Luke 2:11

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

On my last trip to Southeast Asia a villager was asked "Have you ever heard of Jesus?" The man responded with hesitance, "I haven't seem him today, maybe he is visiting the next village?"

Today there is an estimated 6.64 billion people on planet Earth. Of those, approximately 2.68 billion have never heard of Jesus. They have never had anyone explain the Gospel to them in their own language, in the context of their culture. They have limited information, or none at all as to "The Savior... Christ the Lord." Many of those 2.68 billion "unreached or least reached" people live in an area referred to as the 10/40 Window.

"The core of the unreached people of our world live in a rectangular-shaped window Often called The Resistant Belt, the window extends from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees north to forty degrees north of the equator. If we are serious about providing a valid opportunity for every person to experience the truth and saving power of Jesus Christ, we cannot ignore the compelling reality of The 10/40 Window regions and its billions of impoverished souls." Luis Bush, International Director of the AD2000

10/40 Window designated by the red area on map.

I'm always asked, "Why go to Thailand or Myanmar, or any country in Southeast Asia when there is so much to be done here?" My response to that question is usually, why are so many staying here, when there are thousands who are perishing daily without eternal hope or knowledge of the One True God who created them?

Man's beautiful treasures...

Decorations gathered together to celebrate Christmas!

God's beautiful treasures...
Villagers from Myanmar gathered together to hear the true story behind the celebration of Christmas for the first time!

Singapore - No room at the Inn?

Myanmar-No Inn with a room!

Holiday decorations in Singapore

Holiday decorations in Myanmar

Elegant vs Simple

The gift of Christmas is Salvation through Jesus Christ. It is offered to ALL mankind, wealthy and sophisticated, poor or uneducated. That is the beauty of Christmas!

To hear or read more about the ultimate Christmas Gift, check this link http://www.jesus2020.com/jesus.html or scroll up to the column on the right, Kathy's Lost and Found. Merry Christmas and much love to you all. Many blessings, Kathy

As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me...

Christmas dinner for some of us will be a lavish event with all the trimmings. For others, it will be a very simple meal. A special thank you to all those who helped make Christmas a little more enjoyable for the men and women who are incarcerated at the Mendocino County Jail.

For the past 11 years I have been involved with the local Jail Ministry. Every week a small team of volunteers head there for an evening (approx. 3 hours) of Bible study and prayer with prisoners. There is also a second team of volunteers, who work with the troubled teenagers who are in Juvenile Hall.

Though the years we have all witnessed many transformed lives! We have had the privilege of sharing the gospel with hundreds of men and women, both young and old. I think my team mates would agree that this this work has been extremely rewarding and humbling. God has allowed us to develop strong, trusting relationships with the correctional officers and the inmates.

Not everyone is as excited about hanging out at the Jail on a Saturday night as we are - so we had to think of some other creative ways for our church family to participate in this ministry. One of those ideas is our Christmas Cookie Delivery! Every year about this time we deliver homemade Christmas goodies to every person who is incarcerated in the Mendocino County Jail.

First, we enlist all our favorite "bakers" from church.
We will need lots and lots of homemade cookies!

Then we collect, sort and bag all the cookies. This is the hard part for us , because those delicious cookies smell so yummy we are tempted to eat them all ourselves!

Next we assemble individual bags (Our Sunday School children have done a great job decorating them with fun pictures and stickers) Each bag contains: 6 assorted homemade cookies, a gospel story, calender, assorted candy bars, 3 blank Christmas cards with stamped envelopes so prisoners can write to their loved ones ....and last of all....a candy cane!

Bernice is putting the finishing touches on these bags. We are just about ready to load them up for tonight's delivery. Hope they all fit in our cars!

Mendocino County Jail!
Although there are many locked gates, tall fences, security cameras and barb-wire, the love of Jesus still makes it's way through to those inside. Tonight it is cold, clear and beautiful....a perfect night for a Christmas delivery!


Have you ever been inside a Jail? Well, come on in.... Chaplain Gerry allowed me to take a few pictures. Usually taking any pictures around this facility would be a big NO-NO. Gerry is a good hearted man with a generous spirit. His work at the Jail is not very glamorous, but he does an excellent job.


We'll be heading down these corridors soon to deliver our treats. Since we have already been cleared through security we will be handing the bags out directly to each inmate.


Lucy and the Chaplain Gerry review a few details before we begin. Lucy joined the Jail team about a year ago and has loved very minute. At first she was very hesitant. "I've never done anything like this before, maybe I'm too old. Even though I resisted the idea at first, the Holy Spirit kept drawing me to this ministry. God challenged me to SERVE BEYOND MY COMFORT ZONE" Lucy was willing to step out in faith and has had no regrets ever since!


All the cookie bags are "check in"- We're clean, no contraban!

We feel so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here! Tonight's visit will be a surprise for the guards and the inmates, a pleasant break from their evening routine. We wish you could come in with us to see all the faces of women and men. Receiving special "home made treats" can be quit an emotional experience for most of them. Some inmates will break into tears as we hug them and hand them their small bags. The smells and sight of Christmas goodies usually trigger many personal memories. We have seen God soften many hardened hearts through the years.




The members from First Baptist, St. Mary's and Calvary Baptist, all worked together to bless the staff and inmates. It is a privilege to be an extension of God's love to others. We work as ONE body, to glorify the King of Kings who was born to bring salvation to all.

"For I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25

Lausanne Covenant -Section 6. Church and Evangelism

Section 6. THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM

We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world. We need to break out of our ecclesiastical ghettos and permeate non-Christian society. In the Church's mission of sacrificial service evangelism is primary. World evangelization requires the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The Church is at the very centre of God's cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the gospel. But a church which preaches the cross must itself be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology.

(John 17:18; 20:21; Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 20:27; Eph. 1:9,10; 3:9-11; Gal. 6:14,17; II Cor. 6:3,4; II Tim. 2:19-21; Phil. 1:27)

Lausanne Covenant -Section 14. The Power of the Holy Spirit

Section 14. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son; without his witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work. Further, the Holy Spirit is a missionary spirit; thus evangelism should arise spontaneously from a Spirit-filled church. A church that is not a missionary church is contradicting itself and quenching the Spirit. Worldwide evangelization will become a realistic possibility only when the Spirit renews the Church in truth and wisdom, faith, holiness, love and power. We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all his fruit may appear in all his people and that all his gifts may enrich the body of Christ. Only then will the whole church become a fit instrument in his hands, that the whole earth may hear his voice.

(I Cor. 2:4; John 15:26;27; 16:8-11; I Cor. 12:3; John 3:6-8; II Cor. 3:18; John 7:37-39; I Thess. 5:19; Acts 1:8; Psa. 85:4-7; 67:1-3; Gal. 5:22,23; I Cor. 12:4-31; Rom. 12:3-8)

Those are powerful, and convicting words!

How many Christian leaders would be willing to sign their names to such documents today, as they did at the Lausanne conference back in 1974? The original conference brought together 150 Christian leaders from around the world to Lausanne Switzerland. The committee was headed by Billy Graham. The drafting committee for the document was chaired by John Stott. It was during this gathering that the Lausanne Covenant was writte and adopted by 2,300 evangelicals. The Covenant consists of an Introduction, 15 points and a Conclusion which can be read in it's entirety by going to this link.

http://www.lausanne.org/lausanne-1974/lausanne-covenant.html

Jesus said Go!

After watching Mission 2008- You can click on the individual photos, move them around and view them again more closely. Alright, let's Go! This was my second time to Myanmar to help with free medical, dental and vision clinics. As usual, it was humbling and an amazingly fruitful time, These trips are intense, with very little down time to rest, but worth every once of energy! In a matter of a few weeks we traveled may long miles to multiple locations. We treated 1,738 patients and witnessed 544 conversions! Every villager who arrives for treatment was presented with the gospel before we administered care. This was usually done in groups of 10 so, in their own language. Since most Buddhists we worked with had no idea who Jesus was, or what Christians believe, we made it a priority to unfold that information to all that attended. We found the general population very receptive and eager to hear this good news. (I'm pretty sure their "open-ness" to God's truths had to do with the amount of time the local Believers spend in prayer and fasting before we arrived!) For those interested in hearing more, I will be sharing these adventures with my home church in the near future-so keep a look out for times and dates. If you have any questions about the group I traveled with, contact me at klb@pacific.net. Do to security, I am unable to post that information on this site. Thank you for your prayers! To God be the glory, great things He has done.

My moon

Tomorrow will be the "official" full moon, but to me, tonight's moon is just as enchanting and magnificent, don't you think? The night before a full moon, is my moon...

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands”

This beautiful statement is from the Bible-Psalm 19:1.

"The universe reveals the majesty of its Creator. Of course, God’s glory can be seen in many different aspects of creation—not just the heavens. Consider the magnificent intricacy of a living cell, the complexity and the amazing diversity of life on earth, and the mathematical precision of the laws of physics and chemistry. These are all indicative of the incomprehensible creativity, intelligence, and power of the Creator." Quote by Dr. Jason Lisle

Hungry for the impossible!

Until we invade the impossible, we have not put to the test this Gospel.

We must be hungry for the impossible.

We are indebted to humanity to release the power of Jesus into their impossibilities!

Pastor Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding California

Eternal Significance

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." - Nate Saint

Team Dynamics

TOO many pieces!

Our vacuum is a frightening sight. Must there be so many pieces and parts, just to accomplish ONE task? Will it still work if I use only three of the pieces instead of all twelve? Some of the parts are broken and have to be taped together and other pieces are seemingly worthless! All I know is, it won't work unless ALL THE PIECES ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER CORRECTLY.

God speaks to me in the most unusual and crazy ways sometimes! (That's what I enjoy most about God, He understands me, loves me and knows how to get my attention) Last week I was trying to assemble this lovely vacuum cleaner when I was reminded of the Kingdom of God. (I told you it was a little crazy) But think about it, when it comes to a MINISTRY TEAM all the parts are important! Not only do all the pieces have value, but ministry doesn't work well if the pieces aren't connected together correctly!

We serve a big God and He has created us all so beautifully unique! I believe there are people in the harvest fields RIGHT NOW who have been prayerfully seeking God for a team member/worker/partner who looks just like me! The task God has called them to will be more effective when their "extension hose" or " connector bracket" arrives. "Connecting up" with others who are equally full of hope excites me. The opportunity to extend the blessing of salvation to all the Nations is not a duty or frustrating chore, but an awesome privilege.

None of us are perfect, certainly not me! We need one another to be successful. I can't wait to see who the Holy Spirit connects me to. Isn't it amzing to know that God is able to uses the ordinary, broken, or "taped together" pieces of our lives to accomplish the extraordinary!

The offence of Legalism

Legalism is the distortion of Grace

Legalism : A religious system which emphasises rules, codes and laws we must succeed at, or a standard we must attain in order to earn acceptance, favor, merit ot love!

Grace: The unmerited, unearned, special favor of God's love and mercy lavished upon us through Christ!

God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when Christ raised from the dead. Salvation is not a reward for good things you have done, but a gift of grace (undeserved, special favor without merit) Ephesians 2:4-10

"Here is a simple test to check whether you are prone to a legalistic thinking: ask yourself, "How does God feel about me today?" If the answer is anything other than, He is passionately in love with me, then you are falling into the trap of thinking that God's attitude towards us is determined by our performance rather than by his essential loving character. In other words, you're thinking as though God's favour is earned rather than freely given. " Quote from Mike Taylor , From Legalism to Grace, 2001.

Love the Unlovely

Daring to be Honest before God...

It was mid February, that I entered into a season of prayer and fasting. During those cloudy and cold months that followed, God’s piercing truth convicted me concerning a specific group of people. "Are you willing to love the unlovely?" My answer blurted out much too quickly. "Of course!" My subconscious began to tally an invisible list of street people, criminals and addicts with whom I had worked. Certainly, He must be aware of these? The Spirit continued the questioning, "Really? I have noticed one culture, one group of people that you have consistently been unwilling to love". This came as an unexpected revelation to say the least! As the Spirit continued to slice through my jumbled thoughts, I scrambled again to defend myself, but it was too late! God’s words were cutting to my core. All at once, I knew this loving rebuke was absolutely true.

There was a “culture” of sorts that I was unwilling to love; in fact I had considered them for the most part, un-redeemable! In the past, I only tolerated the members of this well established group. Although their adherents had been responsible for much frustration and discouragement through the generations, they seem perfectly content with their community norms, "status-quo" structures and unique or better yet, "exclusive" language.

What is this so-called culture? Well, lets just say you won't find them on the Joshua Project list of unreached people. The culture of which I speak, are loyal to practice of Religious Institutionalism. Shamefully, I was completely unwilling to love those with their allegiances firmly planted in the rich soil of apathy, complacency, legalism and self-righteousness.

An internal storm swelled within me as the Spirit of God brought these images to the surface for a closer viewing. (Daring to be honest before God can get ugly!) My ego, my pride, was stirred up and worked dutifully to redeem itself from such pointed accusations...but there was no escaping God. Knowing God is Truth, unfortunately did not keep me from protesting. My unvoiced, yet determined confrontations continued. "Please God, I will gladly serve in any other culture in any other land, but don’t ask me to work among the religious, who cloister themselves in a cushion of institutional comfort!"

Then, just as quickly as I had erupted, now a deep quietness was settling in. Stillness. Silence. The gentle uprooting my own dreadful self-righteousness and lack of compassion continued quietly. Holy God was holding the mirror of His truth just close enough for me to see dimly my own unlovely reflection. Yep, there it was. With no more desire to struggle or to escape, no more arguments were necessary. God’s words to me were accurate.

It is truly easier to love the broken, the filthy or addicted. To befriend the criminals, prostitutes and thieves is no problem. At least they are forthright about their condition, their spiritual depravity or lost-ness. That however was not the question. The question at hand was, had I been willing to love the unlovely? Was I willing to love the “Religious” or the modern day “Pharisees”, those who rest their souls upon their own man-made institutions and traditions and not on God? In silence again, I sat, this time for a long while. Humbled by God’s ability to know my heart, I was without any excuses.

"Yes Lord... you are right...I am guilty. Please, please forgive me. Unlike Jesus, I have not been willing to love the unlovely."

"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are." Hebrews 4:12

Living and Growing in Community

I live in community. Like these shoes piled up near our front entry, we are an interesting collection of different ages, backgrounds and worldviews tossed together for an uncertain period of time.

Could you tell by the shoes? There are seven of us now living in this house. A majority of them are male! We share the same roof, kitchen, living room, driveway, laundry area and coffee maker! It's never boring.

The owner of the house is a "collector" of sorts... but not of tea cups or Chia Pets, she collects people! They're "gathered up" by her and tucked around the house in all sorts of places, including the garage. She seems to be quit content with the arrangement and in turn, we too are content to live simpler lives with smaller living spaces.

This unique living environment has provided me with some interesting missions pre-field training! I am daily challenged to choose flexibility, cooperation, patience, forgiveness, self-control and love, over my own selfishness. This is a humbling thing, in fact an impossible task to accomplish apart from God's grace and power. Only by His indwelling, the Spirit at work with in me, can this happen.

As followers of Jesus, we need to do more than "preach the gospel". We are called to "be the gospel" to those we are in community with. We are to live our lives in such a way that we demonstrate or manifest Him. We are to be the essence of Jesus where ever we are. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation" Romans 1:16

We are ALL called to BE THE GOSPEL not just PREACH THE GOSPEL. This is not a neat and tidy idea. Living the gospel is messy, because we as humans are not perfect. We have to be willing to take off our "dress shoes" or "slippers" and get a little dirty, maybe even scuffed up! For many that is an unappealing thought, even if it is true. We were designed to live in community, to rub up against each other. How else will others have a chance to touch, see and hear the Jesus that lives within us?

St. Patricks Day. Did you know that...

Chicago River dyed green

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was actually born in Wales! At his birth in AD 385, he was given the name Maewyn. In his younger years St. Patrick was far from being a saint, in fact he considered himself a pagan.

At the age of 16 Patrick was sold into slavery by Irish bandits who pillaged his town. It was during his captivity that he became closer to God. After six years of slavery Patrick escaped and ended up in a monastery under the training of St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre.

Eventually Patrick returned to Ireland to convert many native pagans to Christianity. Patrick was quite successful at winning converts, setting up schools and establishing churches to aide the conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. This fact greatly upset the Celtic Druids who had Patrick arrested on a regular basis. He, however, managed to escape his captors each time!

Patrick’s mission in Ireland lasted about thirty years. He died on March 17 in AD 461. We have been commemorating St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Today most people celebrate the day with big parades, partying, the wearing of green and drinking of MUCH BEER… interesting.

Picture taken on the way to Irish Beach in Mendocino County

One traditional icon of the day is the "shamrock". The Irish tell of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock.

Spring is in the air.... you know what that means... time to head to the coast for a day!

The road that leads to my home is lined with blooms!

This is what it looks like as you enter our Valley.

I took these pictures on the way home from a friend's house.

Everything is beginning to bloom around here!

Some of the amazing sights you will see as you head over to the Mendocino Coast. It takes about 90 minutes to get to the pacific ocean from my home, but the drive is beautiful!

It is Spring time in Northern California. It's absolutely beautiful during this time of the year. The warm sun makes the lush green hills glow. The daffodils and wild mustard are so bright and yellow that you are tempted to squint your eyes! Soon the daffodis will be joined by an abundance of other colorful wild flowers that will carpet our valley. My daughter was here for a few days recently. One of our favorite things to do when she comes to visit, is to pack a lunch and head for the coast! It's a magnificent drive. The road weaves over the hills, through the coastal redwoods and along side a breath taking river. There are plenty of vineyards, orchards and meadows to gaze at, and there are just enough cattle and sheep dotting the hillsides to keep you contentedly distracted during the short drive. I have spent many hours at the shores and bluffs of Mendocino. The closer you get to the ocean the crisper the air becomes and the more deliciously fresh it smells! This is where I love to escape. A trip to Mendocino feeds my soul and reminds me of God's magnificence! Sometimes it has been a place of tearful reflection and other times it has been a place for refreshment. It has also become a place of great joy and yes, even great romance!

Night Life in Chiang Mai

When you want to visit the prostitutes, you have to be ready to expect a long night! I was invited to join my Thai friend for a "night out" while in Chiang Mai. My friend works with a ministry team who targets the "women of the night". I considered it a great privilage to join her on one of those nights.

This "night rider" was my ticket into the brothels and pubs downtown. An earlier conversation with her lead to an invitation for me to join her that night. She lost her ministry partner a few months ago and hadn't been able to head into the district by herself. She was thrilled to have someone eager to accompany her. We met for prayer and then zoomed off in the dark on her motercycle! What a great opportunity. I learned a lot as I observed her in action. She is one brave young lady!

Soooooo.....what do you do once you get to the pubs? Well, you order an orange soda and play whatever board games they have available.

I was there to learn so I took my directions from my friend. She has been working for months to gain the girls trust. We went in easy, relaxed and low key. We engage in conversations and spent alot of time listening and laughing with the girls. This seemd to please the bar owner. (It's very important to keep the bar owner happy!) Her girls were enjoying themselves with us, which caused additional people passing by to be curious and stop in to see what was happening.

My Thai friend has an amazing way about her, she simply pours out compassion and tenderness to these women. Most of the bar girls are happy to have someone to talk to, someone who will listen to their story. The young lady (on the right) left her village two months ago to try and earn money. Her younger sister just arrived three weeks ago for the same reason. They have only been at this work a short time and yet their eyes tell you it has been an eternity.

The goal is to reach these girls with the Good News before they are swollowed up in the darkness of prostitution and drugs. Many young girls like this are out on the streets all night by themselves which makes them easy prey. This girl can't be much more than 11 or 12 years old.

These darling little faces are just a few of the hundreds who run the streets all night long. Many children of the young girls and women who work in the brothels or pubs have no were to go while their mothers are "working". My Thai friend and I had fun visiting with some of the street children that night. They seemed to enjoy the extra attention!


Of course the little ones are always begging for money, but my friend wisely takes them around the corner market instead. They can pick out two treats, something to eat and drink. Then we give them a little money to pay the cashier. This makes them feel very important, it also helps keep peace with the store owners who these children usually steal from.