Students start ministry to men with ponytails

ST. PAUL – College students from a Bible school here have started an unusual outreach program to men with ponytails.

“We consider them a distinct unreached people group,” says Bart NKomo, 23, from St. Paul Bible College. “That ponytail is really a cry for help.”

The group of 13 sophomores and juniors pioneered their effort by visiting nature food stores, biker bars, Dead concerts and music shops – places with high concentrations of ponytailed men.


I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

(I'll reveal my source after a few comments)

My final week under House Arrest (5 of 7)

Sitting here thinking that I have a couple of hours left is incredible. In all honesty, I actually wondered many times if this day would actually come… Tomorrow my life will change for the better. I’m both nervous and excited! Weird I know… let me explain why I feel this way.

For some, well… actually for most, my life will just go back to normal. For me however, my life takes on a whole new perspective!

Why?

Well… my life is not going back to what it was before my accident! It’s taking on a whole new sphere… Now, when I’m walking on the beach and I feel the sand between my toes, I won’t take it for granted as I used to. Now I will feel the sensation of freedom running between my toes… I will smell the scent of freedom which the ocean gives off…

Freedom has taken and will take on a whole new perspective for me.

Being allowed out of my house is not quite the same as what it used to be… nor will it ever be!

HERE’S TO MY NEW LIFE!!!

My final week under House Arrest (4 of 7)

Re-Post of House Arrest (4 of 4)

What I’ve learned

Going through something traumatic may not be great in ones eyes at that moment. It may just seem like the world is collapsing around you and all hell is breaking loose… Well, it seemed like that for me on the day of my accident. I can still recall the sounds of the helicopter’s propellers, the sounds of the police radios, the ambulance sirens… It was a rough day, I can’t deny that. I’ll even admit that for a small amount of time God was not the most popular person on my list. We went from buddies to me thinking that He was (because this is not a 18 and over blog, I have decided to remove the bad words from this sentence).

Well, all was not lost. A friend told me that I really inspired her with my faith as she drove away from the accident site. On her way to take me home, I turned to her with tears in my eyes and said, “I’m not sure what He’s up to, but I know God will pull me through this and He does have a plan.” As I slowly move on in time an think back, I’m beginning to recall conversations like that. It still blows my mind that I was that faithful to God (despite my short lived temper out burst mentioned earlier). So, that just goes to show that I’m still learning and probably will for many years to come.

What I have learned however which I feel so many take for granted is the freedom which is granted in Christ. So many times I hear people say that they are free in Christ and I now can’t help but wonder if they really are aware what it truly means to be free in Christ. It hurt, a lot, when I sat in the common room at my college and watched the students of the college laughing and giggling, unaware of just what freedom is. Unaware of the gift that has so freely been given to them. Unaware of what it truly means to be free.

I can remember going home and lying in my bed at night wondering what was going to happen to me. I lost weight, I couldn’t sleep, my marks at college dropped… I was a wreck, until it hit me. Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi suddenly took on a whole new perspective. I was free in Christ… I was able to find the true meaning of freedom and it was GREAT. I was eventually free and I was lead towards a greater understanding of joy. I now feel I can relate to the Apostle Paul as he sat in a prison cell, with minimal food and water, possibly not even sure if he’d make it to the next day or not and a worry in his mind. I always thought this guy (Paul) was a psycho… But now… now I know from where the letter was written. The letter is amazingly beautiful!!! I have never before read such a heart felt letter!!!

Even as I write this blog, I’m having difficulty keeping it short. I just want to go on and on and on about the freedom in the true and living God I NOW KNOW. The true joy found in suffering for Christ… There is just so much and I honestly could probably do a whole week on what I’ve learned from this experience… If you asked me to sum up my feelings, I’d ask you to watch an eagle fly… the image says all I’d say.

I hope this past week has in some way helped answer some of the questions you may have had revolving my whole ordeal. In the very same breathe, I hope that in some way I’ve been able to help you think about your rough patches in life and to make you realize, they more beautiful then you think…

Have you really experienced the freedom Paul talks about? Do you know of this joy he talks about?

My final week under House Arrest (3 of 7)

Re-Post of House Arrest (3 of 4)

How I stay sane well spending so much time at home

Let me start off by stating that it is not easy. I do have my days where I feel like I’m sitting in a cage while the world carries on spinning around me. It has been a humbling experience for me to experience what it means to be placed under house as it shows one that whether or not you’re apart of the world, it’s going to carry on spinning.

Firstly I consider myself fortunate to be doing my time in an actual house. During my various meetings at the Correctional Department in Cape Town, I have meet many who are in a far worse state then I. I have meet some who are having to do their time in a shack within a informal settlement. This is heart breaking and again reminds me that despite my situation, I am better of then many others.

Being a student, I am always busy, be it with readings, assignments, presentations etc. It is possibly the one thing that grabs my time and really consumes it. During the college terms, I barely feel my house arrest as I barely have time to even think about. However, the terms at college do come to an end and I am then faced with the reality of what being under house arrest means. It is challenging as I find things to keep my mind busy.

I am fortunate enough to have a internet connection at home, so I use a large amount of my time reading and blogging online. Apart from that, I do play the occasional online game... I must also admit, (not that I'm sorry for it) that my personal library has grown quite substantially as I now have quite a large amount of time to spend reading. But as my lecturers keep saying, "That's a goooooood thing!!!"

I have also used the time in a practical manner to attack things that need to be done around the house. The past 4 months I have spent time painting, with my ipod in my pocket keeping me going. It's amazing how much information is available out there in terms of podcasts...

There are many other small things which keep me going, but these are the general things I do to get me from day to day…

Tomorrow I will share what it is that I have learned from being under house arrest. I will share how I have taken what seems to be a horrific and unfair event for many, and changed it into what I believe to be a blessing from God.

If you were under house arrest, how would you keep yourself busy?

My final week under House Arrest (2 of 7)

My apologies for not posting this yesterday! Today will I will do a double post to get you all back to speed.With that said, this is the second installment of "House Arrest."

House Arrest (2 of 4)

So what does being under house arrest mean?

Well, being under house arrest is really not as bad as many seem to think it is. Although, I must admit I am better off then many others who are under house arrest. Basically what being under house arrest means is that I’m in jail but not really in jail. Thank God for that!!! In my case, my jail cell is my house.

With the jail concept in mind, you’ll now begin to understand the various rights that have been taken away from me. So, I’m therefore not allowed off my property unless I have been granted permission by my parole officer. At times this can be a pain, but at others, it sometimes is beneficial for me. Obviously because I’m under house arrest my entire life has not been taken away from me. Therefore, I am still expected to make money in order to survive as well as obtain an education for myself.

With this in mind, I am therefore ONLY allowed to be on one of the following properties: My college campus, my employers property, my house and then once a week I am entitled to attend a church service. On Saturdays, I am then required to do a min of 5 hours community service at my local police station. These generally means basic clean up of the station. After my community service, I am granted 5 hours free time (which I get on a weekly basis) to do with as I please. Oh and before I forget, I don’t wear a ankle bracelet like the Americans do (Thank God!!!). I just get surprise checks at my residence by various correctional officers… You get used to them after a while, even if it’s at 3am…

I hope this in some way helps to explain what it means for one to be under house arrest… Tomorrow I will share how it is that I’ve trained myself to remain calm and focused. I’ll share what it is that I do to keep my mind in shape and how I actually enjoy my time at home…

Have you got any questions relating house arrest? Have you experienced anything similar or know of someone who has?

My final week under House Arrest (1 of 7)

For the past 5 days people have been asking me what it is I’m counting down to. It is for that very reason I thought it would be a good idea to bring my blogging sabbatical to an end and bring my passion for blogging back to the surface. I’ve enjoyed the break…

So, what I’d like to do over the next 6 days is share my story as I have previously shared it (I will be re-posting my House Arrest Series) as well as what I have learned over the past 2 years of being confined to the piece of land I call home.

With that said, let’s dive straight in then with the first installment of “House Arrest.”

House Arrest (1 of 4)

This week I thought I would answer some of the many questions I get in relation to my house arrest… Hopefully by the end of the week I would have answered some of the questions you may be wanting to ask me…

How I landed up being under house arrest

On the 19th of February 2006, I was involved in a car accident which resulted sadly (a couple of weeks later), in a death. Because I was the only driver still alive, I was charged and summonsed to appear in the local magistrates court. It was quite a nerve wrecking experience and I would suggest to all, if at all possible, stay away. The court room seems to be an area which just sucks all the living energy out of you in a matter of minutes. If you for any reason need to spend time in the court room, surround yourself with loved ones. They are and will be your backbone…

After a year and half (more or less) of trying to defend myself and keep out of our national prison, the case was finally brought to a close. It was an emotional time for me as I stood before the magistrate and waited to hear her sentencing. It is absolutely terrifying knowing that the person in front of you has all the power in the world to end your life there and then. I can still remember the feeling of the sweat running down the back of my neck as I prayed “Lord, PLEASE! If there was ever a time I believed in you, it is now!!!”

Finally, after reading literally everything that was said throughout the case hearings (over the year and a half), she finally got to the words, “I therefore sentence you to…” Those five words determined the practical outcome of my life, whether I liked it or not. She ended off with, “24 months house arrest and no more than 18 hours community service each month for the duration of your sentence.”

The beauty of the experience was how I learned what it means to truly know the peace of Christ. So often, like many others, I would blabber on and on about the peace of Christ and how I knew it and so on… The truth was, I had no idea what it really was until I really needed to know it. My first experience within the court room was one of absolute terror. It is only by the grace of God I didn’t pass out. Those around me referred to me as a ghost. Kinda scary if you think about it…

The morning before my second appearance, I decided to pray, even if it was just a 30 second prayer. I was going to ask God for help, and I was going to believe that he would and could help me. From that morning on, I was nervous in the court room, but no where near as nervous as my first appearance. The sense of peace I felt within my heart was unbelievable and pretty much impossible to describe in words. I learned, through receiving a life changing sentence, that God’s love is real. More real than you could possibly ever imagine.

Tomorrow I will explain what it means to be under house arrest whilst fulfilling a commitment of 432 hours of community service.

Have you ever experienced a similar event where the peace of God seemed so real?

Metro cops steal R113 000

With the 2010 Soccer World Cup just around the corner, is this really the image we're wanting to portray? Not only can't you trust the guy in the street but you can't trust the police either!!!

Metro cops steal R113 000

Johannesburg - Two Johannesburg metro police officers were arrested on Thursday after allegedly robbing a man of €10 000 (R113 000) outside Montecasino in Fourways.

The officers allegedly stopped and robbed the man, who was driving from the casino, and stole his money on Wednesday night, metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said.

"The victim reported the matter on Thursday morning and the two officers were arrested following an intensive investigation by the police, who then tracked the police vehicle that was patrolling in that vicinity.

"We will not tolerate corruption from officials and we will deal with any corrupt officer."

The arrested officers would appear in court soon on charges of robbery and fraud.

Minnaar could not confirm whether the man who was robbed was a European citizen or not.

"Police are still conducting investigations." - SAPA

(Story taken from here)