Let me introduce you to Jesus...

I can not do justice to the honour I have for this man and the privilege it is to walk through life with him as a friend, brother in the Lord Jesus, partner in ministry and inspiration to many, myself included.

I would like to introduce you to Jesus Giraldo Prieto, although he knows he is not Jesus our lord and saviour the resemblance of Jesus the Christ in and through Jesus' life is remarkable. He is a man of faith, humility, simplicity, prayer, Christ like character, perseverance and obedience. Along with a living legacy of a family of faith that is walking in his footsteps.

I have been blessed in my life already to know many amazing leaders, men and women of faith, however the intimacy and life I have been able to walk with this man over the last 7 years continues to challenge, encourage and inspire me all the time. His faithfulness to God and God's faithfulness to him and his family help me to continue to believe in the value and fruit of faithful obedience in the midst any thing life can throw your way.

I love this man (and his wonderful family) and I look forward to many more days in his presence, living, learning, laughing together as I continue to have the privilege to walk alongside him and share in the work Holy Spirit is asking of us for the sake of God's kingdom come in Spain.

This is a great video as it give you are picture of who Jesus is and what makes him so special to me and many others. However the beauty of this man's (along with his wife Esther's) life is something you need to experience to truly understand and appreciate. Maybe someday you can join me and see for yourself. Till then, pray for them, and us as we continue to walk as faithfully as we can for the sake of our King Jesus.

(mobile user, and HD lovers, will need to click on the Vimeo link below to see the video - sorry)

Jesus Giraldo Prieto:

(video by Luke Liable - http://www.lukeliable.com/ - find it on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/54195679):

LIFE - my attempt at clarity...

As discussed in our previous post (read it here), we have become convinced that life, becoming authentically human, being made fully alive in Christ, is the end we are called to achieve both in and through our lives. In this post (and the ones to follow) I will try to communicate with you what we are doing with the lives we have been given based in this belief. 

Our hope is that this will help and hopefully give people a greater level of confidence in becoming even more engaged and willing to take significant steps of faith alongside us for the sake of seeing "future kingdom now" take place in one or every area of our lives, depending on your own passions or relationship with us. 

So here goes my attempt at clarity;

There are currently three major ministry endeavors that Ronnie is significantly involved in both locally (Kelowna) and overseas (Spain & England). My percentage of overall engagement in these three ministries would breakdown as follow:

• Overseas Leadership Development, Church Planting & Community Engagement (NLI Network) - 40%
• Local Church Planting & Initiation of Missional Faith Communities (LifeLinks) - 40%
• Initiating, Developing and Participating in a Mentoring Organization(Addressing the issue of Fatherlessness) - 20%

For me the work overseas consist of working in partnership with nationals for the purposes of seeing their communities and nations become a clearer reflection of God's kingdom come. This is happening through leadership development and church planting. My role has been to help facilitate, organize and be a part of the training, as well as, working together with partner churches, national leaders and local planters to see new churches established. My heart and bend in both the training and the church planting is challenging and inspiring churches to engage socially into their communities and see God's kingdom life come in the world and lives they find themselves in relationship with. I also believe that because of that mandate of engaging in their communities one of the specific things I am being called to do is to help with the initiation and development of new and unique church expressions and hopefully finding ways to link these new expression of church with the traditional expressions of church and vice versa.

As outlined above, this specific work happening overseas takes up 40% of my time. However, I believe that 80% of my time is actually devoted to this, as I see the church planting endeavor I am a part of helping initiate in Kelowna is a key component of what God is asking me to do in an overseas context. The local initiation of a network of new and unique expressions of church in my own cultural context is an essential part of my growth, development and ability to help see this take place in an overseas context. I am also engaging with the Network of LifeLinks in the development of their church planting endeavors as a network, which again has continuity for the whole of what I am doing both locally and overseas. 

We believe that all things in the age to come (future kingdom) will be characterized by life, by being fully alive. There will be no more suffering, no more sickness, no more tears, no more death. We believe that this is exactly who Jesus is and the gift God has given the whole world in Jesus,

"So, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, in the same way the son of man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may share in the life of God's new age. This, you see, is how much God loved the world: enough to give his only, special son, so that everyone who believes in him should not be lost but should share in the life of God's new age." (John 3:14-16 - The Kingdom New Testament)

We are convinced that it is our mandate to live this future kingdom now. We are meant as followers of Jesus, as kingdom people, to be instruments of identifying, sharing, facilitating, embracing, releasing this reality of God's new age. This is an age made possible and characterized wholly and completely by Jesus, his life and his love. 

We believe the lives we live, the life we are being a called to live, the actions we must take to live that life, are all filtered through the grid of the age to come. The life that Jesus offers all, allows each of us to overcoming death, showing us that He is the way that leads to truth, (the truth of who he is, the truth of who we are) and therefore brings us all to life, to becoming authentically human. 

Because of this belief everything we do;

• Taking care of and being a nucleus family
• Loving and caring for our extended family, friends and neighbours 
• Coaching our kids sports teams
• Mentoring fatherless youth
• Starting an organization that is focused on addressing the issues of fatherlessness (one child at a time)
• Initiating faith communities who are focused on the future kingdom come (in the places where life happens)
• Working alongside, coaching, training, loving, supporting and blessing church leaders and church starters in Europe, England & Canada
• Walking and sharing in life with other like minded leaders in city we live in
• Pursuing a masters degree and interacting with a new set of friends and a wonderful and inspiring group of people

is about following the way of Jesus, living the truth of who Jesus is and the truth of who we are in him. It's about pursuing life, the life that Jesus gives us, the life of the age to come, the life of God's future kingdom now.  

What we do, how we are doing it, simply comes from the leading and directions of Holy Sprit and being obedient to the kingdom opportunities God asks us to become a part of and trusting him to make it happen. It comes from knowing that together in partnerships we can do way more then we could on our own (nothing we are doing is being done alone). It comes from seeking first his Kingdom and not trying to build our own. 

We are thankful that at this point and time we can say that God has also been faithful to add everything else to it. We continue to trust and hope for him to do that as we continue to walk in faithfulness to being and bringing life to the world around us with the faith, hope and love that come from the life that Jesus has given us. 

Gratitude and Shalom to you, 

Ronnie +

The glory of God is man made fully alive- St. Irenaeus

Ps. we will be posting a number of blogs over the coming weeks and months giving more details and talking more specifically about each of the things we are a part of here in our city and overseas. If you are interested in anything we are doing or would like to get involved in anyway please send us an email, moldableclay@gmail.com 

LIFE - what it's all about...

"Future kingdom now", has become a recent mantra of our small Christ following faith community we have been a part of initiating here in Kelowna. And I think this is a good place to start when we talk about what our lives are all about. You see for me this statement is simple, yet deep. Complex, yet straight forward. 

My view is that the primary characteristic of the future kingdom (or what most bibles call eternity, although the early follower of Jesus and the Jews would not have talked about eternity, but about this age and the age to come. This age to come, or eternity, being when God would rule and reign and all things would be as he originally intended.) is life, life to the full. Life full of faith, hope and love. 

I am convinced that our calling as Christians is not to get people to make a confession to save them from the clutches of hell and eternal punishment of a wrathful God. I believe that God's future kingdom is and will come and that all who refuse to embrace the redemption, restoration, forgiveness, resurrection life and this faith, hope and love that comes from those realities will have no place in this coming kingdom. I also believe that just as Jesus said He is the way to this life, this faith, this hope and this love that it is what he did in defeating death that has brought forth this redemption, restoration, reconciliation and resurrection which is the future kingdom. I guess for me, I think the narrowness of our western evangelical religious traditions, that dominates our Christian thinking, has blinded us from seeing this expression of both the way and ways of Jesus as a holistic lifestyle.

A lifestyle characterized by biblical truth and biblical character as seen in the fullness of what the bible reveals; as a whole story, in the cultural context in which it was written, to those it was intended. Not as a weapon that I pick a part to justify my injustice, intolerance, ignorance, racism, sexism and hatred toward those that think, act or live differently then I do. Recognizing and believing that God has created ALL people in his own image and loves them with a love I can't even fully comprehend, but need to live as best I can, with Holy Spirit's empowering, mercy, grace, understanding, wisdom and love in my life. 

Our purpose, objective, mandate, or calling as Jesus followers is to be carriers of the good news of God’s future kingdom come. Through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection this kingdom come is available to us here and now. To me the clearest reality of the future kingdom that has not fully and completely come to our world, is the fullness of life expressed in the bible and given to us through Jesus. A world where there is no more suffering, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more death in any way, shape, or form. In fact, in doing what Jesus did in his life, death and resurrection from the dead, he overcame death once and for all. He brought forth the kingdom as God intended it from the beginning and enables us to experience it in the here and now, not just forever in God’s future kingdom. That is Good News! That is the good news that we have to share with the world around us, that life has come, death has lost it's power and each of us can become alive in Christ Jesus.

However, we still live in a space and time where the battle for our lives and the reality of death still exists, where the tension of two worlds are still at war with one another. We are not in the future kingdom just yet, it is God’s mercy that allows us to collectively and corporately continue to work out our humanity and liberation from all things that are opposed to this future kingdom. As NT Wright says so beautifully; "we are to become authentically human", our goal as Christ followers is to become fully alive ourselves and to do all that we can and all that God empowers us to do, to allow others to experience this authentic humanity and fullness of life found in the real and authentic love of Jesus, finding life in him who is both the author and perfecter of life itself. 

The beginning of this past year was a difficult one for me personally as we took significant steps of faith to forge into new things. Expanding the breadth and depth of our lives to have the greatest kingdom impact we could. In the last half of 2012 as we communicated our faith filled future, we found that a number of faithful and generous partners who had been with us over the last number of years as we worked with a singular focus of helping to see churches planted in Europe, decided it was time to move on themselves. As we walked a road filled with way less certainty and security, one that was less straight forward and more complex in the way our lives were seeking first His kingdom and justice (Matt 6:33), we were disheartened by the timing of their departures. 

The disengagement of a number of our partners hurt and caused me to wonder why at this junction in our lives, when we believe we are taking the greatest, largest steps of faith trying to initiate a number of kingdom ventures (and thinking personally that we now need these faithful partners more then ever) did those who were part of our foundations and support structure suddenly disengage? 

Clarity and simplicity

Now before I come to my own personal conclusion, I realize that the complexity and reasons for disengagement are complex and varying. However, as I sought answers, had conversations, tried to comprehend the thinking behind some of these decisions that greatly affected our reality and our financial well being, I came to two conclusions: 

1. All that we were doing and why were doing it lacked clarity. We failed to be clear enough in communicating what it is we are all doing and why we feel we are being asked to do these things. We also failed to communicate what it is that bring or binds all these things together in our lives. 
2. We all struggle with complexity and unfortunately I think in someway most if not all Jesus followers struggle with a narrow view of the kingdom (some more narrow then others, but that’s another post for another time, maybe), that causes us to miss the complexities that exist when we truly run after his kingdom and set our own agendas aside. 

I believe we failed to be as clear as we needed to be and failed to bring clarity to the complexity of our lives. But I also think people's lives these days are far to simple and that the diversity and complexity of ours at this point and time is just hard to understand (I don't think we FULLY get it either to be honest), however, we are just trying to walk in obedience and trusting our loving Father is working it all out for His Kingdom's sake, not ours. 

Because of that I am going to try and bring some level of clarity. To try and communicate with you who we are and why we are doing specifically what we are doing with the lives we have been given. That is what I have started above, outlining the overarching belief that shapes and build the foundation on which we place our values, make our decisions and live out our lives. 

I hope you will come and see for yourselves and hopefully be inspired to bring life where there is death, hope where there is despair, faith were there is doubt and love everywhere. May we lead people to the way that is Jesus; enabling us to understand truth and become authentically human and fully alive. 


***please come back next week for part two or this introduction on Life

Thoughts on Gospel - by James V. Brownson

Before I post what it is that shapes our lives, the motivations & beliefs that our foundational to the lives we live, and the way we love others, I wanted to post this article by Brownson as an introduction:

When Jesus speaks about the Gospel, he uses the term primarily to refer to the kingdom of God or the reign of God. When the rest of the New Testament writers speak about the Gospel, they use the term primarily to refer to what God has done in Jesus. There are times, of course, when the New Testament speaks about the Gospel in terms of its saving impact upon this world, but that is not the primary accent in the Biblical materials. The primary emphasis in the use of the term “gospel” is on a narrative that announces what God has done in Christ.

The Gospel is first of all about God’s faithfulness, about God’s triumph over death, and about God’s new purposes for the world that are revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. These Biblical patterns distinguish themselves in subtle but important ways from our North American ways of speaking about the Gospel. Whereas we tend to speak about the Gospel in terms of its impact upon our lives, the Bible tends to speak of the Gospel as a revelation of who God is and what God is doing and has done in the world.

The difference envisioned here is substantial. It involves the basic change from viewing salvation as something we receive (or, to use the dominant North American metaphor, something we consume), to viewing salvation as something in which we participate. When the Bible speaks about the Gospel, it speaks primarily about who God is and what God is doing, because salvation in the full Biblical sense means participating in God’s saving purpose for the whole world. First Peter 2:9 expresses this reality succinctly: “But you are a chosen race, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” The people of God are a chosen race, so that they may proclaim God’s mighty acts, so that they may join the celebration, rejoicing in and announcing to others what God has done in Christ. The Bible does not regard the Church as a vendor of religious services to be received by religious consumers, but as a body of people sent on God’s mission to the world.

In the final analysis, the Biblical understanding of salvation is not merely that our lives and our world finally will be set right again. The Biblical understanding of salvation is that our lives become swept up into something larger and greater than ourselves, into God’s purposes for the world. In other words, the receiving of salvation and the call to mission are not to be conceived sequentially, as if one followed the other (first salvation, then grateful obedience). They are instead to be understood as two sides of the same coin. To receive salvation is to be called into something larger and greater than us, to be invited to participate in God’s saving purpose and plan for the world. That is why the Gospel is primarily about God and only secondarily about us.

But our culture is pernicious in its capacity to twist the Biblical, understanding of the Gospel into a consumerist one. The tragic result has been the proliferation in Canada of passively oriented churches, preoccupied with their own survival and the care of their own members, and struggling to discover a sense of transcendence and the presence of God. By contrast, the Gospel calls into existence churches whose fundamental identity is that of a people called to participate in God’s mission, caught up into a reality greater than themselves, invited to bear witness to the world of a new way of being human in God’s presence.

                                                James V. Brownson of Holland, Michigan

Family Update

Well it's been a while! Really, we have neglected our blog updates for the last 2-3 years. I think that it's time to change that, and to start us back off, I think family is a great and meaningful place to start. 

The first half of 2013 has to have been our busiest one yet! With Janelle doing her masters in nursing at UBCO, Ronnie continuing to assist the churches in England & Spain (coaching church planters, training leaders, working with key leaders in the nation of Spain), as well as taking on the shared initiation of both a local mentoring initiative (addressing the issue of fatherlessness) and missional church planting communities, our lives have been full over the last 6 months. The funny (maybe scary) thing is that amongst all the papers, society applications, building relationships, strategic planning, listen to Holy Spirit, training potential mentors, understanding directorship, charity and mentoring a couple of fatherless youth, relationally connecting with and supporting a number of pastors and leaders in town, caring for our neighbours, and coaching soccer, there have been so many other things we feel we could have been involved in or so many needs around us that we just wish we could help meet. 

We started the year with the Marriot family of 6 living with us in our home. They are the other couple who are initiating the missional church communities with us here in Kelowna. In February, after being with us for 4 months, they found a new place to live in Kelowna as we welcomed Janelle's brother's girlfriend from Boston into our home. However before she moved in we hosted a group of Watoto choir kids and auntie. What a blessing it is to have a home where we can be not only hospitable but give accommodations to those who are needing them. The Marriots were the third friends to stay at our home for a time while they integrated themselves into the city and  they probably won't be the last. 

We are blessed beyond belief by our growing, loving and full-of-life boys! It truly is a joy and delight to love them and help them become the people that God created them to be.

Parenting is not easy, no two ways about it! We are constantly trying to grow in our parenting and better understand how to guide, love and empower our boys to be all they can be. One of the biggest influences on us this past year has been the writing and philosophy of Danny Silk (Family Pastor Bethel Church Reading, California - "Loving our kids on purpose" & "Keep your love on") and an organization that helped shape his philosophy/psychology called Love & Logic (www.loveandlogic.com). We love the new covenant approach and accurate theology (my opinion) that Danny brings to raising our children. We value the fact that heart connection and love are the fundamentals that undergird everything else. We agree with the belief that kids are brilliant and empowering them to make good decisions because of love, out of self control, are fundamental. I think for me personally at least (and I think Jae too) the hardest  part of teaching your kids how to exercise self control and making choices out of love and heart connections in our relationships, is having to do the same things yourself towards them. Praise God for refining us in the fire and safety of family, hopefully allowing us to better love and care for those in our world. Amen for that! I think we can say that that is rejoicing in our suffering or necessary humbling at least. My boys have an innocent and brilliant way of calling me out when I need to be called out, and with brokenness, lovingly, or with a real sense of justice, holding me to account for my behaviour, hypocrisy, or out right failure. For that I am grateful and constantly humbled. 

Caleb, continues to thrive in life and all he does. He is a caring friend, loving brother (most of the time), kind son, hard worker, great thinker, eager learner and creative genius. I have enjoyed watching him work so hard and not let anything hold him back as he  began soccer this year. It was a joy (most of the time- coaching 12 five and six year old boys has it's moments) coaching him and the other boys on his team the past few months. Caleb is a bright boy and is loving learning French. He has been blessed with two wonderful teachers this year who have seen the love and life in Caleb and helped him to excel in school. For that we are grateful. 

Jaden is a passionate, strong and sensitive young man. Sometimes I forget that he is just a young boy, as his sense of justice, bravery, sensitivity and care are well beyond his years (particularly when it involves ladies). Preschool has been so good for Jaden (Have we told you before how amazing Stepping Stones Preschool in Kelowna is!? And how much we appreciate both teacher Carolyn and teacher Nina! They are amazing! We are grateful for them in our boys lives, such a blessing and a treasure they are!) Jaden has loved interacting with his new friends, learning so many interesting things though has occasionally been asked to give a couple of the girls in his class (whom he is most fond of), a little of their own space from time to time. Yes we will need to be careful to help him guard his heart and realize that not every girl is going to care as much about him as he may about them. Oh the joy and challenges of parenting, this is one we will continually appreciate you praying alongside us about. 

Traeton is his own person, no doubt about that. He is comical, energetic, tough (and he needs to be with two older brother) and absolutely loving in his own way. One of my favourite things about Trae right now (and probably one that annoys Janelle the most) is how when we are reading stories before bed at night and he says 'neckie', grabs me around the neck and gives me a big hug and a kiss (that's not the part that annoys Jae, this part is), then the next thing he will proceed to do is lick my face as many times as he can while I am trying to read a story to the boys. While Janelle gets annoyed and somewhat frustrated by this, I have learnt that, although this only exacerbates Trae's actions, when I lick his face a number of times in return we both think it is a fun game that could go on for hours, I mean minutes, well anyways he thinks its hilarious. 
Trae is cherished and loved beyond belief by everyone in his life, his mom and dad, his brothers (although him and Jaden can have their moments for sure) and pretty much daily by his Nana Zerr who spends many many hours loving our boys as Jae & I do all the things we believe we are meant to be doing in this season. 

Nana Zerr is a blessing to us as care giver (and excellent house cleaner) bringing so much love and stability to Caleb, Jaden and Traeton allowing us to do what we do with confidence and joy in knowing our boys are always being loved and well taken care of. This new season for both of us, (especially Jae) has been conflicting at times in regards to our kids, if we are truly honest. Although the balance we have achieved and the awesome grandparents and friends we have in our lives, along with the commitment we have as a family to do life (especially starting our church communities) together, as a whole family, has allowed us to spend as much time as possible together in meaningful relationship, and for this we are grateful. 

We are blessed and we are grateful for so much, especially each other. 

Much love, 

Ronnie, Janelle, Caleb, Jaden & Traeton +

Prayer Request - With Continued Gratitude

Dear Friends,

We are so grateful for all the wonderful people in our lives who faithfully stand with us to see God's kingdom come in our lives and through our lives. We have listed some prayer requests that we have at this time. Over the next few months our updates are going to be profiling the work in Spain that Ronnie is leading with NLI in partnership with the Salem church of Spain. If you would like to receive our updates please send me an email at ron.zerr@nlieurope.com

Thanks again for your commitment and love. We look forward to hearing from you.


Please Pray for:

• The church planters in Spain. That Holy Spirit would continue to give them vision, wisdom, hope, love and Spirit led, and empowered encounters in their communities.

• The NLI Emerge women's leadership development team who will be taking part in a conference in Spain on the weekend of May 20-22. Please pray that they would be a blessing to the women of Spain as they are inspired, challenged and refreshed through NLI Emerge's ministry.

• Finances that are needed for the work in Spain. Ronnie is still needing to raise $20,000 CND to cover the committed cost for the work NLI is doing in Spain in 2011.

• Janelle as she applies for her master program in nursing. That she would find favour and know what area is best for her to pursue. That God would provide financially for that to take place.

• Caleb, Jaden & Trae, that they would continue to grow in love and bond together as brothers. That they would continue to build friendships and relationships in the community.

• Ronnie, that he would have God's heart and wisdom as he leads NLI's partnership with the Salem church in Spain and continues to engage leaders and churches in Kelowna.


Many Blessings & Much Gratitude

Ronnie, Janelle, Caleb, Jaden & Trea †

Treasured Sacrifice

Dear Friends,

We just wanted to say thank you for the overwhelming response and love sent our way at the birth of our little (big) Traeton Wyatt. We are delighted by him and so grateful for his safe birth and good health. He is a sweet little guy who has completely recovered from his fluid on his lungs. Traeton and Jae came home from the hospital on Thursday and we are enjoying being home as a family of 5. Janelle's parent's have been a huge blessing and the church down the street (Kelowna Gospel Fellowship) that we have been to a few of times (of which the Pastor's family are our neighbors... and becoming friends) are blessings us with some meals. So we are very grateful and blessed by Jae's parents and the church.

MEANING OF TRAETON WYATT

We had a few questions about the meaning of his name or where did it come from so here it is:

TRAETON - village near the trees - Trae (Trey means third) - Spiritual connotation - Treasured (Traeton) Sacrifice (Trae)

WYATT - little warrior - Spiritual connotation - Immovable

Our Reason for the Name:

The significance behind the name for us was the journey we have walked this last year. As you may or may not know, Traeton was not planned. In fact our plans, especially Janelle's, were looking very different as we moved back from England to Kelowna. Our plan was to be back in Canada to be closer to family and allow Janelle to re-engage in her nursing career, as she was approaching the time she had to re-engage nursing without loosing her license to nurse. Well, Traeton changed all that for us, especially for Janelle.

Just like when we began this journey 4 1/2 years ago in England and had plans to have Janelle nurse in the UK and be a large part of our income to cover our cost of living, we once again entered into life in Canada thinking and making decisions based on Janelle working. But just like when we started on this journey of faith God has taken us down a different, unexpected and I am sure, a wonderful road. Janelle has had to loose her nursing credentials for the time being (she will have to take a couple semesters of school and do a practicum to be re-certified), we have lost the income we were trusting would enable us to afford to live where we are, Janelle has lost the sense of freedom she was discovering as the boys became more and more independent.

So Traeton Wyatt is our Treasured Sacrifice, especially for Jae. Janelle has had to make many sacrifices and even shift her focus to being an amazing, nurturing and loving mother to an infant once again, instead of re-engaging her career and discovering a new sense of freedom. As well, we know that because of the financial reality this has created for us there will be sacrifice we will have to make, however we will treasure them, knowing there is a new blessing in our lives.

We are so blessed and do treasure Traeton more than words can say. Thanks for walking this journey with us and being a part of our lives, it is people like you who have made what we do possible. We are glad to share with you in all that we put our lives to so that other's may know Jesus' love, forgiveness, grace, freedom and transformation in their lives.

With much gratitude.

Ronnie & Janelle †