http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/?p=373

Below is an email I received recently. I want to thank everyone who visits and comments on this blog. A lot of people visit, and they especially gain a lot of encouragement from the things people share about their own journey in the comment section. I think one of the most difficult things is feeling that you are on this journey alone. In some respects we are, no one can do it for us or live our lives. On the other hand, we are not along because the source of love, life, and peace is present within us in every moment. We are also not alone because others are walking a similar journey of “shedding religion to find God” and experiencing the freedom of knowing God in those “wide open spaces.”

Your Nobody Friend, Jim

Below is the email…

Hi Jim,

Since reading WIDE OPEN SPACES (and re-reading it again), I’ve checked out your website and blog. It’s encouraging to hear about other nobodies who are making their own way through Christendom! I’m thrilled to read that you are working on another book! That’s GREAT! Like I said previously, there are MANY former ‘fundies’ (as I call them, meaning ultra-conservative fundamentalists) who need your Helping Hand past all the BS!

I’ve mentioned your books (especially WIDE OPEN SPACES) to some of my ‘also-searching, former-fundie’ friends including my bible study leader. Yes, I’m in a bible study but we’re not your typical bible study group. We share a glass of wine or two and want to understand the teachings of Christ more intimately. Works for me!

As I experiment with my newfound freedom in Christ and what having Him walk with me on a daily basis FEELS like, I’m encountering some old fears and rigid-thinking patterns, etc. For example, now that I feel more love for my strict evangelical family, I also find myself treading in somewhat dangerous territory. They are very anti ‘feelings’ of any type. However, that’s the JOY of my relationship with Christ! I am still mindful of ‘boundaries’ with them and know that any spiritual talk with them will probably make them think the ‘prodigal daughter’ is coming to her senses and returning to the conservative fold. NOT SO! So, your book is helping to keep me centered.

Keep on writing!

(photo by zoo gal)

http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/?p=374

You cannot know Me until you’ve stopped telling yourself that you already know Me. You cannot hear Me until you stop thinking that you’ve already heard Me. I cannot tell you My truth until you stop telling Me yours.

God

(photo by zoo gal)

(quote from Don Rogers)

A pauper's oath is a sworn statement or oath by a person that he or she is completely destitute or a pauper, i.e. without any money or property.

A person without the ability to pay court costs has the option to swear a pauper's oath in order to file a lawsuit without paying filing fees. Prisoners filing legal actions often use a pauper's oath because persons in prison are often completely without money or any means of acquiring any.

Historically, especially during the Great Depression, the pauper's oath was required as a prerequisite for receiving welfare or other forms of government relief in the United States.

One pauper's oath used when establishing indigent status under United States Federal law is as follows.

"I do solemnly swear that I have not any property, real or personal, exceeding $20, except such as is by law exempt from being taken on civil process for debt; and that I have no property in any way conveyed or concealed, or in any way disposed of, for my future use or benefit. So help me God."

18 U.S.C. § 3569

Have I thought of myself as a pauper as above? It sort of puts it in perspective for me. I was complaining that I might have missed a few meals and that all of my bills are paid and I have no real debt. Then I read what I find in the Wiki . What is real suffering really like? My friend in Shapevine is in a wheelchair: is that suffering? My other friends, missionaries ask for funds for their flocks to feed and cloth them. Is that suffering? Tony Campollo stated that 35,000 children starve to death daily! And that most Americans don't really give a patutty! (other word used) I have got to go and find out!! I have to be exposed to what real suffering is to me and my world. I have always felt that I want to travel and bring back the stories. Why don't we see the sufferings of the war on TV? We see everything else. How about the truth as perceived on our comfortable sofas watching the evening news and worrying about our refunds from Uncle Sam and a possible recession looming?

It would seem to me that the worst kind of suffering would be knowing that we as individuals could have done something!

My wife's step-mother, a wonderful person, died this past week-end and we had to fly my wife to and from St Louis. Her father Ron is suffering now for sure after losing his partner of almost  30 years. Kay,my wife, is there with our 2 adult children and Kay's brothers and sister to support their dad who has always felt he had failed them as their father because of the divorce to their mother. Their ,then, family was an unholy mess but Ron always did what he thought was the right thing. He fathered five children with a woman he married because he felt it was the right thing to do after he had impregnated their mother out of wedlock. He gave up a much desired education from moving to Oregon and back to Michigan to help his mother in her aging years. He did the right thing.

He married Mickey, an RN, after he settled in Michigan and they built a life for themselves.They are the only grandparents my kids have ever known! He was great to us and always gave us money for the trip home back to Indiana at the time. Which I never let on that we had no money to get back home!  He built two homes in Michigan and had the 2nd paid for in their retirement. He, again, did the riight thing assuming he would be the first to go.

One of my greatest joys in going to "grandPa's" house was to head for the basement to find every book or magazine they had ever read! They were everywhere. Most were on a dozen book shelves but there was a gold mine of old National Geographic, nursing magazines, Popular Mechanics ( my favorite), flying periodicals and many old farm magizines for the reading! It was a special musty cavern entertaining me for hours.

There are many other memories stored in my brain, but I pause because Ron is suffering now! And I have a tight spot in my throat and a with-held tear for him! Maybe suffering is something shared! That is the sin! That we don't share in the suffering of others.

I don't know how I got from poverty to a funeral, but I wrote it for what ever reason. Pray for my father-in-law and his now suffering. 

Please make comments! 

Do you ever wonder if you are heading the right direction? Today I downloaded a demo version of BBEdit for working with html, php and other scripts and code. I need it to do a commercial website I am working on that involves foreclosed homes and arrangements with bank offerings. This could work out to be a chance to make a little money. So, back to work. I will post the link once I am finished and have permission from my partners.

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/02/12/subject-whos-in-charge-aroun

Yep, it's true, I was raised Mormon as well as my parents, grand parents, great grand parents and beyond. My relatives are from Utah and the UK and Scandinavia before that. What is fascinating to me is that I see interesting parallels between my legacy as a Mormon and this new emergent church thing. I am currently watching an amazing PBS series called "Mormon" which can be viewed online at http://www.pbs.org/mormons/view/. It is done very tastefully and honestly as it explores several areas of Mormon Life. If you are interested in this subject, please watch this. This series does not take a strong secular view nor an evangelical attack on Mormonism. As I sit here watching this program, it pops into my mind, how did I get from this very controlling secretive cover up experience to questioning Evangelical Church history and wondering where it went wrong? This sounds like another book idea!

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=82

I have shared in the past that the good ministry leaders where I met the man who invited me to Burundi July 04, asked me not to return before my April 05 trip where we began making disciples with our first two house churches. Then they told me I had been dis-fellowshipped from their meetings when I visited with Bienvenu August 06, although they never initiated any effort to tell me the reason.

I’ve spent many hours making calls, emails, visits etc, trying to bring communication toward reconciliation, because I love these guys & want them to be blessed from loving Jesus by loving me & originally I longed for support & encouragement from many friends in the group. Finally I have a BREAKTHROUGH!

This leader that I was in my 2^nd conscious house church experience with, before either of us were much involved in the other ministry wrote this letter to me:

Greg,

After asking some questions, reading your letters, and really trying to hear your heart, I would like to simply say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not taking more time to talk with you back when you needed it. I’m sorry for speaking to you back then in a way that was unclear and that didn’t portray the love of the Lord to you. I’m sorry that for whatever reasons, we never had the relationship that God intended.

Can you forgive me? Would you please pray for me that in the future, I would be the example of Christ that I should be to my family, friends, unbelievers and even my enemies. - James 5.16 My heart for you is that God will completely fill you with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that He would continue to work in you the glorious riches of humility, meekness and love, and that He would cause you, as a man of God, to walk in the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ.

Many Blessings,

My friend’s name. I won’t share with so many people.

I’m gradually getting reconnected with old friends & God is fulfilling His word to me that this time in the USA would not be like before. I recently have exchanged email from a close friend that was out of touch for about 7 years, now meet regularly with the first brother I more or less discipled in what we didn’t know was a house church 25 years ago have visited an old friend in prison twice, & now am reconciled to the brother who wrote that letter. Counting me, 3 of the four that are closest are leading house church ministry & the brother I met with 25 yrs ago, has said our meetings are house church & he wants to continue them. Plus the brother I’m now reconciled with shares a mostly good experience of house church with me from about 6-7 years ago.

I don’t feel lonely at all & I have more fellowship now in the USA than I’ve had in a lot of years. Also less time & financial pressure than every other return trip from Africa.

We’re also learning from problems, mistakes & surprises (EVERYTHING)

We’ve had a recent problem with leadership in Goma. My wife has been actually nearly worn out with dealing with it, but really it is good for her/us together.

Her good friend & ministry partner Gabriel, has unexplainably departed from the practical part of our vision. Sometimes he is saying one thing but doing another. In helping her register the ministry with the government, he changed the documents to describe a traditional church building & organization & made my wife very tired, as she had to go back to change things back to making disciples in “simple church” to ensure the government would allow multiple meetings in homes, which is a real touchy issue in Burundi, because of a home based resist-the-government cult they had.

Plus she had to go to him to try to resolve the issue & talk to many other leaders about how our vision is very different from traditional churches. It is difficult to see a good friend & leader pulling in a different direction, to the point that a faithful disciple (his own mother) doesn’t understand what has happened to him.

But this is encouraging to Providence, because after talking to the leaders they have all said we are with you, not with Gabriel. & she is learning important lessons from this that are needed, since she will be spending much time away from Goma, traveling with me North, South, East, & West. Although not being able to come with me was like the agony of death in her soul, she told me, “it is good that I was here to take care of all these challenges” & like wise much has been accomplished in the USA element of several businesses that support us & I have had lots of time to make progress, with no wife to spend time with.

It is good for all of us to be reminded how we depend on God when we make all sorts of mistakes. We have both learned that our mate can trust the wrong person, but that God stands with us no matter what the results.

You’ll read below that Emanuel has disappeared with my printer & actually I lost a lot of electronics I sent him to sell, because I trusted him too quickly. But it’s good for me to learn that not every person I connect with will be like my wonderful experience with Bienvenu & David Saku who have been so honest, faithful & in full agreement with me, though free to give me direction in matters of culture & so forth.

I’d rather learn now than when I have 10 or 20 national leaders which I’m sure will happen in the future. I’m really happy to see my wife thankful for things she did not want & I’m amazed by how patient & peaceful I feel, working alone, sleeping alone, & waiting for provision for many important matters.

Really everything is good & nothing bad happens to us, if you are humble, thankful, & fully persuaded that what you become through all of life is more important than what you accomplish.

I sometimes wonder why God didn’t save me from losing so much personal investment in what I sent to Emanuel, but I realize it was a small loss in the big picture & God showed His power to provide all that is needed, by saving money I didn’t know I had for over 3 yrs, to help me take the trip that advanced our work in Congo & gave me a wonderful wife & amazing provision & love with my new Mama na Baba (Mom & Daddy).

Lots of things have benefits that we just don’t know at the time. I visited an old friend’s church 2-3 times & enjoyed the worship, but was disappointed that like most American churches, very few asked my name & no one called or invited me over for a meal & I just sat watching the preacher preach, which is not what I want to do.

But I did meet a young man who does auto work & he just fixed my 3-4 quart-a-week oil leak & replaced my dead window washer pump, all for $50 at a time that was convenient for me. That’ll pay off in a couple months & maybe avoid an accident caused by a dirty windsheild.

I had a great talk with David Saku today & discussing the situation in Goma I got his input, which convinced me we need to teach about the dangers of traditional thinking that affect people you don’t think it will. All of us learn if we are humble enough to share our mistakes & weaknesses.

In the process of my last effort to make progress with those ministry leaders I found out from one of the members there how we can avoid really high customs taxes by registering our ministry in Rwanda.

7 February 2008 Good news by phone to Africa & progress in the USA.

I’ve had a wonderful time sharing & praying with Bienv & my wife on her phone while he was there Tues-Wed to teach her English & help with many other things. I now pay the lowest rate, 14 cents/min, to Africa that I’ve ever paid calling a mobile phone. He went with her to the home where I stayed and left Air-Conditioning tools, the Epson Flat-top with feed printer, copier, etc that I took in my luggage, & some low cost personal items, I don’t need here. I was relieved that they found most of the items, since Emanuel took the printer without permission & refused to return it. You have not heard much news from Rwanda, since he has disappeared, after I told him I would report him to the police if he didn’t return it to my wife. I do think he had a good heart, but began to admonish him, when I saw that he was not careful to tell the truth & invented some stories to avoid problems. I do believe that he oversaw 68 house churches truthfully, because when there was no increase for weeks that is what he would tell me. When I am there we will find the house churches & rebuild the relationships using more trustworthy leaders. But now we have more churches in D.R. Congo than in Rwanda. Although I lost some personal investment with Emanuel no donor money was spent except $100 to buy him a phone, back when he was busy planting more churches. He was the first leader, I’ve had that has not been extremely honest & trustworthy. In the future I will test my leaders more before I trust them. But he did help me greatly getting my air-conditioning business registered & lining up more service calls for me to do on my next trip. I have talked to that customer directly & know his contact info & location.

When I prayed with Bienv & my wife on the phone yesterday I felt the most anointing I’ve felt in months. He was feeling tired & had a recurring eye problem, probably due to not enough rest & frequent computer use. I could hear him smiling as he told me how peaceful & strengthened he felt.

She just told me today she has gotten a PO Box in Kigali & has found a real nice house for $130/mo with real working water & a toilet so nice she said I could eat off of itJ. Her mother told her she will send us money for the computer & printer she sold in Kinshasa, the capital, which some we will use for the new house, & the customs fees for the next shipment, & the rest sent to me to buy new products they can sell.

We also have good news that the 2 printers I sent with a good book did arrive as promised in about 9 days, but the post office could not find them till she brought a scanned & emailed US Post office receipt a month later. Next time we’ll send that right away.

She’ll take 1 of them to her Aunt tomorrow in Goma, to get to our Mama in Kinshasha to sell.

This weekend a computer, I bought will arrive with the camera-phone for Burundi & my wife has a buyer for that computer waiting. Next week she gets 3 cameras her mother has buyers for with another printer to sell. We are praying for the money to buy 50 already sold flash disks (on sale) because my business is slow & I’ve run short on money. All the profits will be used to reinvest or support our ministry expenses in Africa.

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=83

I can tell you where to get it. Did that make you curious? In fact, I can order one for you, take your pmt by credit card & have it shipped anywhere in the USA for about $330-350.00. Not that I’m trying to sell toilets. But they’re really good. I have 3 & over 10 yrs after installing them, although they’ve never gotten plugged, the manufacturer sent me the new working parts for all three, because I called the toll-free # inside to ask about fixing a leak on one of them. Back when I bought them, I paid about $150, but I got free shipping, cause I bought over $500 of stuff in those days. I got the new parts in 2 days!

I’m in the mood to make my ordinary day more interesting, but if you’re not u don’t have to read, although I will tell you about my fun conversations with my wife while I was driving for business & shipping to Tanzania.

Sometimes it just feels good to write, especially when you know someone will be blessed, if only by laughing.

My ordinary day finished with thoughts about the box of toilet parts, I haven’t opened. It started with Prayer, reading 2 of the 6 books I’m reading, plus the life of David in Sam. & Psalms. Then I wrote my HALLELUJAH! Newsletter & replied to my restored friend. I only exercised about 7-10 minutes because I had a sales appointment, but I did 190 jumper squats which even you young readers couldn’t do, I’m sure & 40 kinda 1-arm push-ups. You use 2 hands, but turn sideways on one shoulder with the opposite leg stuck up in the air.

I sold a furnace install & stopped at the Post Office to mail a camera & 10 mostly small books to David Saku in Tanzania for only $37 to arrive in 6-10 days. Since things get stolen in many African Post Offices, I insured it & kept the cost down by getting a camera on sale for $60 & 6 lbs of free books & a few on sale.

While I was driving I talked to God knows how many people about business, ministry, etc. Calling my secretary, ordering a furnace & reading my email at the stop lights. I have 2 cell phones. One with lots of minutes for calling out & free minutes to t-Mob customers, like 2 of my assistants & five favorite #s. & one with good coverage & free incoming calls for all my business ads & the numbers you see below. So I talked my way to a bargain tool store where I took printed out coupons for tools like 3 wire brushes for .99 or 2 LED flashlights for 2.99. That stop was fast & I talked my way into the store to David in Tanz to tell him about the shipment & my happy business sale.

Then I took the deposit to the bank & tried to return 2 switches to the wrong nearby store. Ooops! I headed to deposit money into a California Nigerian’s account so he can ship 2 computers to Nigeria to sell for a profit, to the brother I met right before I left last April who is eager to support New Wave Ministry by electronics sales in Nigeria. But I got a call for a return service call I forgot, so I turned around, since there was another bank branch on my way to his place which I found because I carry phone books in my Van & 5000 #s in my treo cell phone. I stopped talking to my wife when the teller spoke to me in the drive-through but called her again after a couple calls I don’t remember what they were. I earned $88 for a 5 minute solution to his problem (it pays to know the right things). It was wonderful talking to her & also her Grandma & Aunt who always laugh to hear me speak a little in Swahili. They always tell her they take me as their husband, cause they love me so much. I was enlightened that she did not travel to Kinshasha, so I misunderstood her immature English.

I started answering the emails, I had seen while driving & cooked a hamburger when I got home, & was surprised that the buyer canceled his order right after my supplier closed. Then he was angry cause he wanted his money back that was tied up for the furnace, so I had to hang up on him after a while. But he was really mad because he argued with his father, which cancelled the finances.

While all that was going on plus talking to the heating inspector about a job 20 miles the other way, with me in the middle, I got an order of flash drives for my mother-in-law to sell in Kinshasha, so I packed them while I was thinking about writing this ordinary day letter.

Grace is busy talking on the phone with my blue-tooth headset on her free after 7 phone I pay for & busy cleaning for the 2 guests that will be staying here Friday-Sun for some ministry thing. She voided the $2440 credit card pmt before we did our daily “batch” through the inet & processed the $88 charge in about 30 seconds.

It’s nice when she has company, cause things get cleaner & I enjoy people, but they usually just sleep here. While all this was going on, I sold some other work for tomorrow, but won’t make much profit. I’ll get the permit & work for $40/hr to finish installing a furnace that the other guy will buy. But I’ll earn $75 for getting the permit, too. $40/hr is cheap when you consider driving for 2 hrs of work, but I can usually do other business as I go & come & get some more work later from the same guy.

Don’t forget the toilet that feels like you’re blasting off when you flush itJ

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=88

Sat 16 Feb

I felt before returning from Africa in Nov that this return trip would be different from the past. That has been very true. God had already healed me from loneliness before this trip, but even better is the restoration of relationship with most of my old really solid Christian friends, not-to-mention the new Ugandan friend, Martin, I met with the first of my old friends, Larry, the last of 2 days that he worked for me. Although I was meeting with Larry last summer after nearly 15 years of little contact, after this return our relationship & time together has grown to meeting with him & Martin, most Saturday mornings & he has agreed that we are having true church just as we did 25 yrs ago, when we discipled each other with several other young men.

Then I started visiting my old friend in prison (2xs so far). About 10 days ago I got an apology from one of the young leaders of the ministry that dis-fellowshipped me, who was in a house church with me, before either of us spent much time at that ministry & who by revelation brought freedom to me from an attack by a spirit of suicide, when I was struggling with intense loneliness early 99. Now he has sent me his phone # to help us continue to fellowship after all these years.

Last night another old friend I haven’t talked to for years called me out of the blue who also brought a prophetic comfort to me the first day I just didn’t feel like going to my traditional church which eventually drove me out with a false charge against me in 96. After weeks of not talking he called me from his home 2 hrs away & said, “God wants you to know, that it’s OK if you don’t go to church this morning.” Strangely enough the house church I had accidentally started, had been coming to that church on Sundays & all of them independently decided not to come that morning, because the church had not welcomed them, as they were to poor to fit in. The leaders at one time accused me of leading them all away from the church, but I didn’t know they didn’t come, until we met later that week. So I had a great long talk with my prophet friend Fri night & I ask you all to pray for Ben, because he has been away from good fellowship for years, with no one in his area to share with & no money to come visit me. My real old friends except Larry (Billy, Chuck, & Ben) all have significant health issues that keep them from working for income, except Billy is stopped by prison. You all know I’m in better condition in at least some ways than almost anyone alive, although I do wear bifocals since I was about 46.

After I had a great talk with Ben, I got a call from Chuck, another old friend, & we talked till 1:20 am with the most wonderful fellowship I’ve felt in the USA in years, except for a couple short romances with 2 black ladies. Figure that out. So now I’m in good fellowship with 6, instead of 1 old friend, 2 of which are black. The way I connect with black people seems like I’m prejudiced against whites, but that doesn’t make any sense & is certainly not true. Please pray for Ben & Chuck for their health, finances & fellowship needs & for God to bless my relationship with them, & Billy, Larry, Martin, & the ministry leader I don’t reveal by name. Martin is the new Ugandan friend that meets with Larry & I ea wk. We’ve all gone through some real long periods of the cross & some are still buried in the ground or getting buried now. I think Chuck & Larry & I, are mostly experiencing resurrection & we can all be a real encouragement to the others in their hours of darkness.

Any way, I’m really amazed & thankful for all that has happened with my old & new friends in the last 7-8 mos & especially for the two phone calls last night.

I’m also enjoying, since Friday, good fellowship with Grace’s Kenyan Pastor & wife who are staying in the almost finished bedroom & today had a nice talk with a Christian brother, who came to work on my house, for whatever I want to pay him.

He installed 9 new locks bought cheap from my supplier where I got those jet flush toilets, so I have different locks on my many bedrooms so I can rent secure rooms, like I rent to Grace with a master key for me.

I’m thankful to be able to afford to start to finish my unfinished house before my wife comes, since it is beautiful, but lacking the mostly low cost finishing touches.

My wife agreed to send me $1,600 from her mother’s sale of one computer which I’ll use to buy 2 more & 50 more flash memory sticks to sell in Congo & Rwanda. She’s keeping $400 to pay customs for the printer & 3 cameras that have arrived & house rent, etc. It’s a good thing, cause my business account is down to $60 & what I’m about to collect is just enough to pay Grace’s last Friday pay.

But I just got a $200 donation which I plan to use to buy the Jesus video in 8 languages & a DVD writer to duplicate good videos for evangelism & training in Africa. I spent about $5.90 & got software to burn DVDs on my computer, but I don’t think it will make double-layered DVDs that I need for some videos.

17 February 2008

Now I’m enjoying a meeting at a Kenyan church where Grace’s Kenyan Pastor is about to share. Justus & his wife Jemima are staying in the house with Grace & I. Surprisingly to both of us I saw my old friend Tom, the pastor of Potter’s House of Prayer, right in front of me & enjoyed his short preaching mostly about the call to be intimate with God. It’s a blessing to have a friend boldly preaching of God’s desire to be intimate with us & to produce many children through that intimacy. He preaches like a good African preacher, though he’s twice as big as most of them & as white as me. I shared briefly after him & have seen a few Kenyans I know from previous visits who are happy to see my photos of my wife. I had a great time with them all & made some connections that may produce good fruit.

While driving back from the service call in the morning I actually got through to Bienvenu by phone & rejoiced to find out that his two weeks of illness were over & he was strong & ready to travel to the area where we lost many house churches to deception from traditional church leaders who told them that “simple church” was a heresy, to see how we can encourage & restore the many new believers & leaders in that area. Of course he’ll learn a lot of useful information from New Wave people in that visit.

Thanks for your interest, encouragement, & support.

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

words from Larry Norman just before his death... 

I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.

My brother Charles is right, I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.

My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.

I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.

Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.

Larry

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/02/27/20-house-church-tips/

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=89

Their letters are in black.

You may remember that we had a problem with Gabriel in Goma about “simple church” versus traditional church thinking.  My wife told me all was resolved, so now you can read this great letter from Gabriel:

 

                       MORNING OUR FATHER (SPIRITUAL) GREG.

 

I thank for GOD and for you to got your advice. I thank so much

And I thank you to write to me again.

I was with your wife here in goma.  Our problem is finished Holy Spirit was with us. I thank god so much.

 

REPORT FOR THIS WEEK

 

Last Sunday we met again the groups of house churches of goma north kivu province. We invited our house churches and others pagan people to meet with them publicly (out side)

 

THIS WAS OUR TEACHING FOR THEM

-first and foremost institutional churches that meet in special buildings were unknown to the new testament.  As house churches were clearly the norm in the early churches

 

“how i did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching publicly” (but not in church buildings) “and from house to house”

 

After this teaching twenty-five (25) man came. they asked us about how to start the house churches.

 

-AND WE EVANGELISED THEM HOW TO START

We say that:   house churches are birthed by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of a house church planter or an elder/ pastor/overseer who are given a vision for a house church by GOD. Keep in mind that a biblical elder/pastor/overseer may be what the institutional churches refer to as a mature lay person.

No house church planter needs a formal ministry education.

 

Once the vision for a house church is give by the spirit to the founder he needs to seek the lord regarding others who might join him.

 

The lord will bring him in contact with someone of similar vision confirming his leading. Or he may be led to receptive unbelievers whom he can lead to Christ and then disciple in a house church.

 

And i thank my GOD so much because people are very happy about these teachings and they say is very good because GODS love has been shed abroad in their hearts. Such relationships are part and parcel of house churches. its what the bible refers to and it says fellowship is genuine sharing of ones life with other brothers and sister house churches creating an environment where believers can do what believers are supposed to do which is found in many new testament “one another” passages. In the house church setting believers can provoke each other to love and good works, confess their sins to each other, bear one another’s burdens and admonish one another with psalms hymns and spiritual songs. They can weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Such things don’t occur during the Sunday morning meeting institutional churches where believers sit and watch.

 

This week we received five new house churches. I thank my GOD that we want to be in prayer together for this working every day.

 

So please I will not change your vision of house churches. I respect your vision so much.

I know GOD can help us and I respect your wife and her advice.

New wave ministry of goma greet you so much.

 

OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH.    IS     YOUR   GABRIEL.

I  WISH YOU PEACE OF GOD.

 

With Donations: I bought 8 copies of the great, short “Church in the House” by Robert Fitts for $44 with shipping & just ordered 10 more.  I love to give away books & have sent several to Africa & shared with 2 friends here.

·        After a big donation, I bought a computer, 1 Feb, & shipped it to my wife, which hasn’t sold yet (the sale fell through), but I’m sure she’ll sell it for a nice profit, which might provide our ministry travel expenses after I arrive.

·        The next day I sent $300 to Bienvenu for missionary work in Burundi.  He just emailed me this:  We targeted a new province. A team of 5 went in 2 communes within a same province. Those two communes have no church (simple or traditional). They are full of witchcraft, prostitution… It is very hostile to the gospel. It is agonizing to see how people reject the gospel and don’t give time to our evangelists. For a whole week we had only 15 people saved out of 194 reached in the two provinces.  We decided to have 1 group working together for the second week. By Sunday I will have the latest news.

·        We are attempting to organize a 1 week evangelism (raid)  in one of those 2 communes with a group between 10-20 people depending on how much $ we can get. We feel led to win one of those 2 communes for Christ and let it, itself, reach its neighborhood.

·        Then I bought a camera & sent it to David in Tanzania with books by my new low-cost shipping (International Priority Flat rate).  He’ll sell it to support ministry there & he called me & thanked me passionately for the many good books I sent with it.  Here is a letter from him:  Thank you so much for the nice books you have sent to me, it is real blessing to read.

I read the book about overcoming confusion, and now I am reading the another small book about overcoming witchcraft, it is real fantastic These are by Rick Joyner. But even more the book titled “the disciple making minister” (HeavensFamily.org) the big book. OOH! It really has opened my mind and has inspired my heart to the understanding of what Jesus has really commanded us to do.  I came to know that Jesus has commanded us to make disciples who can disciple others.  Not making Christians and believers, who will rest all of their times waiting for some so called pastor to be in front line. Now though I am still reading this long book but the plans and mission is to have a house churches full of disciples who can disciple, not converts, and like the strategy you advised.

asante sana (Thank you very..)

David

·        Recently we bought the dual layer DVD burner, which is set up & ready to go, but the snow has stopped delivery of the paid for DVDs to start copying the English Jesus Film that we have.  Later this week when I hear from my wife I’ll order the film in many African languages.

·        Tuesday we ordered a used DVD Projector/player to send to Tanzania with the Jesus film in Tanzanian Swahili & English.  He’s really excited, because he knows that people come easily to see a free movie & many will come to faith in Jesus. That wiped out the donation account.

 

Good News about my Heating Business:  Tuesday I cashed a check for $950 & started a furnace install & cashed a weekend service check, which gave me enough to buy the furnace & order 2 of the same computers for $579 each that my mother-in-law sold for $2,500 minus a $500 commission.  She took 1,000 to my wife who is which she’s using to repay borrowed money from the expensive Rwanda customs fees, about $200 for a month of food, travel, phone, etc. & $390 to get a much better $130/mo house with working water & furnished with furniture.  It took a long conversation to convince me to get a nicer house, but I’m really glad now that I have the important investments taken care of & I realize that the $1,000 she’ll send by transfer this week & the balance on this install will give me enough to buy my RT ticket to leave the US as I felt led to go near 20 March.

 

I’m up early 5:30 writing this, because Grace cooked 3 delicious Kenyan dishes last night & when I eat late (10:30) I always wake up early feeling great.  I probably woke her up calling my wife before I wrote this, to see if she got a ministry address we can ship to be exempt from customs & also more Congo languages for the Jesus Film DVDs.  I should have all that by Friday so I can order the films in more than a dozen useful languages for our ministry in Africa.

 

Hopefully I’ll get more donations to pay for several of those at $10 each & send $300 more to Bienvenu for our $300/mo Burundi mission budget.

 

Today, 28 February 2008, with that install done yesterday, I have a service call to earn money for my ticket & make a payment on my wrecked & repaired trike, so I can use it for business when I return in June.

 

Thank you all for your interest, encouragement & support.

 

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

                        or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy,  for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

    (Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

 

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN  46517,  USA

 

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

 

Three New Waves:

Ø     Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø     Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø     Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility