Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A NEW Thing - really?!?

     The sun was just coming up over Phnom Penh.  I headed out the gate and began my run down our street, and toward the Mekong River. The streets were coming to life, with vendors 'hawking' their wares ("Warm baby duck fetus eggs, only 40 cents" - another story entirely), shops opening, and people sweeping in front of their homes. 
      I pray as I run - for the homes, businesses, and people I pass. In Christ's strong name, I pray against everything that "sets itself up against the knowledge of God."  Running around the park and Independence Monument, I ask God to bring true peace and true independence to all the searching souls in this country He loves so much. 
      This day, the weight of battle began to overwhelm me. "Oh, God, how will you prevail? This country has deep traditions, pracitices, and a mindset that doesn't point to you. Lord, how will we break through all the obstacles?"
     And there in front of me stood a young father and his 5 month old son. "New", the Spirit whispered. Hmm...
    I rounded the corner of our street. Coming down the alley behind me, I heard, "Mom, really, Mom, it was THIS big". Turning, I saw a boy of 4 or 5, indicating with his hands  how big 'THIS' was.  His hands were about 6 to 8 inches apart. "Really - THIS big"

"New", the Spirit said. "Everyday there are new lives being born, new eyes, new hearts, new perspectives, that have no 'old' but see everything 'NEW' - this is how I am doing a NEW THING here in Cambodia. Just keep in step with Me."
  "Yes, Lord."

  "...new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you...I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These things I will do; I will not forsake them." (Isa. 42:9b, 16b)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Are you with me?

Are you with me?  
                 I’ve decided to do something specific this week in answer to something God is talking to me about.  Actually, sometimes, I feel like He is shouting at me.  But I can’t quite understand what He wants me to do in response to Him.  
                     Are you with me?  Will you help me understand what He is saying?
I’ve decided to fast for at least a week.  I am going to fast my lunch meals.  I’m going to take about 20-30 minutes during the time I would usually eat and focus some serious prayer/listening times on this situation that is screaming at me.
Are you with me? 
                Have you ever had this happen to you?   
         Do you want to know why I feel so compelled?   
Well, I will tell you.  Here in Cambodia life is just, well, complicated.  I am still trying to understand it.  At one level people seem to have plenty of food, there are bananas growing everywhere and beautiful rice fields.  And people seem so happy.  But now that I understand the language better, I am understanding a very complicated order to things here.  
                                     I know God is the answer.  
                                                                        How does He want to help these dear Ones?  There are families who don’t know how to continue supporting their daughters so they sell them or arrange marriages for them...overseas...even if they are not sure of their daughters’ destiny, whether the man is a Christian or not…or don't know the men or their families...sometimes they sell them...are you still with me?  
There is more to this & I intend to let you in on more of these stories, but in the meantime, if you are still with me.....would you consider fasting with me?   

At least for a week? 
  
                  You don’t have to fast your lunch, or even a meal.  
 You could fast your chewing gum or movie download or chocolate or sodas or Burt’s bees stick.  Whatever will help you remember these dear Ones to Jesus & help me know what God wants me to do in the face of this need.  Don’t you just love Jesus SO much.  He loves these dear Ones more than we do and He has a way of escape for all and He has enough of us to make a difference for Him.  Are you still with me?  (Sometimes I think Jesus is asking us this…)

Saturday, May 12, 2012

New & RE-New: A Blog in Two Installments

NEW: Part 1
  I'm glad for peripheral vision.

Standing in the living room talking to Deb, I noticed,
         in my peripheral vision,
a tip-toeing boy, clad in Spider-man blue and red, stealth-fully sneaking across in front of our gate.  Why tip-toes on concrete, I'm not sure, but he was none-the-less stealth-ful. He made it to the other side of our gate, reached up his hand and...
  guess...c'mon, guess....
     YEP, you're right! 
          Rang our bell and RAN, not quite as stealth-fully as his approach.

The grin began at my chin, made it's way up both sides of my mouth to my ears.  "Babe...we've just been pranked!" 
   For those who don't understand the meaning of this, I will 'sum up' - we were accepted and loved (in an odd, adolescent, different sort of way) by our neighbors children!  I obligingly opened our gate, looked around, and said loudly in Khmer, "I'm not sure who rang the bell. There's no one here."
   As I turned to go back inside, I looked across the street, toward the boy's house 2 doors down, to another gate that was dark inside...and slightly open - and smiled. 
  Our bell rang several more times that day.

Since then, God has opened the door for ongoing conversation and sharing about His great love with our neighbors....Ahhh...the NEW.

"Behold,I am doing a NEW thing...." 





Saturday, March 24, 2012

She smiled at me...

I smiled at her…
    She smiled at me…
            She smiled at me…
                      I smiled at her…
And so it went for about 10 minutes as I tried to get my computer online at the public coffee shop where I had just finished an accountability meeting with a close friend.  As we had wrapped up our time together, I felt compelled to linger a bit longer….
        And she smiled at me…
            I smiled back…do I know her?...no, I don’t recognize her…

Oh Lord!  How I long to show Your glory to the Nations!  How I long to speak to the hearts of these people I am surrounded by day by day!  I struggle so with this language!  Make me your instrument!  When do I know when it is the right time to share Your truths?  I do not want to get ahead of you, but I am so impatient!  It’s not like someone is just going to come up to me and ask me to lead them to You!  Oh Lord, help me!  (This is my prayer, whispered in my heart as I ride in the tuk-tuk along these crowded streets.)

            And she smiled at me as she approached my table…we began a simple conversation about my computer (that still wouldn’t get online!)
                    May I sit here with you?
                        Well, certainly!  How are you?
                            Well, I feel such joy when I see your smile.  Why do you have such joy in your smile? 

Oh Lord, forgive my doubting ways!
Thank you friends for praying! 

After many hours of listening, talking, sharing, listening, talking some more, I asked this dear lady if she wanted this joy today; after getting over her shock that she didn’t have to wait for a special ceremony or time, she said “Yes!” and we prayed together there in that coffee shop. 
And as we lifted our heads together
she had tears in her eyes as
She smiled at me and said
“I am so happy to see your smile.  Now I have the peace and joy I have been seeking for so many years.”

Shine Jesus Shine! 

Monday, February 6, 2012

It's Not JUST Noodles


   
Writing "Gwuiteo", even phonetically, does not do it justice.  It's one of those words you just have to read in Khmer or Thai to really say it correctly. Anyway, gwuiteo is one of our favorite breafast soups. We know. Some of you are thinking, "Breakfast soup?!?"  Yes, breakfast soup. Now, if it was just the gwuiteo, it wouldn't be any good - gwuiteo are just noodles. Dry noodles (think dry Ramen). You need a bowl for the gwuiteo. And then you need some water - no, not water, but some good broth. Oh, and then add some meat - chicken, beef, or pork. Then some veggies - ooh - and some garlic. What Deb? Oh yeah, can't forget the bean sprouts. Or the squeeze of a lime wedge. Mmm. And then a little 'ma-tich' (HOT little green and red peppers). Oh, and the spicy sauce for dipping your meat in when you remove it from the soup.

    Now you get the idea. It's not JUST gwuiteo, the noodles. It's GWUITEO, the savory combination of broth, noodles, veggies, meat, spicies, garlic, a little bit of HOT (or much HOT, depending on your taste), and dipping sauce. 

    So it is with the church, the ecclessia, the 'called out ones' of God. It's never been the church, the building. It's always been the CHURCH - the diverse combination of individuals, all uniquely prepared and equipped to bring 'flavor' to the world - in this case, SALT and LIGHT. As we go about, following in the footsteps of our Master Jesus, making disciples, let us becareful, lest we think we know who should belong in the kingdom and who shouldn't. Consider Him, who chose fishermen, a tax collector, religious zealot, those well studied, soft spoken, 'spicy' spoken - a unique blend of individuals upon whom was laid the task of spreading the word about the kingdom. Let us go forth, and do likewise, and be GWUITEO to the world around us.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

"I could not find my people...."

He had been missing for 10 minutes. Poor Borei. He wasn't sure what to do. So he sat down and waited. And that's where I found him.
   Having completed an informative canal tour of Bangkok, Thailand, all the young leaders were enjoying a delicious (and sometimes spicy) buffet lunch at a riverside restaurant.  The meal was wrapping up and Borei headed to the bathroom - everyone else headed to the buses to depart for the hotel. When Borei exited the bathroom, he found an almost empty room. 
    "Where are my people?" he asked the server.  The server pointed to the dock, where the boats dropped everyone off at the riverside restaurant. Borei ran to the dock only to find all the boats gone. This was his first trip out of his country, to a city with almost the same number of people as his entire country, Borei was alone. At least so he thought.
    "I could not find my people. I thought, 'Oh, what should I do? Where should I go?' And then God said to my heart, 'Do not be afraid. You are my sheep - I will find you.'  And then you came around the corner!"
    I shouted his name, he turned his head - a smile of relief and joy stretched from ear to ear. We hugged and laughed, both relieved.  "God told me He would find me!" he shared.
    The next time you feel alone consider him who said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life....no one can snatch them out of my hand."  We are never alone.