Code Red Club

Greater Things

2009-06-09T13:13:00.004+02:00

Greater things are yet to come in this city..... lines from one of the brilliant worship songs so popular these days. What a great thought a couple of days away from the Confederation cup, a year away from FIFA World Cup - there are still greater things that we can do - you an me.

I have a small sign up in my office called "WONDER" and is says 'Renew your Vision, Refine your Gifts, Refresh your Soul! What a thought - if greater things are yet to come, am I ready for them and is my vision for them clear.

Busy days - but I so want to be part of the greater things that are happening!

Vision

2009-03-24T10:36:00.003+02:00

Morning - after a busy start to the week the message of the Sunday School Conference I was part of keeps ringing in my head = Vision: See It, Say It, Seize It!

See it - what God wants me and you to do - especially as we go into the Christ value of 'Justice' this month (in our Territory);
Say it - Yes We Can! Must be the cry of every Code Red follower - I will Reach out, Evangelise and Disciple my hurting community;
Seize it - Now is the time - lets make a difference now!

Challenges are clear - muddy politics, failing heroes, taxi strikes - but God never fails for me and for you!

The Value Of Mentorship

2009-02-25T11:56:00.002+02:00

The Value of Mentorship

Hola! Howzit? It’s so great to be able to communicate with young Salvos in this way. I hope this blog will be a hot spot to come and share your ideas, to debate and discuss the issues of our day, and to challenge ourselves to be even better and bolder followers of Christ. I’m happy to be given the chance to put my own thoughts and views out there, and I invite your comments and responses even (especially!) if you don’t agree with me.

For my first blog, I want to talk about something close to my heart…mentorship. In its purest form, mentorship is about somebody with some life experience walking alongside someone with less experience. A mentor is there to provide a listening ear, guidance on life’s toughest questions, and should be able to broaden the young person’s experiences. They are a friend who leads by example.

When I was a teenager, I had a mentor. Her name was Roma, and we met at church. She was about 7 years older than me, newly married to a guy we all thought was gorgeous, and she really made time and space for me in her life. And not for me alone. On a Friday night, my best friend and I would be found hanging out with Roma. What did we do together? Sometimes we made cookies. Sometimes we listened to music. Often we just talked. Roma’s love for God came through in our conversations. It was because of Roma’s example in my life that I decided the first guy I slept with would be my husband on my wedding night. She never suggested to me that I make that kind of commitment; I did it because I watched her, I listened to her and I wanted to follow the example she was setting. I grew up and we both moved away from that small community, but for an important part of my life, Roma was used by God to help mould and shape my character and values.

Traditionally on this continent mentorship happened naturally, as communities took responsibility for their own young people and made sure they knew what they needed to know to contribute meaningfully to their family and community. If you stepped out of line, there would be a long queue of people eagerly waiting to call you (or shaya you!) back to order.

Fast forward to 2009. Things have changed. The lingering effects of apartheid on our souls and psyches, rural to urban migration, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the breakdown of the family, and a general loss of positive values in our society mean that most South African young people don’t have huge networks of loving and supportive adults intent on their success.

As a Christ-follower, I think it’s our responsibility to stand in that gap. We don’t become a mentor because some organisation trains us and makes us one. We become a mentor because a young person looks up to us. They see something in our lives that they connect with. We become a mentor by intentionally spending time with a young person…by showing an interest in their schoolwork, their hobbies, their friends. We are a mentor if a young person feels safe around us, important, loved.

You may already be a mentor to a young person in your church, on your street, in your extended family. I think that if we as a Church really commit to living Christ’s values as we walk a road with a young person, they will be able to grow up whole in spite of really difficult circumstances. I don’t think Roma knows about the significant role she played in my life. But I can be a Roma to someone else.

To get a free Heartlines Mentorship Starterpack with a Guide and DVD, go to www.forgood.co.za and click on “mentoring”. Otherwise, sms the word good to 32197. SMS costs R1.

Myles Munroe Lecture on Leadership Development

2008-11-20T12:09:00.004+02:00

On 14 October at 14H00, I had the opportunity to attend a Myles Munroe lecture on Leadership Development at Wits University. I must say that this was a very well presented talk and came back re-charged to continue doing what I am doing in mobilising young people to be the best they were created to be. The following are some of the notes I took from the lecture. Please read and be encouraged.

Leadership Development- The Power of ideas and the Misconception of Leadership

- There is nothing on earth that is more powerful than ideas.

- Ideas create & control everything (clothes, shoes, events, universities etc)

- They are so powerful than death. They outlive man.

- The world is ruled by dead men (communism, democracy etc. are dead men’s ideas)

- We believe we can kill ideas, but they kill us. You can kill Bin Ladin but terrorism will still be there. In fact, if you kill him it will only spread terrorism.

- We need to exchange bad ideas for good ones.

- Education itself is a collection of ideas

- If your ideas are wrong then you are wrong.

- As man thinks in his heart- that’s the man!

Solution

- Destroy bad ideas with better ones.

- Cannot lock/imprison ideas

- If you kill a person with ideas they become matrys (Jesus Christ). Killing that person will only spread his/her ideas.

IDEOLOGY- The Ideas we believe

The Product of ideas that has become acceptable.

PHILOSOPHY- To be in love with you thoughts

PHILO- To love

OSOPHY- To think/to know

PHILOSOPHER- Someone who is in love with their own thoughts.

The Greeks still rule- their ideas define leadership as we understand it today. (Colonialism was founded by them)

5 Things they believed about Leadership (He mentioned 4)

1. Leadership is a product of divine providence (The gods gave it)

2. Leadership is a product of birth traits (Physical features can confirm leadership)

3. Leadership is a result of charismatic personality. Charisma meaning: The gifting of the gods.

4. Leadership is a result of providential superiority. If the gods chose you to be a leader, then everyone else is inferior to you.

Some notes he made

- Leadership is a product of ideas, it depends where you got yours from.

- The Sub-conscience/your hard-drive is where your belief system is.

- Wearing a crown doesn’t change your mind.

- The problem with Africa is the confusion between independence and freedom. Ecclesiastes 11: “Woe to country where a slave becomes a king.” (Mentality). The reason why king Solomon said this is because he know that slaves only think survival.

- Sometimes it takes a generation to change an idea. It Israel 40 years to change their slavery mentality. SA has long way to go.

- You are not free until your mind discovers the truth about you.

- The struggle if between the ears!

- Are my ideas stronger than prison? Nelson Mandela, Apostle Paul.

- Learn the truth about yourself

- Don’t believe people’s opinions about you. There things that other people call you that are not true. You are where you come from.

- Don’t trust knowledge. We begin learning when we leave educational institutions.

Therefore Leadership is... The capacity to influence others through inspiration, motivated by passion, generated by conviction, enthused by a purpose.

Passion is finding something to die for.

-Culture produces leadership- inferior or superior.

Every human being was created to be a leader not over people but over an area of giftedness!

Hope you were as challenged as I was.

Blessing

The Spirit of transcendence

2008-11-17T09:06:00.002+02:00

The spirit of transcendence says: Acknowledge who you are, take pride in your heritage, and rise above that to become the more that you were created to be. We need to realize that we don't have to be stuck in the limitations of our current situations. Jesus Christ displayed this when he braved the rejection of His society to become the Saviour of the world.

You, in the same way, might be facing some rejection from your society and friends. That does not mean you are to be stuck there forever. There is more to you than just that. You were created to be more than a conqueror. Your physiological make-up does not constitute you destiny. You are more than that! God has spoken you into being. He woke you up with a kiss and a song.

Olefile Masangane

The riskiest thing you can ever do in life

2008-11-11T14:02:00.000+02:00

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

- Robert F. Kennedy

Human beings are created with a past, a present and a future. In order for them to give their present the attention it deserves, they have to let go of the past. In order for them to look forward to the future, they need not let their present circumstances limit their sense of vision and purpose. Stepping out can be the riskiest thing anyone can do in life since we live in a world that tells to play it safe and not take risks.

When we were conceived our parents were either expecting us or waiting for us with great expectations. This contrast between these similar words yet distinctly different is true in the township where I grew up. When a school-going girl finds herself pregnant, we often say she is expecting. In most cases this ‘expecting’ is often passive. The expecting individual is seldom expectant of the coming child. This is due to the fact that, although pregnancy brings with it fear and anticipation for every woman, the younger girl has a lot more issues to contemplate whilst pregnant. This contemplation is often comprised of fear, concern, worry, regret, and a sense of failure. In this case the individual is less expectant, and just expecting.

Regardless of the conditions of our conception, each of us is born to take risks. We could not stay in our mothers’ womb forever, at some point we had to step out from that world into this world. The day we arrived there was great excitement as people celebrated our arrival. Trust me, it was a messy day! If you don’t believe me, ask your parents. They will tell you they risked their lives for you to be alive. You equally risked your life as you stepped out from the world of the womb into earth. That is why stepping out can be the greatest risk you can ever take in life. We are all born as risk takers. The question is how to remain one as we grow up.

We are all given the same opportunities in life. However, only those who step out can be able to see those opportunities. And although many can step out and see those opportunities, very few people cease the opportunities within their reach. In other words, they are unwilling to step up to the challenge that comes with the opportunity. So what am I saying? We can all step out but very few of us can step up to the next level of responsibility. As you endeavour to take the next step in your chapter, know that this action is indeed the riskiest action you will ever take in life.

The beautiful life of a risk-taker: “Why is it so important to take risks?”

It is highly important for us to be risk takers otherwise we are denying ourselves of being what we were born to be. From the time we are born to until we die, we are meant to be on the rollercoaster of risk.

Can we avoid risk? Yes! Just stay at home and lock the doors. Never have anything to do with life.

America born English Editor, Playwright, Poet and Critic TS Elliot once said: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

Cheers

Olefile Masangane

Inspire me!

2008-11-07T10:50:00.002+02:00

That is the cry of ordinary South Africans to presidential candidates as we are nearing the 2009 general elections. I read an article in The Times newspaper titled 'World hails Obama' and I was intrigued by what one party leader said: "The days of the politics of race are over." This statement rings true in the diverse world we see imerging. South Africans need leaders who will inspire them to see possibilities in the midst of impossibility. We do not need anymore killings, on the contrary, we need to give our people life. If we can't do it for ourselves, let's do it for our children and the future generation! Afterall, children carry the weight of the changes/decisions we make.

Cheers

O

The Salvation Army 100 years

2008-11-06T12:39:00.004+02:00

Here is the video that most of you did not see at the congress in September.

enjoy

"We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown.” William Booth

2008-10-28T10:00:00.000+02:00

Hi! everyone

I don't usually blog, simply because I get lazy sometimes, but this
morning some miracle happened I started to think!!!!!
What Was i thinking about?well a few weeks ago we had the privilege of
going to the global leadership summit
, which was held at the mosaic church in Joburg. the was one
speaker.....mmmm...... can't remember his name , but he was sharing
about what his organisation was doing about the plight of human
trafficking around the world, and the injustice again women, children
and the poor. He challenged us as Christians to do something about the
injustice in our world,Now that struck a nerve with me, call me crazy,
but for some reason I started to feel like we are not doing enough
when it comes to the injustice here in our country, sure we have one
party representing Christian at parliament, but i still feel we are
not doing enough. I have heard very little of our voices speaking
against leader's who continue to tarnish our democracy, by sending out
messages of fear and intimidation.

Very few of us have spoken up against the poverty, economic melt down,
or the bills being amended at parliament. Yes we have been serving
soup, giving clothe to those in need, I am not slamming all that work,
I feel we need to have those who will serve our people while we also
have those who will serve by challenging those in leadership in issues
that affect those in the front lines.

I am willing to start, but to be honest with you I don't know where to
start. I don't want to be a political activist NO. All I want is for
the church's voice to be heard, not just to be heard but to carry
weight in issues surrounding our communities, if 70 percent of this
country is Christian why is the church afraid of speaking up? Are we
afraid that we will loose our sponsors, our loose out on the
"generosity" the many businesses and the government offer to us? How
much will it cost? everything who will go? Will we keep quite while
thousands of Zimbabweans die a slow death from starvation?

"We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and
bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown." William Booth
Like I said I was just thinking.

Mpumi
"The Son is shining, BASK." Psalm 118:24

2008-10-27T12:14:00.003+02:00

Heard a sermon this Sunday which had a opening thought which keeps running through my mind. Moses has died and Joshua comes into leadership to take the people into the promised land, and he (Joshua) gets his first message from God -
'Moses my servant is dead. Get going.'
(Joshua 1 Msg.)

No beating around the bush, no long polite introductions, no election or time for vision statements and all the rest - just the facts! 1) Moses is dead - something Joshua already knew, and 2) get going.

Spoke to a young person who made a commitment at the last Y'Connexion - took him over a week to make a phone call which could start a process that will change his life.

Wonder what you need to do this week, today? Moses is dead - the past is past. Today is a day of new 'rain', new instructions, new possibilities - I pray you will 'get going'.

Ain't Nothing Wrong with The Trouble!

2008-10-27T10:47:00.004+02:00

I was reading the book of Genesis 45: 5 and it was like I was seeing these words for the first time. The verse read: "Now, don't be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives."

If you don't know the story, it is about how Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers because of jealousy. They were irritated by the type of dreams that Joseph used to dream. He caused them to rage with jealousy until one day they thought 'enough is enough.' And so they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

Later on we hear that there was a famine in their land. But in Egypt, were Joseph braved sexual temptation and prison to become the prime minister, there was plenty of food. So the 11 brothers goes on a search for food and they arrive in Egypt. After a couple of visits, Joseph reveals himself to them and they are shocked! But the words that comes out of his mouth are even more shocking: Don't blame yourselves, Blame it on God!

The lesson I can draw from this verse is that there is nothing wrong with the trouble we are going through. God is using it to set us up for greater things. All we need is the change of attitude. As I was saying at Y'connexion (Jo'burg), It's not a set-back, it's a set-up. People can't take the credit for it. God is the only one who is in control. The most important aspect of this set up is that, we need to have the right attitude for what God is about to release us into.

So no matter how hard your circumstances, don't grumble, God is working on you. As the Apostle Paul put it, "In all things it is God who works for the good of all who love Him..."

Cheers

Olefile

We are busy updating our Blog

2008-10-24T12:37:00.000+02:00

Hola!

We have had a lot of you guys visit our blog. tHank You for the coments you've left.
we would like to let you know that we are currently updating our info on this blog, please bare with us as this some times take's a while.

but this is all to make your experience here a plesure.

Keep Blogging

Red Crew

Let it Rain

2008-10-24T12:10:00.002+02:00

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change"

This quote is on a billboard as you leave the city centre and it really has been bugging me - what do I need to look at differently? Of course, this year we have shared stories around the theme 'Redefine' - looking back (rewind)and seeing why I do so much that I do now, honestly reflecting where I am today (rediscover) in my relationships, walk with God, etc, and then realising that everyday is a day of grace and opportunity (relive) that I can grab and live differently - in a freedom that is liberating.

Tommy Tenney in one of his books in the God Chasers series says this: "If you ever get so hungry for God that you are in pursuit of Him, He will do things for you that He won't do for anybody else...". Great thought - and we put it to the test last week as we joined almost 200 hundred young people in a youth camp (Y'Connexion).

My cry was 'let it rain' - I wanted our young people to be soaked in an awareness of God's love, mercy and his healing and forgiveness - all I think needed in some form to re-start a fully engaged life of following Him. Mphumi was part of my searching for a little sound clip of falling rain that I could use as I spoke, but God had other plans. After weeks of sunshine, God decided to let loose and it rained with all the bells and whistles - thunder, lightening, exploding power lines, power cuts -we got it all and for some of us, the display of God's might will stay in our minds for a long, long time.

Let it rain and allow us to experience the outpouring of His blessing on our lives and ministry - on our Army! It costs, you are going to get wet, you are going to have to keep clean once you have been washed, but it also refreshes and allows you to 'live' again.

Not supposed to preach on the blog - but what do you think? What do you need to put out into the rain to clean it up, what thought do you need to 'wash' to get a clearer, biblical answer? Lets talk about it - we have believed as young people the lie of condomise, the lie of everyone is doing it, the lie of it's only such a small percent alchohol it won't make a difference, the lie of nobody will know - let it rain and help us get some fresh answers to the challenges we face.

Let it rain over our country, let it rain over our young people, let it rain over our leaders and let that rain redefine and refresh our hearts for ministry and purpose!

REDEFINE

2008-03-17T14:41:00.005+02:00

The Dictionary has one thing to say about the meaning of “redefine”
‘to define again or differently’. What a simple definition of a word that has so much potential.

The definition is simple to understand but the process of ‘redefining’ is not an easy one. Have you ever sat down and thought about it? This is not just New Year’s resolutions to be better or thinner, or happier etc... can you redefine what your life is all about, why are you here, why do you do what you do, why are you were you are today?

Maybe you are a youth leader/Officer and you are asking yourself is your youth ministry growing, relevant or even of any value.

There are many questions as to where you are in your relationship with Christ, where your ministry is and even if you have one, are you even saved (and what does that mean), are you a good Salvationist (and what does that mean), confusing isn’t it?

Here’s the thought -- maybe the time has come for you to REDEFINE – think back (Rewind), evaluate where you are (Rediscover), and live again (Relive)...(email us for the entire theme breakdown)

Flickr

2007-07-17T15:40:00.001+02:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Stop Traffik

2007-04-04T11:21:00.000+02:00

I dont know about you guys but I am challenged by the Stop the Traffik project.
We will be covering the topic in more detail at Roots this year, but to find out more info about
Human traffiking you can check out these web sites www.stopthetraffik.org or you can visit the IOM (International Organisation for migration) at www.iom.org.za . We as South Africans can Identify with any injustice since we have a history filled with injustice, but we by God's grace have overcome and are still winning the battle against human rights. So my challenge to you is to be aware and not only that, but to be involved in fighting this crime against humanity. Check out the sites for ideas.

I will try in the midst of this busy time to keep you informed about this topic.

Mpumi.

Sell-Out or a Hero?

2007-03-08T11:45:00.000+02:00

Sell-Out or a Hero?

Just read the Sowetan and it had a Picture of Joe Seramane and heading that read: "Sell-Out or a Hero?". Although the article is more political as it deals with party politics in South Africa, there is a lesson.I wonder how people would view Jesus Christ during the First Century. Was he a "Sell-out or a Hero." Well, I think the pharasees and teachers of the law would have labelled Him a sell out when he slammed and critisized them in front of the masses. How about the time when he was asked about the taxes and he told them to give to Ceasar what is Ceasr's and to God what belongs to God. Was not being a sell-out to the Roman Empire? You probably have your own view. 'Heroes rise from the masses'.

I saw this statement in one of Mpumi's papers and it is one that fits Jesus Christ perfectly. Although He had a choice of just stepping out heaven as Divine Being, He chose to rise from the masses.So, are you going to be a sell-out or hero? You see, we become heroes/sheroes (mind the joke) not by giving a lot of money to charity, but through making a difference in people's lives one day at a time. In other words my "everyday" is always an opportunity for me to touch someone who is in a need of love and sincere relationship.A disciple of Jesus Christ automatically becomes a hero to a dying world. So be a hero today.

Ole

NOVA

2007-03-07T13:04:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone. It's me again. Recently I attended a meeting for one the leading youth leaders conferences in South Africa called change Agents. This year the conference will be looking at the theme of "Nova"- THINK NEW DO NEW. There three different kinds of people in youth ministry and ministry in general. 1.Firstly we have leaders in ministry who THINK OLD AND DO OLD. These type of leaders never bother themselves about the current affairs of the world and are detached from the people they are trying to reach. They base their ministry of past experiences.

You can say they are campers. In other words, they like to camp around ideas of the past thinking that they are the only way of having success in ministry.2. Then we get those leaders who we can say that they THINK NEW but DO OLD. These are very deceiving leaders because, they can fool you by what they say, but their actions could go a completely opposite direction. These leaders are more dangerous than the first ones.

In the Salvation Army youth ministry, we have good supply of such leaders. This creates a problem in growing our youth ministries to become relevant to the young people we minister to. And we need not entertain new thinking only, but we need to progress to the next level.3. Thirdly, we have a type of leader who is not thinking old, doing old, or thinking new doing old, but these people THINK NEW and DO NEW.

They model what it means to be a New Testament Believer: 1 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ he is a NEW creature, the old has past, the new has come" New here has very little to do with programme, but everything to do with character/process/relationship/community and many other aspect of ministry which Jesus practised during His earthly ministry. For us to be truly used by God in the 21st Century, we will need to ask God take from us as youth leader in the Salvation Army "a heart of stone" and let Him give us a "heart of flesh"

Ole

Heitha! Everyone

2007-02-15T09:29:00.000+02:00

Olefile Masangane

Territorial Creative Ministries Co-ordinator

Hi all,it's so great to have cyber presence. Now we can communicate with the world. The Code Red Team in South Africa has been dying to share it's passion for Jesus through this platform for a very long time. Well, here we go. Looking forward to connecting with you guys on this blogspot in the future.Cheers Ole