A Father and his Son

Hey!! I hope you enjoy this post and I would actually like some feedback or revelation on this which you may get, my e-mail address is: ryanodendaal@gmail.com – I am yet to be a father myself but am just enjoying growing as a son for now :-)

I was at gym yesterday morning just rocking out on a treadmill and to my left were the squash courts. I often notice fathers and their sons playing squash and it always intrigues me - I have a real heart for family - and seeing fathers and sons sharing each other’s space are quite unique nowadays!!

Anyway, so there was a father and son having a great time playing squash but I noticed the son wasn’t quite the strongest player and returned quite weak shots, yet it didn’t seem to throw the game off or anything. Big ups to the father for his patience and love on display!!

After some time, the father and son swapped racquets and all of a sudden the son’s game improved...huh!! Cause now the dad was playing with the son’s original racquet but his game didn’t all of a sudden drop...

Something was up here and I felt God speak some simple truths to me:

1. “Opponents playing with each other” – usually a sporting activity has a competitive aspect to it, one wins and the other looses or maybe even a draw. In this case the pair would be said to be playing against each other, yet I felt and saw how they were playing ‘with’ each other. Obviously now, the father had way more skill and know-how of this game and he was teaching his son as they were going along. Yes they were playing against each other...but where else would you enter an environment where a game was taking place and your ‘opponent’ stopped to teach, motivate and encourage you, especially if a result is expected at the end?

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I was expecting the father to get upset and frustrated with his son – yet this was never the case. The two of them just played on and the dad’s body language never gave any hint of anything but love and honour. I was reminded of the above scripture and it spoke to me of how a father just by being gentle and kind can draw such amazingness out of his children.

2. “The Father is always routing for us to win” – wow, Daddy was showing me how He is always routing for you and I. When we get onto that court with Him, He is our biggest encourager and He celebrates us always!! It doesn’t matter what the ‘court’ platform is in your personal scenario...Father God is always routing for you and He loves to see you and I win!!

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? (Hebrews 12:7-9) 

God was reminding me that in our childish rebellion, sometimes we want to retaliate – ‘throwing our toys out of the cot’ and just getting plain angry that we can’t do whatever it is that is before us. That son could have given up, thrown down his racquet, hung his head and thrown a tantrum!! But you know what...there was a relationship between the two. A relationship that is built on trust, grounded in vulnerability – one of loving commitment. Man, I wish you could see this; I was actually quite blown away. I think the truest or simplest definition of a son would be one that always allows the Father’s discipline and then within that relationship everything is dealt with – fears, faults, failures, triumphs, victories...you name it.

Lastly, the issue of how when the father and son exchanged racquets all of a sudden the son’s game improved. Yoh...how we long to mimic our dads. As a son growing up you look up towards your father and want to be a man just like him – I am reminded of those images of the father shaving and the son looking at the father with great intrigue or maybe a young preschooler wearing a collared shirt and tie to school on one of those ‘what do you want to be one day when you grew up’ vibes...all with a longing to grow up like dad.

So what was the deal with the racquet exchange, well I am not to clear on that but the simplest imagery to me was that the father was passing onto the son, his (the father’s) tools and somehow the son was able to do better...to go further.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

So, whatever your idea is of a father or even God our Father – know that Pappa God is a God of love of grace and mercy – One that is always routing for us and preparing great victories for the obstacles hindering you and I.

His goodness knows no bounds and His heart for you and I is massive. He loves you with a great and eternal love – a love which will never run dry, die out, become flat, cold or dead but His love is fiery and hot. It motivates and causes us to achieve great victories!!

God loves you and just as this simple father and son squash story was unpacked to me, so the Father is keen to reveal Himself to you in ordinary ways. Yes your hurts and pains are real but dare to believe that He is also real and He is alive and wants to encounter you with His presence – it’s in that presence that wholeness comes!!

Awesome, till the next post...love you guys!!

Ryan

A mixed emotion of sin and drought

Wow...where does one begin – in my last blog post, 25 May 2010 (another year gone by...2 years) I wrote and declared that never again shall I complain about how terrible and stretching and poo poo poo this season has been...

Voice of Truth – Casting Crowns
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armour
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Well, this is kinda gonna be a very spontaneous post and I am really trusting Holy Spirit to bring a message through me, through my life...I message of hope and maybe my own heart will get exposed – I heart that has been crying out, yearning HELP!!

I remember finding Retha McPherson’s story (if you don’t know her...google...facebook...go wild) within the first week of my story and there’s sometimes just those one liners that stick with you, no matter what story you hear – to you, there’s always that one line that poked at your heart that you just kinda harbour on. For me, Retha spoke of how her greatest fear, was her family being in a brutal accident – and it happened...for me, my biggest fear was – GOD...I never wanna loose this honeymoon phase feeling.

So what happened here – KA BOOM – Pappa turned up the testing thermostat!! So my biggest fear, quite frankly my biggest idol, I suppose came to light – exposed for all to see. Sorry if you confused, but here it is – since the day I got saved (25 May 2008), I was party much sold out for the Kingdom – nothing could shake me, cause I knew Jesus and I know he answers prayer and he does!! But I got very used to the feeling, even amidst people cautioning me of my ridiculous conversion – I saw this as okes warning me of growing weary...when in fact I rate it was more like, hey – get ready, prepare...read more about this just now (...)

Then the idol part (yes yes, Harvest – my local family is doing a rocking series on this), whats up with that yo? Well, let me use this gravifying (I think I just made up a word, it means being brought down to earth) example: I like to think we pray with Jesus instead of (the illustration) to Jesus – yes as a Christian (if you are a non-believer reading this blog, I really gotta share this with you, in John 14:6 Jesus himself says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.) I pray to Jesus, but in fact Jesus himself taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9...right...RIGHT!!

So He’s heard it all before...nah, that’s not what I’m saying – I’m saying he knows us – you and me, every last hair on me head is accounted for, every breath, every waking moment – and then we tell people, come to Jesus – he wants to know you...ha ha, he does know you...but he wants to know you even more, even way more intimate. He wants to have a relationship with you, he wants to hang out with you and just talk to you, and you to him...lovely :-)

So, about praying with him – it makes sense to me :-) cause in idol worship, okes pray to an idol – imagine talking to the wall...and kinda expect things to happen...but as a sane minded fly on the wall, we thinking this guy is nutso’s...but the poor idolater is convinced...eish

So, I fealt that Jesus was becoming an idol to me – I was talking TO him, rather at him...and left very short of any answer, and I doubt that I was gonna get an answer cause I wasn’t seeking him...but rather an idea of him, an idea of good emotions and spirituality wrapped up into one...no no, I have not become new age...promise I haven’t watched Oprah in over two years (gasp...you cant just say that Ryan!!)...ha ha :-)

Yup, so the SIN part in this blog title is the phony-ness (you should really read the Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger – the main character is Holden Caulfield, and he despises phonies) by which I approached the cross, you kinda go to the cross – but instead of walking towards Jesus head on, you walking off to the side a little bit, cause you holding something in your hand that you want nobody to see, less in fact Jesus. Cause heaven forbid he actually asks me to lay it ALL down. Like I only wanted him to see that which I was prepared to give...

1 Corinthians 5:6-7
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed

...you see, I had a little yeast hidden, but it infected my whole being, but I really thought only I knew...God is graceful, merciful and just so much better and way more worthy and really good – that he deserves way more than a half truth...a lie. He deserves the truth.

Truth exposes a lie and we can move on. A lie tries to cover up the truth and in fact life just gets swak!!

Now for the fun part...DRINKING IN THE DROUGHT...you know I left part of the story hanging and dangling a bit up there...go fetch it...

The dry times are gonna come, the drought is almost inevitable and it is not to be feared. God is always looking to build his army, right here right now, but are we ready to be recruited?

Life is gonna happen...and when life happens I have realised I need strong okes around me, guys who will defend you and build you up, guys who come alongside and lay down their lives together with you.

This issue of community, family, friendships, brothers (sisters) etc. needs to be settled right now and for all...Jesus himself dedicated his life to other people and see, we are also called to do the same. This is so firmly rooted in the servant hood we are called to...its not a selfish desire to build up a Facebook friend circle – its more than that, its about being part of God’s glorious army. Knowing that when times of testing come, we have a community that stand and pray with us!!

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Men, if you were ever gonna get a tattoo...(and you have never felt convicted by Leviticus...ha ha)...then this is it!!

To clear up, drinking in the drought, is when we are tired, heaven laden and weary – that our brothers would carry us to Jesus Christ. Cause when times get tough, religion teaches us to run from God, but relationship leads up straight to Him!!

Drink of Him always, our very source of living waters...of life and of pure love, and you shall never want...

Love you all so very much...RYAN
[WWJD...I dunno...ask him]

Heaven...WOW!!

So, visited a friends’ cell group tonight: Dirk Naude and Mandi-Rae Wood, by the way...they rock big time and Jesus thinks they pretty amazing and so do I!! There cell was intensely huge tonight (hmmm...Jesus had a plan) and a friend of ours, Robyn Harvey was at the cell – she was a first year at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry ‘last year’.

Mandi had an awesome word and then Robyn was asked to ‘lead us to heaven’...wow...here is my account, as much as what I can now remember.

He had some awesome instrumental soaking music playing in the background and Robyn asked us to imagine a pink elephant...we did that and she encouraged us by saying yeah, pink elephants don’t exist, its our imagination...we have the mind of Christ...and anything we were to experience from hereon forward was from God, as we relaxed our bodies and concentrated completely on what our thoughts were showing us.

Robyn told us to go to a happy place; I have this grassy hill with a cross and that Jesus would meet me there...and He did, He came walking from the ocean that was surrounding me, all the places in my experience are nature intense and beautiful!!

Then Jesus took me off to an awesome jungle area, green and an awesome river, there he gave me a gift...it came in sort of a jewellery box...it was an amazing coin of some sorts, a precious coin – cant necessarily remember the significance now – something on the lines of, Jesus was giving me my dreams, giving me the power and authority to take hold of my dreams...

Then Jesus took me off the meet with the Holy Spirit...gotta just live the Spirit and his freeness...the Spirit took me off to a canyon, and then we rose up, flying towards this cliff, we entered this cave inside the cliff and started hovering above these canals in the cliff and I saw hundreds of sheep, at one point I thought I was in Noah’s arc, but then the sheep turned into people...but they weren’t too happy looking...next thing we were standing on top of the cliff and the Holy Spirit was telling me favourite memories he has of me – day I got saved, baptism, time I prayed for the sick people in the emergency room etc. and He gave me two gifts – first gift was a scarf, he danced around me, sort of teasing me with the scarf wrapping it around my neck – the scarf was many beautiful colours, each one representing a (spiritual) fruit. The second gift was a necklace, and he told me that as this necklace adds beauty to ones appearance, so if I ‘wear’ the Holy Spirit, my appearance would become absolutely beautiful!!

I then went off to visit Papa (Father God), He was so at peace, busy sculpting this beautiful wooden horse (was like a miniature rocking horse) for me – I remembered how Jesus was a carpenter and Papa told me of course, Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, I asked Him what He was doing and He told me He was just busy running the universe – but in such a awesome way, not boastful at all. He gave me the horse and explained how I always dream of riding horses and assured me that when I come home one day I would be able to just ride horses for like forever.

He then kept tickling me on my stomach and I was laughing...he explained that, that’s how He created me...he made me ticklish and so hence He was tickling me and just having a blast!!

Then we went off to play some games, we played some rugby and hockey – I sucked at rugby, but had loads of fun with Papa and enjoyed the Hockey but got hurt and He just encouraged me and took me in His arms and I was all better.

I asked Papa to show me something about me and he showed a stage, I was preaching to a group of young people – a dream of mine, but never actually prayed about it because it’s just way big...God showed me that my possibilities are endless and He sees my full potential.

I asked Papa to give me a gift for someone and He gave me this awesome, beautiful diamond ring for this girl I study with...

Then we came back...

[Tried to remember all as best as possible, but might have left some stuff out.]

Treasure Hunt Testimonies...so far...

Wednesday, 8th April 2009 – my testimony
After attending a full day of ministry things from the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in East London we had a healing service at night and I was prayed for as my skin suffers from terrible eczema – I was not healed that night and neither the next night but a week later my skin was completely healed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes...yes...yes!!

Monday, 13th April 2009
I headed down to central on a mission – trusting God would give me words of knowledge for people. I encountered a lady with back pain, after praying with her and encouraging her and praising God for her healing she was completely healed. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she answered no and was able to share the simple gospel with here and lead her into a salvation prayer.

Saturday, 18th April 2009
A group of us met at Harvest to go out into the community.

My group firstly headed down towards the harbour where we encountered:

1. A girl in a green hoodie – one of our clues, we were able to just bless her with a prayer of blessing.

2. A second clue of a turban lead us to the mosk, we were denied entry but 3 gentleman later came out and we were able to pray for them, under condition it was to a ‘general god’.

3. Went to Govan Mbeki (central) – encountered two girls and after greeting them and blessing them with encouragement we learned that they had just been approached by armed robbers and were able to get away – clues: Mr Price packet, black shoes & silver bag.

4. Moved down towards the Shoprite – encountered two gentlemen – were able to pray for them and just bless them.

5. Me and *Rice* were able to pray with a man on a crutch – he is a truck driver and was in an accident last year in June, we laid hands on his shin, which he showed us – he was wearing a ‘heavy’ sock to keep his ankle/shin straight - after praying for him we asked him how he was doing, he said the pain was getting better – we took his crutch from him, with his permission and walked quite a distance down the sidewalk just proclaiming God’s name and praying for his healing, we eventually stopped about 100m further form the spot we had prayed (walking without a crutch the whole time) and laid hands and prayed a final time and all pain was gone and he was 100% healed. PRAISE GOD!! 

Saturday, 25th April 2009
A group of us met at Harvest to go out into the community.

My group firstly headed towards the Corner Cafe on 6th Avenue Walmer, we encountered:

1. The owner – a bald man with a red beard – one of our clues – and we were able to bless him just telling him how God had put him on our maps – he refused prayer.

2. Our second location was Uptown Theatres in Central – we met one of the cleaners in the Chaplin theatre and after chatting with her she told us her back was sore – we were able to pray with her three times, each time asking her if the pain was getting better and praising God that here pain was getting better – on the 3rd time she was completely healed which then she asked if we could pray for her feat which were in pain – ha ha...same vibe, pray and praise 3 times and she was a completely healed woman!!

3. We decided to carry on with our maps and went to the Uptown Theatres coffee shop where we encountered a waiter and another staff member – we built up some rapport – asking their names etc. and they wanted prayer for better jobs. I felt lead to take a walk down an empty stair case – I encountered a man with full body pain – I asked if I could pray for him – he was a Christian man and believed he would get healed, after laying hands and praying once he was completely healed!! One of the cleaning staff, Melisit – saw I was praying for the gentleman and she asked if I would pray for her one kidney which was in pain – I laid hands on her – prayed twice and she was completely healed...wow!!

4. Our last location was the Provisional Hospital – Kurt encountered a man outside whose wife was inside who was experiencing pain somewhere on her left side – Kurt prayed for her and she was healed. The rest of us spread through the whole waiting room trying to pray for each person. We were able to pray for a woman suffering from arthritis in both her hands and knees. We kept on praying for her crooked hands and the pain left here hands and she was really happy but I was unhappy with the crooked fingers so after praying again her fingers were straightened out...ha ha!! Yes, Lord!! We prayed for quite a few people – not all necessarily mentioned here when I felt lead to pray a corporate healing anointing over the waiting room – so the four of us introduced ourselves to the crowed and we started praying out over them – towards the end of the prayer one of the woman leaped out her chair – we almost thought she had enough and was leaving, but she started shaking her leg around and couldn’t believe that she had just been healed...haibo...then after trying to communicate with a predominantly Xhosa crowd we learned that another woman’s headache had also been healed...amen, unfortunately we were in a rush but we were able to anoint a woman’s hand’s to go lay hands on her brother in one of the wards. I have a strong feeling that the whole waiting room was healed that day as God clearly told me to pray over them to release the healing anointing...I estimate and claim +/-20 healings...PRAISE GOD!!

Saturday, 2nd May 2009
A group of us met at my House to go out into the community and bless them with a cooked meal, apple, sandwich and to serve them coffee.

We left the house with 9 apples, 10 sandwiches, 10 meals and lotsa coffee – we prayed God would multiply our apples and give us 10*

Our first location was the lighthouse vibe at the intersection of Marine Drive and Admiralty Way.

1. We met Sylvia, Maurice, Mike, Sipho and another gentleman – we were able to share food and coffee with them and they were wonderfully grateful.

1.1 Kurt was able to pray with Mike – a clue on my map. He has bad headaches after being hit in the head twice with an asbestos pipe** – he was healed.

1.2 We were able to pray with Maurice – a man with a walking stick, crippled after being hit by a car over a year ago and with no taxi fare to go to hospital. We laid hands on his knee which could hardly move and after about 4 prayer and praise attempts he was healed, unfortunately he refused his healing – event though now hw was walking without the stick claiming God would only heal him in about 3-4 days...yeah!! 

1.3 We were getting up to leave when Mike insisted we stay – we sat down and Mike started sharing his testimony of how many years ago he and 13 others were involved in a violent crime – he was hit** in the head by these guys. After sharing his story he told us that he does not often share this story and let alone with a white person!! My spirit was stirring that this man needed to accept forgiveness – as he was saved and needed baptism of the Holy Spirit. We prayed with him and he was fully baptised in the Holy Spirit and I was able to prophesy over him. After we finished praying he said that as I was prophesying dreams over him that the Spirit filled him and he started shaking uncontrollably, God also gave me a prophetic drawing for him and I was able to bless him with it.

2. Our second location was Hobie beach – we wondered around for a while not sure where to start so we eventually prayed God would reveal people to us. None of us got anything specific but Kurt felt to bless someone with black hair and a green top. Lesedi encouraged us that we shouldn’t exclusively be looking for poor, homeless people. We encountered 4 girls – one matching Kurt’s clue and they willingly accepted our meals and apples, not wanting sandwiches. We were able to pray for the one girl’s flue. We kept on down the pathway when we encountered 5 girls, seeing our flasks they asked for coffee and we were able to share coffee with them and they kept on asking us to share God with them. We asked if they were hungry and that we had sandwiches, they gladly accepted the offer – unfortunately we only had 4 sandwiches*, as we were handing the sandwiches out from our bag we found we miraculously had 5!! We were able to pray for the girls and prophesy into 2 of their lives. COME ON!!