On the Way to Kingdom View

Time to return to Uganda and Mark and I are so excited about what the Lord is doing through the Rock in Uganda.  We plan on spending almost a month in Mukono, Uganda where Uganda Christian University is located to minister to the students, friends on campus, and  develop a plan with the architect for Kingdom View ministry house next to the university.

Imagine having a place for campus ministries to meet within walking distance to campus where they can learn more about Jesus, and fellowship with other professionals, pastors and missionaries. 

Lifestyle discipleship reaches some of the 8,000 students attending Uganda Christian University as they discuss life's challenges, cook in the kitchen and just hang out and talk.

Other friends and pastors stop by to visit and often stay for lunch or dinner.  Mark, Dan and I love to cook, catch up and just share life.  Our door is always open to students needing advice, guidance on writing their resumes, and always prayer.  Hospitality is something that is popular in Uganda and we always love to give back that wonderful hospitality when we are around.

For a few days while we are there we plan to travel to Northern Uganda to the Village of Hope to encourage the staff and pastor there.  Please pray this time will bless the staff and orphans there.

A Changed Paradigm for Children Who Are Hurting

Greetings from Uganda!  God is truly an amazing God.  We arrived after a very long hard trip with a total rerouting of our trip and a few lost bags.  Our long-time friend Earl Fain joined us on the first part of our trip as we ministered to university students at Uganda Christian University.  Many of the students who are graduating don’t have their CVs or resumes done and need practical advice writing them and coaching with job interviewing skills.  Several students stopped by the apartment and Earl and I did some editing and role playing. 

We have really appreciated the relationship The Rock has with the university and after meeting with the former Vice Chancellor, the current Vice Chancellor and the retired Archbishop of the Anglican diocese who started the university we know we have a shared vision of making impactful disciples of Jesus.  God is opening some doors to do several things.  The university students at UCU often graduate and become Christian change-makers in the country.  They minister to other organizations, they live out their faith in the workplace, many find themselves taking care of the orphans in their families and they need encouragement as they graduate and face the challenges of the culture.

As we have prayed since our last trip for God to show us the next step, an opportunity to purchase land within walking distance to the university has surfaced.  The former archbishop showed us some land and arranged for us to meet the owner.  Dan, Mark, Earl and I all feel the Lord is in this to create a gathering place for believers to meet, study, get rest if the need a break as pastors with their wives, and also continue getting training as organizations or individuals in practical ways as disciples.  The core of the ministry will be teaching the paradigm shift of believing truth instead of lies that hold us back in all aspects of life.  We believe God wants us to open a guest house and gathering place with a “kingdom view” on top of the highest mountain in Mukono to renew, restore and refresh believers…It will be a miracle if it happens but with God all things are possible.  In addition to the ministry to students, graduates and staff we were asked to minister to another ministry in Northern Uganda.

On the April 26^th we left Mukono to travel to Northern Uganda where Cindy Cunningham (our friend who recently had brain surgery) and her Ugandan friend Rose Aber started Village of Hope just south of Gulu.  The vision was to provide a safe haven for the children abducted or made orphans by Joseph Kony.  Cindy, Rose, Janelle and Mike have followed the Lord’s calling to help the children feel safe and loved in an environment where they can heal.  Cindy shared with me, prior to me leaving for Uganda that the staff requested some additional training to further the spiritual healing of the children.  Since many of the children still struggle with their identity because of the horrible things they have experienced we shared how the BOLD (Believers Overcoming Lies of the Devil) teaching has impacted the Rock university students.  The core of the teaching focuses on our identity in Christ as believers in practical ways living life day by day.

Since there are 250 children at the village we offered to bring some of our Rock university graduates and students to help minister to the children.  Emmanuel Babi and his wife Sarah (Care Medical Centre nurses) drove up with a few of the current students Michael, Gorret and David.  John Mugowa another Rock graduate joined Mark and me as we drove up to advance the team and organize the schedule. 

Upon arrival we found that the older kids were the ones most impacted by Kony.  Most of the younger kids were impacted by Kony but differently since they were orphaned or abandoned but as babies or small children. Kony is now in Sudan or Congo. Gorret one of the students who traveled with us said Rose the director told her about a teenage boy who couldn't eat meat because Kony had forced him to kill his older brother by biting him to death.

All of us agreed God had us there for a purpose and He was multiprocessing.  Sarah and Gorret spent time one on one sharing with the girls, Michael, John and David shared their testimonies and encouraged the boys to stay pure and honor God in every decision they make.  David trained the head teacher on some practical discipleship skills and spent one afternoon orchestrating AWANA games for about 250 kids.  We trained the staff, the teachers, the house moms and the key youth leaders on how to help the children change their paradigm from being victims to being children of God who are accepted, secure and significant. Much time was spent clarifying doctrinal questions pertaining to our salvation, eternal life with Jesus, our position in heaven, sanctification in our day to day life and who we are now in the present as believers.

Please join us in prayer as we inquire of the Lord in the next steps.  God is opening many new doors both with Uganda Christian University, student leaders on campus in the Honors College and in the field with other ministries and church leaders needing teaching support and encouragement on the ground.Stepping out on the water…once again!

Standing In the Gap With Friends Opens Doors

A few years ago, after we began working in Uganda a friend of mine Cindy Cunningham began a ministry in Northern Uganda called Village of Hope.  Through the years I have prayed with Cindy, shared stories, advice and struggles about our work in Africa as we encouraged each other.  Recently Cindy discovered a brain tumor had returned requiring surgery in April.  During our prayer times and discussions, she mentioned a need for training the staff and leaders in the ministry to take the healing of the children to a new level.  She often shares that the Village of Hope extends Jesus' love "through our time, love, and hope in the grace of God to bring healing to the hundreds of orphans affected by the brutal attacks of Joseph Kony and his army by the name of the Lord's Resistance Army."

 

After discussing with Cindy the paradigm shift to freedom we see developing in our staff and students in the Rock ministry, she believed the message of freedom in Christ  would further help heal the emotional and spiritual wounds of the young people. Mark and I and some other members of the ministry plan to visit Village of Hope in late April to share The Rock's BOLD adaptation for Africa of the Freedom in Christ Ministries. (BOLD is for Believers Overcoming Lies of the Devil - a compelling message in the African culture).

 

We are all excited to encourage the Village of Hope leadership team, present an overview to the young people and hang out in the homes with the kids and house mothers. When people desire healing God can cause there to be fundamental change in individual lives. Our identity in Jesus as taught in BOLD is not a program nor curriculum. It is a paradigm shift that penetrates the essence of who we are spiritually every bit as much as our DNA defines our biological makeup.

 

I love the way God multi-processes.  As more in the ministry are trained it is a great opportunity for African disciples currently in BOLD fellowships to put to use for the Kingdom what they have learned by serving others in Northern Uganda.

 

 

Mission Impossible

"Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to loosen the chains of spiritual and economic bondage in Africa. Jesus says 'with man this is impossible.' As usual, should you or any member of your I.M. Force be captured or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim." (Adapted from the TV series Mission: Impossible.

Dan Vick, Mark and Margaret Noblin in Kenya.

We at The Rock see that indeed our mission is impossible in our own strength. In a world increasingly focused on quick gratification and feel good results, the job can be disavowed by those faint of heart who prefer not to deal with disappointment along the way. And it is not luck, but God who carries us forward as we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

"With God all things are possible," Jesus said. This was in the context of disciples questioning who can be saved when Jesus told them it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. That statement came when a rich young man went away defeated after Jesus responded to his question about how to gain eternal life by telling him to abandon his possessions and become a disciple.

Giving up all possessions is not a universal command of Jesus, but rather a revealing probe into the real priorities of the rich man's heart. We must shed anything that comes before God in our hearts. It is not having money that corrupts us -- it is the love of money that corrupts, whether we have riches or not.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10) Jesus taught on money more than He did heaven and hell combined - in fact more than anything, except the Kingdom of God. Of 39 parables, 11 address money. And in Luke, one of every seven verses references money.

How we view money is a window into our hearts and reveals whether we are focused on our possessions or on God. So it should not be surprising that money is at the root of every single betrayal and conflict we have experienced both in Africa and the U.S. in more than 10 years of ministry.

Our hearts are broken at a recent stumble by a trusted African brother in the Lord in this area. We believe God has revealed through prayer, experience and His Word that The Rock's focus has been placed too much on projects which inadvertently have tempted those we serve to look upon us as money sources more than faithful teachers of God's Word.

Mercy ministries fulfill a vital role and the Bible commands us to feed and clothe the poor. However, discipleship and leadership development in Africa to break the cycles of dependency and spiritual bondage are the distinct callings God has given us at The Rock.

The devil has been using our own resource of money against us in this effort. So we are led to a new theme as we teach in Africa: "No money, just Jesus." God already has given us the message and vision with our BOLD ministry initiative.

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Matthew 8:36)

Thank you as you stand with us in prayer and financially to assist in teaching, equipping and one-on-one discipleship. We believe God for great spiritual breakthroughs. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new "Mission Impossible" assignment in Africa!

 

Dan, Mark and Margaret

 

Enjoy the Ride

What joy to take the grandkids whitewater rafting! I just love the expressions on their faces – particularly when I know how timid about water two of them had been.

It reminds me of our ride through life. The rough water can be a source of joy and a boost to our faith. Or it can frighten us away from experiencing all the Lord has to offer.

Only a day before the rafting adventure, Samuel, 8, (front) was nervous getting on a paddle boat in a calm lake with the rest of us. The stage for a “strong and courageous” talk already had been set the night before the paddle boat excursion when the three kids were freaked out by a spider in their tent in the middle of the night.

In our smaller tent next to them, Margaret and I listened to the ruckus of the “gigantic” spider who they claimed could fly and was as fast and elusive as the wind. I hollered from our tent for the boys to be protectors, smash the spider with a shoe, be quiet and go to sleep. After several failed attempts, they showed up at the front of our tent, excited nearly to tears, pleading for me to kill the spider.

So I entered the tent of horrors and promptly pounded the garden-variety spider with my Adidas flip flop. The kids saw it was only about the size of a nickel, yet in their minds they still think it was huge. Their fears had fed off one another until the spider became legendary.

Breakfast talk the next morning centered on fear and recalled the story of Daniel and the lions’ den. They listened when I said if you fear God, you needn’t fear anything else. We also talked about how God told Joshua to “be strong and very courageous” as he prepared to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Fear is not from the Lord, though prudence is.

That pep talk emboldened Samuel to get on the paddle boat. After rafting, he said the paddle boat ride had been scarier. I suppose that first act of courage and leap of faith is the toughest.

The previous year Hannah, 9, was clingy and nervous on a canoe trip down a lazy river flowing into Lake Michigan. Stephen, 12, on the other hand, was on his third rafting trip, having never hesitated and even surviving the Snake River in Wyoming with me.

The rough waters in rafting were a blast, but not all rough waters in life are. Sometimes we shoot the rapids by choice, others times it seems we are just thrown in. Entering missions is a choice Margaret and I made, although admittedly not without some fear and trepidation.

But we did not choose to be knocked out of the boat into the rushing waters. That happens to all of us at one time or another and the older I get the more I realize it just goes with the territory, particularly when serving the Lord.

Still, we can say we have been blessed immeasurably by the ride and take comfort in those times when we have been tossed by remembering Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Life Changer

Get a hold of who the Bible says you are in Jesus and it will change your life forever.


Our mission at The Rock is to create impactful disciples, and we have found that happens only when people know and embrace their identity in Christ.

Enjoy and claim!

I am accepted.

     John 1:12 I am God’s child.
     John 15:15 I am Jesus’ friend.
     Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
     1 Cor 6:17 I am united with the Lord and I am one spirit with Him.
     1 Cor 6:20 I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
     1 Cor 12:27 I am a member of Jesus’ body.
     Eph 1:1 I am a saint.
     Eph 2:18 I have direct access to God.
     Col 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
     Col 2:10 I am complete in Jesus.

I am secure.

     Rom 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
     Rom 8:28 I am assured that all things work together for the good.
     Rom 8:31-34 I am free from any condemning charges against me.
     Rom 8:35-39 I cannot be separated from the love of God.
     2 Cor 1:21-22 I am established, anointed and sealed by God.
     Phil 1:6 I know the work God has begun in me will be perfected.
     Phil 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
     Col 3:3 I am hidden with Jesus in God.
     2 Tim 1:7 I have not fear but a spirit of power, love and soundness.
     Heb 4:16 I can find grace and mercy in time of need.
     1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant.

     Matt 5:13-14 I am the salt and light of the earth.
     John 15:1-5 I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.
     Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Jesus.
     1 Cor 3:16 I am God’s temple.
     2 Cor 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
     2 Cor 6:1 I am God’s coworker. (See 1 Cor 3:9)
     Eph 2:6 I am seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm.
     Eph 2:10 I am God’s workmanship.
     Eph 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
     Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me.


(From Victory Over the Darkness by Neil T. Andersen)



Please consider joining in the amazing work God is doing through The Rock in Africa. We need $30,000 by year-end to maintain discipleship programs at their current level next year.


Mark and Margaret Noblin

Only Human?

How often have we said in response to shortcomings: “I’m only human” or “He’s only human” or “She’s only human?”

A Kenyan bishop who partners with The Rock has rebuked this line of thinking to his flock.

Bishop Paul says if you are a believer in Jesus, nothing could be more false than saying you are only human. The fallacy is in the word “only.”

Our humanness is not an excuse for sin. I remember a business person in Uganda who cheated me had a favorite phrase: “It’s Uganda!” As if that made cheating and various shenanigans normal and expected. Ungodly practices and customs of a country are no more justifiable than personal ungodly behavior.

As born again new creations in Jesus, sin is not our normal or expected state as it was before. While we are tempted and sometimes stumble, our mere humanness has been transformed by the fact that Jesus lives in us and us in Him. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)

Imagine that! As a believer in Jesus, you already are “in Him” for eternity! Not only that, but Jesus has taken up residence in your humanness. Jesus says in John 15:4, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.”

We were provided as well with the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation to reveal our sins to us and lead us to repentance.

So you see as a believer in Jesus, you are much more than human; whereas before in your mere humanness you were trapped. “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Rom. 6:6)

Understanding our identity in Jesus is the major focus now of our teaching to Rock leadership in Africa. We are praying once the leadership is equipped that they will be able to share this teaching to our scholarship students, businessmen and throughout their churches. The freedom they will proclaim is not only from sin, but also from the lies that obscure who we really are in Jesus and rob our joy and effectiveness for the Lord.

Savor these words which are just a sampling of who the Bible tells us we are as Believers in Jesus:

·        I am a child of God. (John 1:12)

·        I am Jesus’ friend. (John 15:15)

·        I am a joint heir with Christ. (Rom. 8:17)

·        I am a temple of God. (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19)

·        I am a saint. (Eph. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:2, Phi. 1:1, Col. 1:2)

·        I am the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)

·        I am the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14)

·        I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. (Col. 3:12, 1 Thess. 1:4)