May 25, 2003

National leadership conference

National leadership conference
Since Friday we have been together at at national leadership conference at Gullbotn. About eighty leaders have been together for the weekend. It has been the most blessed time for fellowship and instruction in the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful to the Lord for his wonderful grace that he has shown towards us. Noralv Askeland is our gracious leader and apostle of Jesus Christ. He has a tremendous ability to cause people to work together and bring out the best in each one of us. To be in a team like this is such a great blessing that I don't find appropriate words to describe it. There is a safe covering of our weaknesses and a liberating drawing out of our strengths releasing the potent giftings in each one of us.

This afternoon Solveig and I are going to England to visit our daughter Hanna and her family. I am looking forward seeing my youngest granddaughter, Sunniva Isher, for the first time!

May 23, 2003

Living together in harmony

Living together in harmony!
Today we once more have had the blessed experience of the words of the Psalmist: "How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the fragrant anointing oil. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew."
We have seen the truth in the old saying that people who pray together stay together!
It has been a very fruitful day of planning in the presence of God. We have been able to sharpen one another, encourage one another and also bring necessary correction.
I feel so privileged to be able to work with such men of loving integrity.
God has been so good to me!

May 22, 2003

Team gathering

Team gathering
Today we have been together as a team at Gullbotn for prayer, seeking the Lord for wisdom and guidance, and for planning for the future. We have had a very good time in the presence of God as well as enjoying one another's company.
We always spend some time in sharing with one another from our personal lives and what we have been doing recently. We report from the places we have been visiting and share observations and insights. This time of sharing is very valuable to us and is absolutely necessary for us to be properly involved in one another's lives and ministries.
Noralv has been sharing insights from 1 Samuel 7 on prayer for the nation and of prayer as the basic foundation for any ministry.
We have also been looking at some of the wise sayings in the Proverbs in the Message version of the Bible on leadership. Here is one of my favourite quotes:
Leadership gains authority and respect when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.

May 21, 2003

Praying for the city

Praying for the city
Once again we were gather for prayer for the city this morning. Sixteen pastors from eleven different churches spent one hour in prayer together. It is always encouraging to meet together like this to bless our city and give thanks for all people living here. I am convinced that the entire population and every area of righteous activities are influenced for the better because of our prayers. This morning we especially prayed for children and young people - the new generation that is growing forth! We believe that the Spirit of God will move powerfully among the coming generation of our city.

May 20, 2003

Sound leadership has a moral foundation

Sound leadership has a moral foundation
The Bible is very clear in this respect. Without a moral foundation there can be no sound leadership! Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity (Proverbs 20:28 The Message). Loving integrity is a wonderful foundation or leadership. People will feel secure and they will follow these leaders safely.
In the apostolic team I have been serving for several years now God has given us leaders with integrity and love. I feel so privileged to work with men of such noble character.
But it is not only the top men that must have a moral foundation of loving integrity, we must all be people like that. It is only a covenant people of loyal love and integrity that will be able to change this world permanently into a better place to live for all!

May 19, 2003

The prophetic word in the process of fulfillment

The prophetic word in the process of fulfillment
During the weekend we were visiting our son, Karl Enok, and his family in Troms�. We had a very good time with them especially on the 17th of May. The weather was beautiful and all the happy people celebrating our national freedom with flags and parading children made it a great day of thankfulness to the Lord for his goodness towards us.
Sunday we were able to worship together with the covenant community in Troms�. We had a very good time together in this colourful fellowship of believers from many nations and backgrounds. When I was with them I was reminded of the prophetic word that we were given several years back concerning the work in Troms�. Now we can see with our own eyes the promise of God materialise. The prophetic word is clearly in the process of fulfillment! It is very exciting to see the word of God coming true in such a wonderful way. This time we met many new people and next time we will meet even more new people for the Lord is adding more and more people to the church to show forth his beauty in manifold ways to draw more people to himself!

May 16, 2003

Do your best

Do your best
Do your best, prepare for the worst, - then trust God to bring victory! (Proverbs 21, The Message)
What a simple life God has called us to live! Each one of us are to do our best according to our abilities and talents. Then we are to think of the worst scenarios and be ready for a total failure! But we don�t stop there! When we have taken a realistic look at the worst thinkable outcome, we trust our faithful and all powerful God to bring victory! What a wonderful way to live, casting all our worries on Him who cares for us!

This is our last day at Vann�

This is our last day at Vann�ya!
Today we are going to Troms� to be with our son Karl Enok and his familiy. We have enjoyed our stay with our daughter Ruth Kristin at Vann�ya. But now we will go to have time with our two grandchildren, Kristina and Daniel, and celebrate 17th of May with them.
Last night Solveig and I went for a walk. It is light all night here now. In only a few days the midnight sun will be shining. It is so beautiful to walk at the seaside looking at the majestic snow-covered mountains raising towards the sky on the mainland. At the shore we admire the polished stones in different shapes and colours. The enclosed picture I took around midnight!

May 15, 2003

Self-control is better than political power

Self-control is better than political power
This morning I was reading in the proverbs again and discovered that: �moderation is better than muscle, and self-control better than political power�! I also was reminded of that �wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.�
Then I sat down to write an article to our magazine FOLK. As I was writing under the anointing of the Holy Spirit I was able to put into words some fresh insights in presenting the gospel to people in the new age in which we are living. The theme of our next issue of FOLK is about taking the gospel to all people. It will be a very exciting issue with many inspiring stories of how the gospel is transforming lives in our day.
I have been inspired to write as I have been sitting at the window looking out on the harbour of Vannv�g (see the enclosed picture). In between I have been cycling a rather long trip enjoying the scenery of this beautiful part of Norway.

May 14, 2003

Trip to Troms�

Trip to Troms�
I am writing this on the plane to Troms�. We left Bergen early in the morning for Oslo and now we are well on the way to the beautiful capital of Northern Norway.
I missed the early prayer meeting with the pastors this morning. However I am sure they had a good time without me but I always enjoy praying with my friends.
Today we are visiting our youngest daughter, Ruth Kristin, which is living in Vann�ya where she is a teacher at the local school. I have only been there once before on a short visit to the island before she moved to live there. On the way to Vann�ya we will have a short stop-over at our son�s house in Troms�. His wife, Ingebj�rg, will come to meet us at the airport and take us home for a short stay before we take a bus to Hansnes and then the ferry to Vann�ya.
My laptop shut down here! When I tried to connect to Internet through my mobile phone on the ferry it shut down again!
Now we have reached Vann�ya and are enjoying the hospitality of Ruth Kristin. We have seen several reindeers on our way to Vannv�g. It is raining and cloudy at the moment. I am sitting at the window overlooking the small fishing harbour. When it stops raining I will take some nice photos of some of these small fishing boats.

May 13, 2003

Good leadership

Good leadership
A good leader motivates,
doesn�t mislead, doesn�t exploit.
God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;
sound leadership has a moral foundation.
Good leaders cultivate honest speech;
they love advisors who tell them the truth.
An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;
you�re smart to stay clear of someone like that.
Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they�re like spring rain and sunshine.
(Peterson, E. H. 2003. The Message : The Bible in contemporary language . NavPress: Colorado Springs, Colo.)

May 12, 2003

A school in skilled living

A school in skilled living
Reading the Proverbs is like attending a school in skilled living. In fact the Fear-of-God in itself is a school in skilled living. First we learn humility, then we experience glory!
If we love learning, we love the discipline that goes with it! How shortsighted to refuse correction!
An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth! He knows the value of honesty and integrity!
Truth lasts!
Honesty lasts!
Integrity lasts!
Righteousness lasts!
Kindness lasts!
Love lasts!
Gentleness lasts!

May 11, 2003

Communion at the markedplace

Communion at the marketplace

This morning several churches gathered together at the central marketplace in the city of Bergen, Norway to worship Christ, celebrate communion, and proclaim that the beautiful city of Bergen belongs to the Lord!
We had a wonderful time in the presence of God as we started to worship in sunshine and shared the covenant meal as the rain softly fell on us.
Jesus Christ is the Lord of Bergen! Thousands of people will find salvation in days to come!
God is so good!

May 09, 2003

Prayer on the seven mountains of Bergen

Prayer on the seven mountains of Bergen
Yesterday evening believers from many different churches joined together to climb all the seven mountains surrounding Bergen to pray for the city and bless those in high positions and all the inhabitants of Bergen. Rain was pouring down in heavy showers. The wind was blowing strongly. I guess it was a strong storm on the top. It took me more than an hour to climb the mountain of L�vstakken. My heart was beating heavily. My legs were aching. I felt so tired but I didn't give up! I reached the top!
Inger Margrete and Morten overtook me on the way up. Morten was like a mountain goat running to the top! When the three of us reached the top, there was no one there! It was really storming at the top. We had difficulties in standing. Then we heard the sound of the group that climbed the mountain from a different, easier, direction. They were not on the top! Because of the storm they had settled for another place with less wind.
We eventually joined with then in singing, praising, and praying. We had a wonderful time pronouncing the blessing of God over the city! We were also able to light the bon-fire! We could see nothing of the other believers on the other mountain tops. In fact we could not see the city be cause we were inside the rainy clouds that was covering all of Bergen at the moment.
Like the rainy clouds were covering Bergen the Spirit of God is also covering Bergen making the word of God fruitful in human hearts and drawing people to Christ!

May 08, 2003

Email from India

Email from India
This morning I had an email from my good and faithful friend, Zephry, from India. I would like to share his email with everyone to show how Bryn Jones was loved all around the world. His life changed many lives! May we all live in such a way that we influence people for the better!

I just read your webblog and was shocked to read of Bryn's going to be with the Lord.
I don't know what to say.I just thank the Lord for enabling me to meet him in 1989. That meeting was so instrumental in changing my life. I thank God that he followed his heart in inviting me to the Acts program even though we were in the Catholic Church. Like you said he was a true friend.
Yes I also rejoice that he was such a giant for the Lord . I am blessed that I had the privilege to know and work with him.
Love Zephry


May 07, 2003

Praying pastors

Praying pastors
Early this morning I attended the weekly prayer meeting for pastors at Kristkirken in Bergen. Eleven of us were gathered for prayer this morning. In the beginning there seemed to be some misunderstanding of who was to lead the gathering but it all worked out very well.
Every week we gather to bless the city and pray for salvation of the people living here. This time we were also praying for the joint meetings and outreaches we are doing during the visit of Ed Silvoso this week.
It is always good to pray together. The Lord is always knitting our hearts together when we pray for his Kingdom to come and his will to be done among us. It is a privilege to be able to seek God together with so many devoted servants of God in this city.
God is good!

May 06, 2003

God's hand

God's hand

Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
your hand is God's hand for that person (Proverbs 3:27)

What a privilege to be God's hand for a person in need! Our good deed can be the miracle of our neighbour; the answer to their prayer!

From Charismanews

From Charismanews:
Today I choose to enclose these words about Bryn Jones and his home-going:

Bryn Jones, 63, a well-respected charismatic leader with a worldwide apostolic ministry in England, died of unknown reasons last Thursday during a ministry trip in the San Diego area.
Gareth Duffty, who was traveling with Jones and is part of Jones' Covenant Ministries International (CMI) staff, told Charisma News Service that Jones had just finished taking a nap and was resting in his hotel room.

"I spoke to him a minute before he went to rest, and then he went to be with the Lord," said Duffty, noting that Jones had preached last Wednesday at San Diego's Heart of God Church. "He was healthy and was miraculously healed of a heart condition a couple of years ago. He was recovered and just getting on with ministry. No one anticipated and expected it. It's a deep shock."

Jones founded Coventry-based CMI, which is partly a church-planting organization. It also has apostolic oversight of several churches in the United states and works with churches in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Larry Tomczak, pastor of Christ the King Church of Greater Atlanta, told Charisma News that Jones was his friend and mentor for 22 years. "He has been my spiritual father for most of my 30 years of ministry," Tomczak, 53, said. "He has also been very instrumental in helping me understand truths concerning apostolic ministry and the values of a New Testament church."

"When my 24-year-old son Justin got the call this weekend of his death, he cried," he added. "Two months ago, he called my son from England to see how he was doing. It was typical of Bryn's caring heart. Bryn was a genuine Christian leader."

Tomczak added that he spoke to Jones about two months ago, and he invited him to minister to his 350-member Georgia congregation this fall. "His death just stunned me because he's only 63," said Tomczak, who plans to attend Jones' memorial service.

Jones was editor of "Restoration" magazine, a respected prophetic publication published by CMI. Born in Aberdare, Wales, Jones is survived by his wife, Edna, and four grown children.


May 05, 2003

Shining bright

Shining bright!
The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
Proverbs 4

The legacy of a man of God

The legacy of a man of God
In the international gathering at Gullbotn this weekend we have had a wonderful time of sharing with one another and retelling our story of how God has been dealing with us and brought us into the present truth and blessing.
Since we had the sad news that our spiritual father, Bryn Jones, had gone to be with the Lord, we spent some time celebrating his life and ministry sharing with one another what Bryn had meant for us. We are so indebted to him in many ways.
Bryn Jones has left a rich legacy of many ministry gifts that has been released through his ministry. He has left a deposit of revelation and insight as well as a zeal for the house of God. Probably thousands of servants of God have been influenced by the ministry of this great man of God. He has left a legacy with us that only the future will prove to be invaluable worth by the fruit still to come.
The legacy of a man of God takes generations to make fully come to its full blossom.

May 02, 2003

The ability to find friendship

The ability to find friendship
After I met Bryn Jones I discovered the meaning of true friendship. Through him I was introduced to my best friends in life. I wrote a book called "Friends of Covenant" where I described some of my insight and experience of covenant friendship and loyal love. Here I have enclosed some paragraphs in the beginning of that book. When you read it you will understand why Bryn Jones came to mean so much to me!

The ability to find friendship and develop it at various levels is often connected to a feeling of belonging, not being alone: having someone to relate to, someone willing to listen, someone understanding, someone not ashamed of us, but caring about us, then the steep hill is easier to climb and the burdens easier to carry.

But who has not experienced the bitter loneliness of a crisis of confidence and failure. It hurt to see friends turn their backs and leave when they were most urgently needed. It was unbearable to stumble around, brooding over thoughts and feelings, while friends kept away. Eyes cried for help, and found nothing but indifference. They looked right and left, but nobody was there to care. You had become an alien to your nearest friends.

Once friendless you were exposed to all kinds of rumour and slander without being able to defend yourself. Nobody humbled himself to give you life and strength. Nobody helped you to hold the shield against the burning arrows. Alone you clenched your fists in your pockets. Setting your teeth hard and keeping a stiff upper lip, you stood firm in sheer defiance. You let the steam-roller press you down and it turned you into a doormat.

No, perhaps it was not that way. You couldn't bear being trodden by all the filthy feet. You gave outlet to all the volcanic powers inside you and rebelled against the hypocrisy and wrong. You threw off all the bonds. Bragging you went away - alone.

I never forget it. It marked me for life. I had many friends. I had succeeded in many ways and I was fairly content with life. Then the rumours arose - apparently out of nothing - followed by public slander of being a liar, when defending myself. This was not unbearable, however. It grew worse when I came to realize that nobody wanted to believe me. The rumours were so absurd that I couldn't imagine that they could be believed. But now I found that even people that I reckoned among my best friends believed the religious rumours about one of my sayings, and distrusted me. That was a disappointment that stung deep into my soul - to find that I had been a na�ve fool l living in a castle in the air. Then hopelessness and rebellion arose within me, making all the wounds worse. Helpless, I groped for a way out of the mud - and found what I was looking for: He was a stranger, a foreigner, but cared enough to listen to me, and he believed me. The way he met me and helped me overcome a growing bitterness transformed my life and gave me a new direction. Despite the fact that he lives in another country and we don't see each other often, a friendship was formed that has been growing stronger ever since.

I experienced this, the failure, the disappointment, the broken hope, once, twice, many times. I had thought: Now I am secure, now I have friends. Over and over again I was wrong. It is not good to be rejected or to be sold on sale to the benefit of others. Failure and disappointment hurt. Happy memories took on a bitter taste of void and grief.

However, such is life. Friendship is disappointment. But the painful things can be the breeding ground for new, good, friendship. Friendship is to dare to forgive and forget wrong; to be able to start anew. It is to believe and hope while sowing and letting trust grow. Friendship is to get on your feet again after many collapses and to stumble ahead with both firm and weak steps. It is to swallow defeats such as they are, and with fresh courage and open eyes step into new relationships. You will learn from disappointment when you forget the painful things and do not let yourself be subdued.

Friendship arises from the ashes. It presses on and makes its way through black asphalt paving and stretches towards the warmth of faithful brothers. It blossoms in all seasons and finds no obstacle invincible. Friendship is a dream nobody can rob me of, and it is up to me to let that dream come true.

Bryn Jones has gone home to glory

Bryn Jones has gone home to glory
I was shocked this morning as the news reached us in this international gathering at Gullbotn that our spiritual father, faithful servant of God, and close friend - Bryn Jones - had been taken home to glory.
I met Bryn Jones first tile at a crucial time of my life twenty-eight years ago. God sent him to Norway to save my life and put me back on track again. At that time I was hurt, disappointed, and confused. I was in great danger of going astray, but praise God, Bryn Jones came, sent by God, to set me straight!
Bryn Jones was an apostle of Jesus Christ, dearly loved by thousands of people around the world. He really was a Christian statesman, an ambassador of the Kingdom of God. He was indeed in spirit and truth a Prince in Israel! He was the most excellent preacher of the word of faith envisioning all his hearers.
I don't find words to express my gratitude to God for Bryn Jones and what he has meant to me during all these years since we first met. May his life and faith be followed by thousands more like him!

May 01, 2003

Visiting a new work

Visiting a new work
Yesterday Solveig and I were visiting a new work - a new church - at the island of Stord. The work was initiated by Jan Sigve and Astrid Elin Hystad and they are the natural leaders of the group. We first had a very good time with this wonderful couple in their beautiful home before we went to another home to meet with the new fellowship. It was a pleasant surprise to meet all these eager people. They love the Lord and one another and it was very obvious that they enjoyed being together. I am convinced they have a great growth potential as they continue to build according to God's pattern.

International conference

International conference at Gullbotn

Today we gather together at Gullbotn for an international conference.
We will be refreshed together in the presence of God.
We will be nourished together by the word of God.
We will be encouraged together in one another's company.
Together we will enjoy the beauty of God!

Listen for God's voice

Listen for God's voice
As I was reading in the Proverbs this morning God spoke to me from the 3rd chapter:
Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go!
We don't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He is continually speaking his word to uphold us, strengthen us, and refresh us! Listening to the voice of God will keep us on track!
Listening to the voice of God will enable us to minister the grace of God to people meet during the day. When we listen to God we are really useful to him. When we are busy doing our own things we will not see the needs of the people that we are able to meet by the grace of God, nor will we be aware of all the open doors and the golden opportunities coming our way!
I have found that when I humble myself and listen for God's voice I am used of God to bless others.
God is so good!