Erling Thu

Month: October 2006

  • Escaping the flood – just in time!

    Sunday morning we were taken to a village along the southern coast of Andra Pradesh. It had been raining all night, and it was raining all morning. The roads were like rivers. At the village we attended the worship service at a small gathering of believers. We had a good time. The young pastor and his wife had prepared a very nice lunch for us in their home. But the roads were so muddied that we had to wash our sandals and feet as well.

    During the morning the rain increased in intensity. We left early for the airport because of the weather. The rain was pouring down like I have never seen in Bergen. The town was flooded. We seemed to be driving in a river of brown water. Safely we arrived at the airport only to wait and wait, and to have our flight cancelled because of heavy rain.

    Eventually we got hold of a taxi to take us to Hyderabad. After 6 terrible hours cramped together in the back seat we arrived at one o’clock in the morning, totally exhausted. When I stepped out of the car I felt everything was moving like being on a ship.

    The news papers reported that three people had been killed by the rain and 10000 people evacuated near the place we had been. We praise God that we escaped the flood just in time.

  • Koss Jesus leiar forsamlinga

    Vi har tidlegare hatt nokre innlegg om leiarskap på desse sidene. Vi kjem nok til å ha endå fleire innlegg om dette viktige emnet. Om du les vidare kan du sjå koss eg trur Jesus leiar forsamlinga si.

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  • Seeing glimpses of God

    To be somebody is to see glimpses of God

    at unexpected moments

    in the song of a bird

    in the sparkles of light on water

    in the scent or the sight of the ocean

    in the hint of springtime on a mild winter day

    in the innocent smile of a baby

    in the wrinkles in the face of your mother

    in the enduring love of your wife

    in the care of your neighbours

    in the green sprout of a dandelion break through black tarmac

    in an eagle soaring the sky

    in an old fashioned postcard or a modern text message on the cell phone

    Written after having read "The secret message of Jesus" by Brian McLaren

  • Visiting the Blessing Community

    Yesterday we had the great joy of visiting the 29 Yanadi families living in the Blessing Community. Covenant communities in UK and Norway have raised funds to build houses for 29 families – 94 individuals after the Tsunami hit the area where they lived. We have also been able to provide them with beds and necessary utilities. And we have been running a school for the children at daytime and the adults at night.

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  • Exciting times in India

    We have been in India for abour one and a half week now and we are having a very good time. We have been visiting our friend Chandrakant in Gujerat. He told us many good stories of what God is doing among the churches in the network he leads.

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  • Longing for release

    To be somebody is to long for release

    -from mundane existence

    -from confining walls of finitude

    -from the slavery of mortality

    -from entertainments and obsessions

    from distractions of every sort

    To be somebody is to long for

    -a greater reality

    -a greater beauty

    -a purer presence of goodness

    -a fuller enjoyment of God

    Written after having read "The Secret Message of Jesus" by Brian McLaren

  • Sekulære leiarskapsmodellar

    Leiarskap er eit aktuelt emne for dei fleste som er opptekne av Guds kyrkje. Leiarskap vert omtalt på mange måtar, både positivt og negativt. Det vert brukt mange ord med gresk opphav for å forklara ulike leiarskapsmodellar. Det kan vera nyttig å vita kva som ligg i desse uttrykka som vi finn brukt i mange fora som diskuterer leiarskap.

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  • Leiarskap

    Leiarskap er eit mykje omdiskutert emne i desse dagane. Det rår mange ulike meiningar om koss leiarskap er meint å vera, eller om vi treng leiarskap i det heile. Om du les vidare vil du få del i nokre av mine tankar om dette emnet.

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  • Re-thinking leadership?

    Leadership in the church is a hot topic. In countless books, seminars, current articles and blogs the subject of leadership comes up.

    The House Church Blog posted recently a very interesting article on the subject. Perhaps this is something we need to look more closely at?

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  • Arriving in New Dehli

    We arrived safely in New Dehli this morning. By the grace of God we were able to get a retiring room at the airport. Our next flight is in the evening and we had to spend the entire day at the airport waiting. We didn’t sleep much on the way to India and we were tired when we arrived. We have been resting and reading, and feel refreshed.

    Now we have checked in for the Jet Airways flight for Ahmadabad where our friend Chandrakant will be waiting for us. I am so pleased that there is a Wi-Fi connection at the airport. This technology is really a blessing when we are traveling. God is so good to us!