Category Archives: Capturing Courage Daily

Everything that doesn’t fit in elsewhere lands here. A smattering of thought and action from which we take courage for each day.

Poverty Strongholds – Part One

Posted on by

We were more than halfway through our ministry trip in Uganda. We had been alongside many, many pastors, had stayed in many homes, and had been to many districts and villages and churches.

So far, we had been experiencing a bounty of thought and action, of hospitality and sufficiency. Those we were alongside knew that God was caring for them, knew that life was good albeit hard, and out of that delighted in their care of us.

But then we ran across some thinking and perspectives that glared out at us as a poverty mindset extraordinaire all rolled into one. They claimed poverty as their biggest challenge and relayed to us stories of how the enemy was confounding everyone, literally everyone, in that surrounding area.

Now, we had heard bits and pieces of this same thinking in the months prior, but somehow it all came together in stark reality — all poverty was blamed on the devil; it was ALL satan’s fault.

Now, while we know that satan’s plan is one of destruction we could not abide by the belief that everything bad and wrong was of the enemy without any responsibility from the humans involved. If this were the case, then we would all be victims forever more, the end.

Continue reading →

The Covering of Jesus in Snapshot Mode

Posted on by

Technically speaking, in terms of the legality, Jesus coming to earth was in service to our freedom and salvation, our covering from the impact of satan’s authority in this earth.

In Jesus we can begin to experience the Kingdom of God come to earth that Jesus foretold but also initiated in. While there is a future distant complete reality to the Kingdom of God on earth, there is opportunity to begin experiencing God’s kingdom even now.

We do this as we, first, accept the covering of Jesus, and second, as we increasingly align ourselves to the heart of God and his ways and manner.

Continue reading →

Hands Off!

Posted on by

Every once in awhile I come across an indiscretion within the body of Christ. It is something that in some circles is considered normal but ultimately reveals itself to be the precursor to much bad fruit. It is this thing about permission and an assumed ownership of each other’s gifting and callings.

I remember many years ago sitting in a church service listening to a message regarding the verse, “To him who has been given much, much is required” and immediately through my mind ran a litany of all the things I had been given.

Now, the Lord had already been telling me for some years that one day I would be impacting many, many people around the world. I was slowly adjusting to this thought and preparing myself for this work of the Lord that was still off in some distant future.

Continue reading →

Jesus Fully

Posted on by

I’ve preached once, twice, or three times every single day for more than four weeks now. Along with this preaching I pray for the heart healing, the restoration, and the refreshment of those in each congregation. It is good work.

The power of our healing lies in the work and name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This work was accomplished more than two-thousand years ago. When Jesus went to the cross, died, descended into Hades, and rose again, He entered into our personal hell with his life.

This means that our troubles and traumas are already touched by the healing power of our Lord. The very thing we may be afraid to look at and to enter into, is where He is and already has been.

This means that we must turn from our denial regarding the difficulties that each one of us has personally faced. Jesus died to free you from the smallest hurt in your life. He also died to free you from the biggest harm in your life.

Last night we had chicken for dinner. And as I was picking the meat off of the bones I was reminded (as I often am when I eat chicken in Africa) of Jesus Christ.

Continue reading →

Removing Religion

Posted on by

We have been just over three weeks in Uganda. It has been an amazing time. The first week we were settling into the routine and rhythm of the complete immersion by which we move. We have stayed in 10 homes so far with each one of them different and lovely.

Our travel days have been long. Usually with 4-8 hours of travel in addition to preaching and ministering on the front or back end of that travel. Everywhere we go people are so thirsty for the word of God and the core of the gospel; we keep coming back to Jesus Christ.

I am convinced that the ‘wide way’ that Jesus spoke of is religion, while the narrow way is himself.

Continue reading →

The Kingdom of God Breaking in Upon Us Requires that We Hold Back our Own Best Solutions and Thinking

Posted on by

If you are familiar with the work of CCIM you will have noticed that we go about ministry in a fairly unique way: we expect to be hosted by those we travel to and minister alongside. At first glance this seems to be disproportionate to the economic realities of west meeting east. How does one coming from one of the most affluent countries in the world get off on asking those in the poorest countries in the world to host her?

Well, it’s taken some time and the Lord’s heavy hand upon us at CCIM, but we are now convinced and thoroughly convicted that this is how the Lord would have us move. Let me try to explain.

My first exposure to the unique economic working of the Lord came as I was staying with Edith in Uganda back in 2011. Having breakfast on her front porch one day, she pointed out to me the verse in Matthew 10:41a, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.” Edith understood that keeping me in her home was a gift back unto the Lord and one that would be honoured in the big scheme of things.
Continue reading →

Emerging Movemental Influence

Posted on by

Some months back Alongsiders International posted this grid contrasting old style leadership and the new, emerging movemental influence. At CCIM we immediately recognized this as our very own manner of ministry as we stand alongside indigenous pastors and church leaders around the world.

In the months since, we continue to come across other ministries that are keen on exactly this way of reaching and discipling and growing our communities and nations.

And while CCIM works with church leaders who, more often than not, have been raised to minister in the old style of leadership, we are intentionally challenging and equipping pastors and churches to move into an increasingly ‘movemental’ model.

Continue reading →

The Work of Death

Posted on by

God delights to meet with His people. Gathering, walking, talking, abiding in each other’s presence, this is the agenda and heart of God and all of His efforts ever since the beginning of time have been unto relationship, and since the fall, have been about restoring relationship.

Within the text of Genesis, right at the start in chapter three, we find God restoring dignity to mankind and covering over what had already been lost.

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21, is not just a nice little verse about the newest fashions of the day. It is about God interrupting created order for the sake of his children. God the creator of all things, the one who sustains all life, kills one of his creatures for the benefit and blessing and restored dignity of both Adam and Eve.

Continue reading →

Walking in The Way

Posted on by

I recently created a diagram to illustrate the work that CCIM does compared to the more traditional and humanitarian aid work that many organizations are involved towards. First off I want to make it plain and clear that there is nothing wrong with humanitarian aid work. For many around the world it is a lifeline that speaks to the reality of God in our midst through the practical help of others. I myself have benefited from practical help through the years.

What I learned though, through my own years, is the understanding that for every bad fruit in our lives there is a bad root. Bad fruit does not just come from nowhere, there is always a legal right for that bad fruit to be there. CCIM at the roots - Version 2

What I mean is this: authority in the spirit realm works by very clear rules and principles with each one of us giving either Satan or God authority in our lives.

Continue reading →

The River of Life

Posted on by

Kingdom life requires that we enter into life as the King has decreed. God in his personhood holds a space and declares a way that life is to be and comes about, and it is as we enter into this way that we begin to experience kingdom living.

Too many times though, we mistake the Kingdom way for nice platitudes or rules and regulations. It is very easy to miss the heart of the kingdom and when we do this, we miss out on the legacy of the kingdom in our own lives.

The best way that I can describe it is that the kingdom of God is like a might river. The waters are clean and cool, refreshing and energizing. These waters run through many lands, past many peoples, nourishing the nations. These living waters clean us, restore us, heal us. These waters wash away the grit and grime of our lives. In these waters shame and guilt are removed.

Continue reading →