Monthly Archives: January 2014

An elephant teaches us about wrong learned things

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Hey our friend

We hope you had a good week. Ours was a bit frustrating, because it took us longer than planned to get over our sickness. I guess you can never really plan things like that. We also had a meeting this week with all the YWAM Leaders of the bay area. It is so good to hear from all the other ministries and how God is moving in the bay area. Please keep YWAM and all the ministries they are doing in your prayers.

An elephant teaches us about wrong learned things

IMG_6646The other day I read an article on how they train elephants for the circus. It was actually really sad. One thing that stuck out to me was this: As babies the circus ties up the elephant with a chain around the leg that is attached to a rod that they hit in the ground. A big elephant could easily rip out the rod and run away but the little ones aren’t strong enough. So they keep pulling and pulling till they learn that they are not able to get away. Now when they get older and stronger you can tie that strong elephant up with even a small string and the same rod and they will not run away. Why, because they learned as a child that they are not strong enough to break away from the chain and it is so a part of them that they totally believe it.

I think that is also a very true picture for each of us as Christians. At one point in our life we started believing something about ourselves which isn’t true like I’m not good enough, I’m a bad speaker, people don’t want to hear what I have to say etc. . Then we start believing those things. So then if God calls us to do something in that certain area, we tell him we can’t because of the lie we believe. But the truth is that we can do all things through the one who gives us strength.

When I was younger I was bullied for many years and I stopped believing that I have value or that anything I have to say would help and encourage people. With that experience I stopped believing in the gifting of encouragement God has given me. So when he told me in YWAM that he will use me to encourage others and speak value in their life, it seemed impossible since I still believed the lie of my past. After God addressed the lie and broke it of my life, he showed me how to use the gifting in a powerful way by encouraging many people. But I still had to make a choice to believe him. Over the years I grew stronger and stronger in that gifting and I hear almost from every person I meet with how they felt encouraged and loved.

I’m sharing this with you to show you that our God is greater than any stronghold in our life and any lie you might believe. He can use you in mighty ways when you start to break off the lie. I want to challenge you to think and pray about this week which lies you believe about yourself and how you limited yourself from becoming truly who God made you to be. Also ask the question in which area you are already stronger but you don’t believe it because of things you learned in the past (elephant and chain).

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Each one is needed!

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Hey our friend

2014-01-06 16.47.25We hope you had a wonderful week. We got back to San Francisco last week. We had an amazing time in Pennsylvania and felt blessed with meeting many and get the opportunity to share with 3 churches. Last Sunday we shared with a church that supported us for years and after we shared for about 10 mins we had another worship time during which the Pastor asked us if we could have a question answer and also sharing time. We did and people in the church as well as the 2 of us got really encouraged by the way God showed up.

After we got back we both got sick which was a real bummer. Please keep our health in your prayers since it seems to be the area were we get mostly attacked in. Thank you for partnering with us in Prayer and financially in this ministry. You are a true blessing!

Each one is needed!

When we look at the world today we see many people that don’t know Jesus. But we also see many people that became Christians but have no one who disciples them and who they can learn from and then fall away from God. Many times we just put that role onto the Pastor of the church, but the truth is it can’t be the job of only the pastor to disciple people.

Jesus discipled his disciples and then send them to disciple others. And all of them went for it. They did it by preaching the gospel and helping people in whichever way they needed help (Mark 16.20).

It is important for each one of us to live our faith on a daily base and help others to grow in it too. That looks different for each one of us since each of us is gifted in a different way, but it all comes down to that people need to see Jesus in each one of us.

If we want to see this world reached for Jesus and we want to see change we have to all do it. Each of us has to do their part.

We can’t just consume church; we have to be the church.

We were never meant to just go to church Sunday after Sunday and then do our own thing for the rest of the week. Church is the place to be filled, but then that filling has to be given away during the week. I promise you that when you start doing that, you will grow in your faith and your relationship with God, and you will also see others around you grow.

Look at your life this week and think about people that are around you that you can disciple. It might be the alpha graduate that just became a Christian and has many questions or it might be the man who has been a Christian all his life but is stuck. Start making a difference.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

What wastes your time?

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Hey our friend

2012-12-31 21.00.14We hope your first weeks in this new year were wonderful. Join us this year in Prayer for Gods work in this world, like San Francisco or your town. You can bring change through praying!!

What wastes your time?

I heard it many times from different people that they don’t have time for God. But I believe that there is a solution to that. I think all of us experienced at one point or another how we come out of a moment realizing that we just spend hours on something we only wanted to spend minutes on. It is frustrating when that happens, since we add extra stress to all of our other projects which really needed that time. I think in today’s society it is very easy to waste time, like spending a while on the internet, watching TV, Facebook etc. And it is ok to do those things from time to time or for a purpose, but it is not Ok to do them always as time filler. As an example it’s ok to check Facebook email and the news, but you don’t have to do it 10 times a day.

Let’s assume you waste 1 hour per day for the rest of your life and you live to be 80 you wasted 5 years of your life.

Do you see how much time that opens up for you? Now imagine you use those five years to make a difference in this world and go into fulltime ministry. Or you can use half of that time to spend extra time with God and the other half to bring Jesus to the people around you. I promise, you will see a huge difference in your community as well as your own relationship with God.

I want to challenge you with this to think about the things that waste your time. Then come up with an action plan on how to eliminate them. Have someone in your life that asks the right questions, or do it with someone together so both fight their way through. Also set up dedicated times where you will use the certain things. Don’t just use them at random times. But the most important thing your mindset has to change. As an example don’t even think about to go on your choice of time waste by saying I will only go there for 5 minutes, because you know it won’t happen. So instead of going to the time waste, spend time in prayer to pray for neighbors or people around you.

I know this is a challenge, but it is possible and it can change. Just go for the change.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

A small act of Kindness can bring hope and joy

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Hey our friend

2014-01-01 15.50.082013-12-31 23.54.12We hope you had a wonderful start into the new year. We are still in Pennsylvania sharing with friends, churches, family about what God is doing in San Francisco. Pray for our time that God really encourages and challenges people through our sharing.

We also launched our new website oficially on January 1st., which you are on right now. Many thanks to our friend Shane Fryer for making this possible. You are the best!!

A small act of Kindness can bring hope and joy

A little while ago I was on my way to a meeting. While walking there I saw a older man who was carrying 2 heavy boxes. I asked him if I can help him with carrying one of them. He couldn’t believe that I would help him. He needed to go anyway to a place that was along my way to the meeting and some extra arm exercise doesn’t hurt anyone. The joy on his face was amazing. His face literally changed from looking sad to total joyIt is so interesting how a moment of caring can change the outlook of someones day. The great thing about this is that all of us can do it. We don’t have to start a huge ministry or speak at a church to bring the love of God to people. We can do little things for people when they don’t expect it. Mother Teresa said this:

“Not all of us can do great things. But all of us can do small things with love. “

I would say that little things done with love are by far greater then great things done without love. Lets bless people around us and show them who our King is!!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

http://youtu.be/TmKKaf2F6uk