It is the rainy season here in Kenya. But so far, while it has rained heavily every night, the days have been pretty good. Here is what has been happening so far:
Nairobi: Biblical Stewardship TOTWe had an enlightening and very good TOT on biblical stewardship in Nairobi with about 24 participants. Among the participants were 6 very enthusiastic Masaai pastors, one wearing traditional Masaai dress, whom I had not met before. They were there because some of the good African teachers I had worked with had done an all-African conference in Masaai-land and had invited them to this TOT. Everyone, I think, saw in a quite powerful way how Christianity not only is designed to change us from the inside-out but also is designed to give us a holistic approach to life. In other words, when we have Christ, our values and outlook on everything changes: Christ affects our relationships with people, what we do with our money, our bodies, our environment, etc. In prior conferences, I had stressed how Christianity applies and relates to all of these areas. In this one, it came home more to me how these are all just aspects of a fundamental inner and holistic change.
Murang'a: Biblical Theology TOTI took the matatu to Murang'a in central Kenya. The biblical theology TOT for about 40 participants was eye-opening and challenging. The first day we spent much of the time talking about the relationship of God and evil, and going over the overall biblical storyline. After that, the course was largely devoted to showing how Christ and the church fulfill all of the Old Testament "types" and "shadows," such as the temple, the covenants, the festivals, the sacrificial system, etc. Many pastors here do not have a good understanding about these fundamental matters. We had lots of good questions and discussion. Also, I was amazed at the practical and pastoral implications of these things. I think and hope that this will prove to be very helpful to these good pastors and, through them, to their people.
Misikhu: Biblical Interpretation TOTI am now in Misikhu, western Kenya, in the middle of a biblical interpretation TOT for about 20 participants. This is the first time I have done this particular course. It is generating lots of good discussion on a host of issues. Biblical interpretation, of course, has integral and important implications for application and for such subjects as biblical theology and eschatology. We have had lots of questions and gotten into good discussions on all of those areas. Change is coming, slowly by slowly, to the pastors and churches.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. God bless you, Jonathan
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