A Sunday Morning Prayer

I lifted my head from prayer and looked around me.   As I gazed over the gathering in our Phnom Penh home, my heart filled with amazement as my mind reflected back on the last year or so.  The eyes of those around me looked toward the front of the room with hunger.  They are so hungry to hear more from You!   I praise YOU Lord for each precious soul…A, who came to help in our house and began coming to church because she wanted to practice her English…her English didn’t improve, but she heard the truth proclaimed, learned about prayer, began to talk to You, and  You answered…Your light that shines in her eyes is so bright!...S…who drove an M to our house for worship and wanted to park his tuk-tuk outside the house…”no, you can park inside…I will sit inside and wait…no, you can come upstairs…I will wait outside the door, no, you can come inside and wait”…by the end of the service and our international team working together…he said he clearly wanted to follow Christ!...he hasn’t missed a Sunday, and is so happy to be a follower…your presence is in his face…S who knocked on our gate week after week asking for help, us praying for her for weeks, leading her to an organization who could help her…seeing her mental and emotional healing taking place…now she brings her family…and wants to bring the Good News to others…T who didn’t understand the family of God until she listened to us, spent time with us, prayed with us, saw You at work…and now is becoming a strong leader, C who has come out of so much and has found true hope and healing in You…I love his testimony!…S who only came today believing about 50% in Christ but after the service had to tell me that today she believes 100% in the living Savior! SS who is troubled with a traumatic past but his face reflects the peace he has found in you,  V, whose family struggles so much, Lord give us wisdom as we walk with her…C&C…Oh Lord I miss them…protect them as they work so hard to help their family…M whose light for you shone so bright until he made some poor choices here in the city…thank you for helping us help his family guide him back home and now please be with him as he has had to go away for work… B…what fun he is!  I am so happy to see him back today!  Help us help him find safe housing here in the city and help him find work!  B on his way to Korea…protect him Lord & help him make wise choices as he is there for 2+ years.  Use him to spread Your Ways!  
Thank you, Jesus, for this life I can live for you!   
Bless these dear ones and multiply them for Your Names’ Sake!

"Just a STICK!"

    Both Deb & I enjoy teaching - from children to adults (that especially includes teens and university ages).  The tough part about teaching is trying to gauge whether or not you're 'connecting' with your class. And we love it when God the Spirit does the connecting!
    In a recent class, a lady pastor stood and shared following a lesson on Moses' call at the burning bush (which really wasn't burning...but that's another lesson).
"I used to think that I was no one, " she said,  "not really capable of being used by the LORD.
    "I'm poor and don't have much.
       "Then I hear the LORD ask Moses, 'What's in your hand?'
    "A staff! A staff!!" (she became animated) A staff is just a long stick! A STICK! It was just a STICK! A stick is just a piece of WOOD! I am created in the image of God!  If God can use a stick, which is just a piece of wood, He can use me - He showed me that I'm worth more than a stick!
                                    "I am His!"
   She concluded with both arms in the air, her fellow pastors and leaders cheering her on with heart-felt exclamations of affirmation.
   And with her sharing, God reminded me of the transformation He brings into a life. We are "...God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."(Eph. 2:10, TNIV)
                       Friend, you and I are more that just a stick.

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)

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…)

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...." 

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! 

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.