cares far deeper than we could ever fathom that it wouldn’t make any sense to not seek him and his will.

The conference had a prayer that featured as a key part of the event. I’ll write down an exert for you. If you’re a praying person, please could I encourage you to pray into this area, at the moment:

‘Lord, we pray for humility and grace. We pray for peace and wisdom. We pray for perseverance and creativity. We pray for outcomes that express a generous justice for all. We pray for outcomes that will build the nation of South Africa for the future and serve all, especially those who are poor, vulnerable, deprived and underprivileged. We pray that the process might bring healing and peace and a new future for this land. We pray that in righting’s of wrongs, in restoration and restitution, we will not again harm our neighbours, but love them and enable them to know the dignity that comes from love and acceptance of those round them. We pray that you would strengthen your Church in proclaiming the great hope held out in the Gospel, and demonstrate the love of God and love of neighbour by engaging through prayer and dialogue.’

It may be easy to start looking deeper into this whole issue and many other issues that are contentious and prevalent, in a society, and begin to feel super overwhelmed by everything. This might be Brexit, in the UK, economic reform and transformation in Zimbabwe or immigration policies throughout the European region.

Who and what do you think is the source of Justice and Hope?

Recognising the importance of engaging with the issues, in the paragraph above, is vastly important but I also believe that it’s of paramount importance to trust and depend on the relational God. Depending on the God who is closer than we could ever know, more involved than we could ever imagine and loves his creation abundantly. Let me encourage you to hold on to that and to hold onto the hope of eternity, with this magnificent God, if you call on his name.

Peace,

Adam 😊

September 15, 2018September 16, 2018 by keepingupwiththetomalins