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I received this email today from our brothers and sisters in Kenya:

“Yesterday we managed to distribute to 27 families. I shared with them that this is the help where they need to depend in God because we have some brethren who need to be helped too. We are buying the mats for the children. The pictures I have attached a different congregations, those Christians who are affected they are running to the church buildings and those who are not Christians are running to the market centers and in the police stations. But I thank God that your prayers is changing things the opposition has a plan to meet the president and talk. This also has included church leaders.

So now it has given us the church a big test to take care of those who have ran for help even just right now in IGEM office we have opened the book of donations for clothes and other necessary needs that serious needs for those whom we have not yet reached to support, there is a need of blankets, mats and drugs. These are the urgent and serious needs for now. May the Lord bless you so much for caring for our people. The government is working to bring the security to the areas where people have migrated and probably will help them to settle.

But about the above mentioned needs, are the different groups where I have seen their need that we need to intervene through blankets and mats. (Thank you) for what you have done to our beloved people. May the Lord bless you.

Here are some of the pictures he sent of those people who had to flee their homes and are finding refuge with the church. In some cases children have arrived without parents or wives without husbands, and they are not yet sure what has come of them. If I may suggest something, as you scroll through the pictures, look at the faces and intercede for these dear people and the whole country. Some meetings begin late this week to help reconcile the problems with the disputed elections and include envoys from the U.K. and the U.S. This is a critical time that will either help move the country back toward peace or unleash a new wave of tribal warfare.

It has been an amazing week for me to stand between those who’ve been willing to give and those in such great need and being a conduit to bring the two together. People continue to give and we’ll continue to send it along. They are incredibly grateful for the generosity that has spilled over to them from the larger family of the body of Christ.

Over $3500.00 has been sent in so far to help with relief in Kenya, from four or five different countries on three continents. Honestly, I’m overwhelmed at the generosity that has poured out of so many of you. We’re seeing God open some incredible doors to help brothers and sisters and they are so grateful that brothers and sisters from the outside have given such help.

Now I’ll let Dan do the rest of my work today. I got this email from him last week and I love what it says about freedom and how it impacts relationships:

I was adding a phone number this morning to my cell phone. The first day of the new year seemed like a good time to also clean out some phone numbers of people I have no recognition of who they are. As I was thumbing through the names, a few of the people I had not seen or heard
from since we started on this free range journey, I was wondering what happened to the relationship?

And that is just it!

There was no relationship. We were part of a big mega-church that stressed it’s many programs and offerings. In the mega-church mindset, programs give opportunity for relationship to happen, but don’t assure that it can be found there. The relationships lives inside of programs. Once the program is over, the relationship is over. Once we no longer were involved in those programs there was no longer any reason to maintain the relationship. They never called, they never wrote, they never checked in just to see how we were doing. That would have required a relationship outside of a program and who would officiate that? When would it begin? When would it end? Who would be in charge? Who had the authority to be over the other for accountability?

It is amazing how freedom in Christ does not often allow for freedom in relationships and freedom from expectations in those relationship. We have made a few attempts to touch base with some of them, but their lack of response made it clear they didn’t have room for relationships outside of the program they are a part of.

That is sad. They are good people. It is strange how something like freedom can be such a threat.

I think a lot of us have had the same struggle with relationships we had in the institutional format. They work as long as we’re on the task together, but once that ends, there isn’t a friendship that goes beyond it. Of course both parties bear responsibilities in that, especially if we’re waiting for the others to make the first move. I like that Dan has tried. I think we always try. I have wonderful friendships from almost every stage of my life on this journey. But to be honest, I’ve been the one that has instigated most of the contact. I don’t blame them for that. Most people are so busy just surviving the responsibilities of every day living, especially if they add to that heavy involvement in the life of a congregation, that they just don’t have the time or energy for relationships beyond it…

I hope we’re all learning to live a community that transcends whatever task we’re on or not on together. The connection of this family is not the meetings we attend, but the relationships we forge as God connects us to others. We all don’t need to pursue only people who are like-minded, but with all kinds of folks, believers and unbelievers as God leads us.

The simple question I ask regularly is, “Father who do you want me walking alongside at this season of my life.” And then I follow through on that. I realize most people find it difficult to initiate contact, but I consider that part of my life following him!

I love how Father intersects people. Just a few moments ago I received this from a man named Sam, with whom I’ve corresponded in the past. He’s preparing to leave for Uganda to help with the thousands of Kenyans fleeing the country into Uganda. Here’s what he wrote:

I wanted to let you know that I am about to leave for Jinja, Uganda. The situation in Kenya is already affecting Uganda with thousands crossing over into Uganda. Food and fuel has doubled in less than a few days in Uganda. A pastor friend of mine in Mombassa says that food and water are becoming scarce. The stability of Kenya has grave impact on most of eastern Africa. I would ask that you pray for me and our team already in Uganda. I will be teaching young pastors and businessmen on forgiveness and on various relationship issues. I am going with an organization called Next Generation Ministries whose emphasis is on relationships.

I am certain while I am there I will be able to meet some the Kenyans and I will give you a report if you like. Many organizations like yours are sending money and aid which is greatly needed. This situation appears to be such that unless God intervenes Kenya and much of eastern Africa could be devastated. It is times like these that I wonder about how effective we have been at communicating the real gospel. I am re-reading you book He Loves Me and I hope I can communicate His love as well as you do in the book. At 55 years old and 30 years in ministry, I am just now beginning to walk in his presence and feel his love. Thank you for who you are and your work.

More opportunities to pray and perhaps another door to get some funds on the field where they will most impact our brothers and sisters….

First of all let me thank those of you who have sent in finances to help with the growing need in Kenya, due to the tribal conflicts that have resurged in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election. We were able to get some money in yesterday to ensure that the procedure would work. We’ll be sending more in today.

The crisis continues to worsen. This was in the New York Times today:

Over the past few days, tens of thousands of Kikuyus, the tribe of Kenya’s president, have packed into heavily guarded buses to flee the western part of the country because of ethnic violence. On Sunday, endless convoys of buses — some with their windshields smashed by rocks — crawled across a landscape of scorched homes and empty farms.

It is nothing short of a mass exodus. The tribe that has dominated business and politics in Kenya since independence in 1963 is now being chased off its land by machete-wielding mobs made up of members of other tribes furious about the Dec. 27 election, which Kenya’s president, Mwai Kibaki, won under dubious circumstances. In some places, Kikuyus have been hunted down with bows and arrows.

The hospital in Nakuru, a town in the Rift Valley, is full of Kikuyu men with deep ax wounds, fingers cut off and slash marks across their faces. “We hate these people.”
said Robert Tutuny a farmer and member of Kenya’s Kalenjin tribe, on the violence that is forcing the exodus of the Kikuyus…

Father, heal this broken planet and the devastation of sin that destroys human life in the name of greed and power. Reveal yourself in the midst of this horrible situation and demonstrate your love and compassion to those who live in fear and pain today!

We are still offering to be a conduit for those who would like to help in this crisis. I am so grateful God gave me a contact there before this all started. This man did not contact me for money. I instead wrote him and asked how things were for him and he honestly wrote back the things in my previous email.

Having never met the man, however, I could only hope he is who he presented himself to be. But that isn’t always enough when we’re sending him significant funds in hopes that he will be helping others. I love the way Father sorts these things out. I was raised on a farm with a strong Puritan Work Ethic as they say, and am always concerned about people abusing compassion to take advantage of genuine hearts. As God would have it, a few months ago I got an email from an Australian woman who frequently travels to Kenya to be part of what Father is doing there. A few months ago I gave her the contact information for my friend there and she had the opportunity to visit. I wrote her to see if the need were legitimate and if she thought he was a capable broker of getting funds to the right place. It turns out she’s there right now. Here was her response:

The situation here is desperate! Michael is a good man and I would not hesitate in recommending him to you as an honest man who would use money wisely and is a man who is at the heart of things there in Kitale. The information he has given you is correct. I am working alongside (another brother) here in Homa Bay who is also a man I can recommend to handle the finances for this region. The situation here is very unpredictable and will take quite a long time for things to be anywhere near normal. Please continue to pray for peace here in Kenya and that the man that God has chosen to be in leadership here.

If we have enough money we will also send some along to this brother as well. Friends and friends of friends is an incredible way for Father to work.

I also heard from Michael this morning after the first money transfer had arrived. I asked him to give me some feel for how much money the could use there, realizing that others need help as well. Here’s his response to me:

Dear Brother Wayne,

Greetings in holy name of our Lord and Savior. I say thank you and I say again thank you. Yesterday we were meditating in the fellowship with the entire team for your book, HE LOVES ME. Actually this book it is so encouraging and when we compare with other books including AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS, we came to realize that surely the Lord has called you to care for people, And not only for what you wrote but what we see by your actions.

The family has increased with other children actually , I got the money you sent through Western Union safely. And first thing , I need to work urgent needs as food, drugs and other necessary things for this first step. I have used almost what I have to make sure that I support these dear families. May be urgent need for now if you can send (US $1290.OO). I have tried to discuss with them at least if they can use for their personal needs. This is to mean if we can support every family for a while as we believe God for more provision.

Right now we are going to consult with other people from another center to encourage them and to tell them about the love of God especially those who have lost their loved ones. May the Lord bless you as we stay in touch.

I will be sending more today, thanks to those of you who wanted to partner with us in this. The need is great and we also would consider helping other groups in Kenya if we have enough funds to do so. If you’d like to join with us, please go to our Invoice Page and click on the ‘Pay Invoice’ button. You can then list “Donation for Kenya” and the amount you’d like to give. If you use the ‘Donation’ button you will need to also send me an email letting me know you wanted this to go for Kenya and not for Lifestream. All donations to this cause are tax deductible and every dime sent to us will go out for relief in this Kenyan crisis.

If you prefer, you can also send a check to Lifestream • 7228 University Dr., • Moorpark, CA 93021.

To date we have received almost $1,000.00 from individual contributions and have added $1,000.00 to that from Lifestream itself. We pray God will multiply this many times over to help brothers and sisters in a time of great need!

For the past year I’ve been in touch with someone in Kenya who helps coordinate a number of fellowships throughout Kenya and neighboring countries. I wrote him this past week in view of the increasing instability and violence in Kenya due to a disputed Presidential election held on December 27. The unrest that has resulted has reignited old tribal animosities and many fear a fresh wave of tribal genocide might result. To date, a quarter of a million people have been displaced and are starving. Over 300 people have been killed in tribal clashes.

I heard back from my friend yesterday. I’m going to leave it in his broken English:

I would like to appreciate for your prayers which has helped us up to now. People here are living terrible life especially the saints. I know you have heart what has happened here during the election, until now things are not well. Many of our brethren has lost their lives, their houses are burned many are wounded and their properties has been destroyed. As you know am the co-coordinator of IAN so we are more responsible to see the situation of our brethren who have been affected, especially on my side. I am hosting about 25 families as well as taking care some who are in the hospital. My home has become the home of refuge where more pastors and church leaders who are affected has runned for help. Also we have been trusting God to see the next day. Since we are in rural areas where security is not secure, the government is only taking care and provide for those who are camped at the market and police station. So there’s too much congestion at the market centers. Since we cannot hold up we are praying that God may melt the hearts of the brethren in U.S. that they may strengthen their hands to our affected brethren in Kenya. The importance agents for help: blankets, shelter, food, drugs and other basic needs.

There is more about this on yesterday’s podcast at The God Journey. We have since discovered a way to transfer funds to this organization directly and our board has decided to start a special fund for people who want to help give to aid the brothers and sisters in Kenya. In addition to this organization I’m aware of others we can give to depending on the amount of money people want to contribute. Sara and I as individuals and Lifestream as an entity will be sharing substantially to aid these brothers and sisters.

If you’d like to join with us, please go to our Invoice Page and click on the ‘Pay Invoice’ button. You can then list “Donation for Kenya” and the amount you’d like to give. If you use the ‘Donation’ button you will need to also send me an email letting me know you wanted this to go for Kenya and not for Lifestream. All donations to this cause are tax deductible and every dime sent to us will go out for relief in this Kenyan crisis.

If you prefer, you can also send a check to Lifestream • 7228 University Dr., • Moorpark, CA 93021.

And whether or not you can give financially, also please consider keeping up on the news about Kenya daily and using it as a reminder to pray for God’s revelation of himself to Kenya in the midst of this crisis. Thank you so much!

I got this question today. It was sent to me by someone who used the title ‘Apostle and Pastor’ in front of his name. He needed both—in caps! Interesting…

How do you reconcile these scriptures in light of your view of fellowship.

Matt 28:18-20
Acts 2:42-47
Hebrews 10:25

If it is true that you can walk in Christ without fellowship, that means it’s time for you to start a fellowship so you can help those who are not so strong.

While I appreciated the brevity, I find the context absurd. I can’t imagine anyone reading my website thinking that I encourage people to walk with Jesus without fellowship. That’s nuts! I encourage fellowship all the time, but in real relationships with people, not by sitting in your pew once a week watching others around you.

And I can’t imagine anyone reading those three texts and understanding their historical context who would think they obligate people to ‘start fellowships’ or be in a required meeting. People who hunger for the living God don’t need to be obligated to anything. Their hunger for him will lead them to all the people he wants them to connect with.

Here’s how I answered him:

Who said anything about walking with Christ without fellowship? I can gather with other Christians and help new ones grow in the faith by just having fellowship with those God asks me to walk beside in any given season. I don’t have to ‘start a fellowship’ for that. If you read carefully I’m not advocating a lack of fellowship, but I am indicating that walking with people is far more important than starting or maintaining a group. We’d like to think they are the same but they are not. History proves that.

So the Scriptures you cite are all lived out in greater reality, depth and power when we’re not caught up in the mechanics of a group and simple walk in deep friendship and love with whomever God puts in our life. Sometimes that puts me in a room with hundreds of people, sometimes just tow or three.

Jesus, nor the early apostles did not view the life of the church as a series of meetings on Sunday morning or Wednesday night that are led from the front, but vibrant relationships that wrestle with the deep issues of life and magnify God in doing so!

And it doesn’t bother me of people want to get together at a regular place in a regular way. That’s an expression of this family too! It just isn’t the only expression and not necessarily the best. Scripture never points to believers gathered in rows to witness a meeting led by a few. It pictures people meeting together to share insights and ask questions, to share Jesus’ gifts, to build each other up and to share the burdens of life together.

We just completed our third archive disc for listeners (or would-be listeners) of The God Journey. This weekly podcast, which Wayne co-hosts with his friend Brad Cummings, continues to reach an expanding audience from which we get the most amazing feedback. This disc includes the broadband mp3 files for the podcasts we did from from February 2007 through November 2007. What a year, too! We talked about sin, shame, reading the Scriptures without our religious glasses, reconciliation and free-range believers. We also hosted a variety of guests, including Paul Young, author of The Shack, Stan Firth, author of Custom and Command, Bob Stamps on The Lord’s Supper, Kevin Smith on living in Father’s care, and many others. If you haven’t heard them before, or just want to add them to your collection, you can order it from our Audio Collections.

If you haven’t heard the current episode, this is your chance to meet Sara. In a special podcast, Sara co-hosts with me as we talk about being what to do when your wife isn’t on the same page. For those who have wanted to meet Sara, this will give you a good taste of her and our life together.

And as we begin a New Year, I pray yours will be blessed beyond measure, and filled with his presence through the ups and downs of this turbulent life in a fallen world! And thanks to all of you who have supported us in prayer, encouragement and giving over the last year. Even though we don’t ask for money here, a few year-end gifts have really helped us finish another year of helping people sort out this incredible adventure of living as Father’s children in the earth!

I received an email yesterday from a new reader of the Jake Colsen story, So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore. She read the German edition called The Cry of the Wild Geese.

Here are excerpts from her note:

I gave my life to Jesus when I was a Child. I can remember it was the fear of hell, that made me staying a believer. Even though heaven did not seem to be something exciting, it was better than going to hell. In my teenage-years I had a time, where I was very disappointed about church and Christians. I almost gave up on God, but because my fear of hell I never had the courage to do it. So I met some people who called themselves Jesus Freaks. Through this group I got to know the church, that I was a member now for almost 12 years. I went through a lot of changes and received inner healing and deliverance during that time. But now as I look back, I must say, I did not really get into this deep relationship with Christ.

My best friend who works in a Christian book-store gave me your book with the Jake-Story (I am glad that in German it has another title, because I never considered to leave “church” and would probably not have read it…). As I read the book, I realised how religionised I am and it shocked me. I realised that my belief was still about not going to hell. Now I want this relationship, that I always wanted. And I realise, that God somehow has to do that in me. But I am also afraid of what happens, if nothing happens. Then I don’t really know, what is my part, if any and what is not. When I stop doing religious motivated things, another question comes up that troubles me: Do I really want to have a relationship with God or is that also a religious motivated desire, because it is the only way that I know of not going to hell? How do I know? And how should I respond to that question?

I’ve met many people on this journey with similar questions and concerns, so I thought I’d share my answer to her:

I’m blessed my story has opened up such marvelous questions and discoveries for you. That’s what I hoped it would do for people. And I love the hunger it has triggered in you to now him more closely.

This is something you and God get to sort out. As you get to know him you’ll discover that it is far better to know him than to just use him to makes sure you don’t go to hell. That’s how religion has ruined this incredible Father. We’d rather be saved from hell than know him. But that will change for you, I’m sure.

And as to what is your part and what is his? It is mostly his. You just bring an open heart, asking him to reveal himself to you as he really is and to show you how you can follow him.

And what to do if nothing happens? That’s hardly likely. But we never know how he will work in us. Our relationship with him is something he controls not us, and even opening up that door abandons a bit of our independence and need to control. That’s good thing. He does love you so much and wants you to walk with him more than you will ever want to yourself.

I’d just recommend you go on a journey with him. Just ask him to show you. Follow what he puts on your heart, and see what he will do to invite you further into his glory. You won’t regret it.

On a related note, I am blessed by the growing distribution of this story. Last year over 6,000 people downloaded it for free last year off the website and we are quickly running out of our second printing of the book version. And now, since it appears alongside The Shack, in the Windblown Media catalog, it is gaining fresh traction with a whole new audience.

As we get ready to reprint, we’ve had many people suggest that we give it a title that more befits a novel and doesn’t create so many prejudiced opinions about its content. Other than the fact that it takes too long to write out, I have loved the original title, So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore, and how that drew people to the website who really found encouragement and freedom in that little book. But it never has been a good title for a novel. So, we’re going to change it. We’re considering Surprised by John: An Unexpected Journey Into the Reality of Father’s Family. I love how it invokes one of my favorite books, Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis, and creates more mystery around the chief character.

If any of you have some feedback, or even a better title suggestion, please let me know.

Sara and I are so graced by all the people God has brought across our life in the last year. We are blessed at every touch with others who are sorting out the life of Jesus in their own journeys. Many of you have inspired and encouraged us this year. We are so grateful for you!

And here is our prayer and hope for all of you:

Yes, those are our granddaughters above and if you want to see how truly happy we are this season, try this!

Over the next two days I’ll be meeting with the original team that brought THE SHACK together, including the author. We will be meeting at my home in the Los Angeles area to hammer out the process of adapting this book to a screenplay and then produce it into a feature film. This was our desire from the beginning and the overwhelming success of this story in its first few months has opened that door. We’ve had a number of overtures from major studios and production companies that would like to buy the movie rights from us. But we want to take steps to ensure that the message of the book is not undermined in the process of making the movie more marketable. Ultimately that means we will need to raise the money rather than depend on studio financing. In Hollywood, control of the project follows the money put up to produce it. This should be interesting. Your prayers during this time will be greatly appreciated.