Freezer Burn?

Freezer Burn- this is what can happen if we store things for too long in the freezer! According to the articles I’ve read, apparently freezer burn can’t kill you. It does however render your food tasteless and unappealing!

An interesting metaphor stirs in my mind as I dig through the layers of ice and unrecognizable clumps of gray, frosted foods. At one time “this thing” was a delicious, flavorful item!

Just like the job of defrosting a freezer, from time to time it's good to ask, "What have I been storing for too long…that has now become gray, flavorless or unappealing to the world around me?" People are hungry for a fresh, flavorful revelation of God’s love, goodness and power. I am obligated to seek ways to “serve it fresh” daily.

Too often I have failed to be generous with what I have been given at the moment, not willing to trust that my Father in Heaven will provide me “fresh bread” for tomorrow's needs. I think this is one of the keys to being an extravagantly generous person. We can be generous people in all ways, because our God does not have limited resources!

Veterans Day 2009

My grandson reminds us...

Today is Veterans Day

A Prayer for Veterans Day

Father, we could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present. Show us ways in our communities, churches, and families to thank and love them better. Keep and protect these heroes and their families, in the powerful name of Jesus

Fort Hood
November 10, 2009

On November 10, 2009, through many tears... I watched the live broadcast of the memorial service for those recently murdered at at Fort Hood. I can't even imagine the pain their loved ones are experiencing right now.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 33:22
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Desiring to be more "child-like" in my faith

Some of God's favorite people are CHILDREN

Future Kingdom Builders!

I can't think of any situation recorded in the bible that tells of Jesus pulling aside children from the crowd to tell them to sit quiet, stop interrupting or disturbing his important meetings. Instead, I notice Jesus exhorting the local adults, the important community and religious leaders to be more like children! How do you suppose the business men and religious elite felt when Jesus told them such things? Just for a moment, try to place yourself in their situation.

Word has spread that the God man Jesus and his handful of disciples have just arrived to your village. The hillside to the north of town is swarming with noisy people anxious to get a closer glimpse of him. Although you still have much work to do, you quickly close your shop early and join the other important men of the community in a processional up the side of the hill. Eventually you are able to navigate your way towards the front of the crowd that has gathered.

There he is. Jesus, the one you've hear so much about is standing right before your eyes. Humm…you thought he’d be taller or more sophisticated looking. You strain to hear what he's saying, but it is difficult with so many children climbing around and clamoring for his attention! You and the other men try to hold back an armful of these energetic youngsters, but with out much success!

Finally, Jesus speaks up in a firm voice. Everyone becomes quiet. You're sure the next words spoken will have something to do with the need to restrain these little ones, as they are obviously disrupting this important gathering! You watch as Jesus points to the dusty footed, scraggly haired kids who earlier had been running underfoot, but now are pressing in closely around him. Then he says something you NEVER expected to hear. "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matt 19:14)

The Kingdom of God can not be obtained by wealth or education. It doesn't belong to the moral, spiritual or religious achievers. You can not enter by works and self-righteousness or by earning merits. Anybody who wishes to receive the Kingdom, must become like a child, humble, simple and dependent. Salvation is a gift, it can not be purchased or earned. The message of the Cross is offensive to some because it highlights our complete helplessness. We must be willing to lay aside all our human efforts and receive this priceless gift. We are saved by faith, "child like" faith and not by works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph 2:8-9)

Children are...

inquisitive...

fearless...

joyfully secure in their father's love...

unsophisticated...

Sometimes we don't know how deeply rooted our pride is until we are invited to become as a child, undignified or unsophisticated in front of our peers! Recently my nephews came up with an interesting way to communication their affection for me. They decided to lavish me from head to toes with their favorite stickers- 47 to be exact! Did they think to do this when we were alone? No, they decided to adorn me while friends and neighbors were visiting for a party.

transparent...

Loved...

As an adult I need to be reminded to be more "child-like" in my approach to life. As Christians we are children of the King of Kings. We are given a new identity through Christ. God has exchanged our old-self or "old name tags" for new ones! He says, throw aside your former life for you no longer will be called; forsaken, unloved, abandoned or worthless. Our Heavenly Father gives us new "name tags" that reflect our new position through the blood of Jesus. God now calls us His sons and daughters, His holy priests, chosen ones, forgiven, redeemed, restored, full of hope, full of joy, full of faith, and greatly LOVED.

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!

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?

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.

Long live the King!

This is what greets you as you walk off the plane and into the airport in Bangkok! This GIANT statue represents the protective forces that guard the King of Thailand

I have finally arrived in Thailand. My travel adventures began 5:00 pm on Monday and ended on Wednesday 7:30 pm. (That’s when I entered my Hotel room!) Considering I only slept an hour or two solid, I felt relatively alert and in good spirits, at least I thought so until I arrived at the front desk of the Hotel and couldn’t remember the simplest details... sleep depravation will do that to you!

My flight was exciting to say the least. We hit a major wind turbulence while over the ocean which caused our giant jet to be tossed around like a toy for hours. We used up so much fuel fighting the wind that we had to do an unexpected refueling along the way. I have new appreciation for the song by Jeremy Camp(?) “I Will Praise You in the Storm”. Eighteen hours of that trip was spent seated next to the Senior Pastor at Walnut Creek Church. We had great conversations about the post Christian generation and how to reach them. He also was a great navigator for me as we RAN through the corridors and up and down escalators so as not to miss our Hong Kong connection. It's always fun to meet new people!

When I finally arrived in Bangkok I was very excited! One of the first things I noticed as our plane taxied around, were huge painted signs at every point of entrance. These banners read (in English) Long Live The King. Those were my sentiments as well!

On my trip from Bangkok to Pattaya, I met up with two new aquaintances from India. They flew in for the conference and we decided to travel together to Pattaya. Along the way, they were thrilled to see a McDonalds! They do not have them where they live and had been craving cheese burgers. "Aroy dee" delicious cheese burgers and fries made them smile from ear to ear! "Sawatdee kaa" Ronald, I had no idea you knew Thai.

For the next few days I will be in Pattaya at the largest Resort in Thailand. It is cheaper to stay here than at a Hotel 6 in California. It is very nice here, and must have been unbelievably beautiful when it was in its prime! We are on the beach and the surroundings feel very much like Maui, including the weather. However, it only takes a closer look behind the scenes to quickly remind me that I am in another land! There is so much to learn, I just take one step at a time! Even with my connectors, adaptors, and travel books, communications and language are challenging! Today I did well; I made it here in one piece, got to the Hotel and send this short note to you before becoming unconscious from exhaustion!

Funny Story #1 – Getting from Bangkok to Pattaya compliments of “Mr. Taxi” a local transportation service. Our driver was so helpful that we wanted others know how to find him! He could speak a little English, so we asked if we could have another business card to give to friends. I also asked, “What is your name?” He smiled and said, “Koom Ponee”. Okay, that’s great…I wrote his name on the back of his business card. Thank you Mr. Koom Ponee, I said in Thai. Then he started laughing which made me start laughing… “What is so funny Koom?” He smiled some more, still laughing while shaking his head as if to say no, no. After we all had a good laugh I realized his name was not Koom Ponee. He was trying to tell us about his “Company!”

Well, here I am before climbing into bed. It's been many, many hours of travel. All my essentials for travel are piled next to my bed. B-E-D that sounds so wonderful right about now. I actually made it to thailand! Long live the KING JESUS, good night...