Erling Thu

Learning from the Football club

Early this morning some of the pastors in town met for prayer. I am always blessed by this time together before the face of God. Rolf Helen Iversen led it in an excellent way!
Later this morning there was another gathering of the pastors in town. This time more pastors attended! Bjørn Dahl, the manager of Brann, the local football club, had been invited to come and share with the pastors. He had been given this theme: From goal to utter despair!
It turned out to be one of the most exciting gatherings we have had in a long time! He shared with us the process the club had been going through to turn a despairing situation around. It was like being at a charismatic renewal meeting as he told us of their experience of changing the value system or the process of getting ownership to the underlying values.
In what he shared we could identify so many parallels to building the church. I was encouraged as I again was reminded of the truth that the godly principles of the Kingdom of God are applicable in every circumstance and work in any situation!
To be honest, I don’t care much about football, and I didn’t have a high expectation as I arrived to the gathering. I was put to shame. Today God used a non Christian, secular manager, to teach me many spiritual truths.
Thank you God, I am still able to learn!

Visiting a new church in Etne

Yesterday I went to a new church in Etne to teach on Christian Foundation - eternal judgment. When I was asked to go to teach on that subject my first thought was that I would have liked a more "positive" subject on my first visit! Judgment seems to be a kind of heavy stuff!
But being a man under authority I went to do what I was asked to do! I left home around 15.00 o'clock and arrived nearly four hours later. Before the meeting I was able to have a good time of fellowship with the leaders and the people arriving early.
Only sixteen people attended the meeting, but still I was encouraged to be with them. They obviously have a burden to reach their community with the gospel and eventually they will succeed. They received my teaching very well and we had a good time of dialogue afterwards.
I am convinced that we will see new churches like this pop up in every village all over Norway!

Ingrid Alexandra

As we were gathered at Gullbotn one of the brother got a SMS message telling the name of the newborn Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra. The name means "Divine beauty protector of mankind"! What a wonderful name for our first governing Queen to be for hundreds of years in Norway.

Photo: HRH Crownprince Haakon

A princess is born

With great joy and pleasure we received the good news today that a princess has been born in Norway. Crown-princess Mette Marit gave birth to a girl at 09.13 this morning! Congratulation!