First, I apologize. It’s been far too long since I’ve updated this blog, but you shall wait no more. The last 5 months or so have been full of school, travels, personal events, and work schedules. As most of you may already know, I’m a little over halfway done with a Masters program in Professional Counseling at Liberty University. While it is equipping me to pass on wisdom to others, I often marvel at how God is teaching me so very much through this endeavor.
In review, I’m really learning how amazingly beautiful God is….and how incredibly trustworthy He has proved Himself to be. Back to the beauty of God, I’m seeing how He often reveals Himself through the most darkest of times, most unusual of situations, most unexpected timing, and through the most unlikely people. We can praise Him in all these things, we have reason to praise Him! Ok, what am I getting at?
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV
God is often made most beautiful in our weakness, through our imperfections, through our tragedies, through the unexpected people, through timing we would not choose (or in some cases would rather not choose), through circumstances we could not have guessed, and even more so in our shortcomings. It’s easy for me to see God’s beauty all around me when I’m sitting in the Swiss Alps, or on the coast of California. But can we see God’s beauty through the imperfect? Can we see God’s beauty through the smiling orphan? Can we see God’s beauty through our challenges?
I met a man some months ago who was very self-conscious about his smile. He had one tooth ever so slightly longer than the other in the front of his mouth. However, this man had a beautiful smile! God’s beauty was revealed through this man’s smile because of the joy and kindness in the man’s smile, and the pureness of heart behind his eyes. The man would light up a room with his smile! God uses our imperfections to reveal His beauty. I could see God’s beauty in this man and in his heart through the imperfections he thought he had.
I also knew a girl in college who had a sharp tongue, though she wanted to be thought of as soft and sweet. This girl was quite a beautiful girl on the exterior, but could often be not as beautiful when she’d cut people with her words. However, when people would love on this girl instead of becoming defensive or cutting her with their own words in retaliation, she would soften. God’s beauty was revealed through the love these patient servants offered her, it covered her imperfections. Currently, this same girl was taken through trials in her life that forced her to “break-up” with her sharp tongue. She has become a much softer daughter of God thanks to the love her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ chose to show her. His beauty was there in full bloom.
There is no imperfection that God cannot cover, His grace is enough. Grace isn’t only to cover what we’d identify as sin, but it also covers the imperfect, as well as our own shame. We give grace not only to those who hurt or challenge us, but we can also give grace to those who don’t meet our own selfish standards. Think of it this way, no one has to live up to our own expectations, but we are to love like Christ. We will spend our entire lives learning how to love like Christ, and that in and of itself will render us imperfect each time. We can give grace to those who fail to do it perfectly, and we can give grace to those who are simply different than us. We can choose to love them, just as God chooses to love us. God doesn’t love us because He “feels” like loving us, I’d say most of the time we can be pretty unlovely, but God chooses to love us because He is gracious and loving – how beautiful is that?!
Praying for you, and praying God reveals His beauty to you in the most unexpected ways, through the most unexpected people, and through the most imperfect of circumstances. He is so incredibly faithful, and so incredibly trustworthy. God chooses to love you, right where you are, as you are. You are accepted by a Holy God, with all your imperfections. We praise Him for these imperfections, as it enables Him to reveal how beautiful He is to you, and others around you by these imperfections. Much love in Christ!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Back From Greece
Last week I had the privilege of going to Athens, Greece to study counseling techniques for one of my graduate school classes. For those of you who don't know, I'm about half way through getting my Masters of Arts in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. I've been learning a lot! Evidently each year they choose 36 graduate students via application process to go to Athens, Greece to take one of their courses at the Greek Bible Institute. Praise God I got selected and had a wonderful time learning! All that to say, God taught me even more than I expected.
While we were there, a small group of us took part in a prayer walk for the human trafficking victims in Athens, Greece. This was part of a ministry known as "Nea Zoi" or "New Life" in Greek (www.newzoi.org), which is committed to rescuing women from human trafficking in Greece. It is an amazing ministry completely devoted to being used by God and seeking Him in all decisions they make, it was a blessing to pray with them! Below is what I wrote after I spent a day down in the "red light" district of Athens, Greece roaming around the brothels:
Today we went down to the brothels of Athens, Greece. I've never seen anything like this before. You can tell which ones are brothels because the porch light is on outside the doors. You look down one street and you see a few, then turn the corner and you just see scores of lights on above doorways. Immediately when I saw that, I felt nausea. I literally felt sick to my stomach with the amount of evil in the area. It felt like a war zone - and in many ways, it was, a spiritual war zone. We stood outside one brothel area, praying with our eyes open because of any suspicious activity occurring we had to be aware. During my time standing there, seeking a Holy and righteous God on behalf of this city, the girls, the men going inside.... I saw one man, an old tan American looking man walk out one of the brothel doors zipping up the front of his blue jeans. I saw that, and nearly fell to my knees weeping for the pain I saw all around me. Satan not only had a grip on that man, the girl inside, but all around that place. Also, during the my time standing there, I saw 3-4 men walk in and out of one girl's door in a period of 30 minutes. I found myself wondering, "is she a new girl? is that why so many visit her? is it because of some perversion? is it because she is more beautiful than the other girls? is it because she is cheaper? .....what would Christ say to this girl behind the door?" I literally felt my heartbreaking for what breaks God's heart. I felt God's anger, I felt His sorrow, I felt His grieving, I felt His deep desire for ALL of them to be set free from the lies and bondage. As I walked down these dirty allies full of lights on above the doors and seeing men and women come and go, I found myself asking under my breath about each person, "what is your story? how did YOU get here? what little girl dreams of doing this for a living? ...and what man dreams of paying for a woman to make him feel masculine for a mere 10 minutes? ...how much pain must they be in to hit these levels of despair?" I mourn for the women as they are someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone's cousin, someone's friend somewhere..... and I mourn for the men just as much, as they are someone's father, someone's brother, someone's son, someone's husband maybe, or even someone we know who has too much shame to discuss their problem. I noticed a lot of the men walking out of these places didn't want to look anyone in the eye, and some of them just seemed proud about it. On one alley, I saw about 40 people completely stoned and doped out on IV drugs, just laying, sitting, standing if they could all in a small patio area in the alleyway. Who do these people belong to? WHO is going to pray for them? Will you? What I realized is, hurt people indeed hurt people, and they are simply hurting.... badly hurting, hurting so much they can stand to face reality so they dull reality with a false reality that "feels" better with drugs and/or sex. Who can heal their hurts? It's the same man who has healed mine, and His name is Jesus. Will you pray for these people?
"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? - Ezekiel 18:21-23, NIV
Some facts:
- 1/3 men in Greece has been to a prostitute
- it is not uncommon for Greek parents to take their teenage son to a prostitute to "celebrate" him becoming a man for his first time
- over 30,000 women have been trafficked through Athens, Greece
- Human Trafficking is the 2nd largest organized crime (drug trafficking is the 3rd)
- The average woman in Athens, Greece is sold for 15 Euros (or approximately $20 US dollars)
Now that I'm back in the USA, comfortable in my room writing this entry and the images of young girls walking to and from "work" are still embedded in my mind. Most of all, my heart broke for the men. The war on human trafficking is not a war that can be won with weapons or government legislation, its a war won by the changing of hearts towards a Holy and Merciful God. Who will tell these people about Jesus? As God's word says above, when a wicked man turns from sin, NONE of his offenses are remembered. All sin is the same in God's eyes, we cannot choose or say "this sin is worse than that sin" or "that sin is worse than this sin." To God, sin is sin. And your sin and my sin is no "worse" than the wicked man who chooses to use these precious daughters of God for their own pleasure. So I ask you, please pray for them. I know often times prayer for a ministry in a distant land may seem fruitless before your eyes or in your immediate world, but I'm praying at this very moment for God to move your heart to pray. You may not see the man begin to feel conviction as he makes his walk to the brothel and decides to turn around, you may not see the young girl's heartbreak after her last customer and she calls up Nea Zoi ministry to ask them to get her out of this wretched lifestyle, you may not see the pimp or human trafficking dealer begin to wrestle with his own conscious, but God sees. And these are YOUR prayers at work. The power is not in the one who prays the prayer, but it is in the One who hears the prayer. So please pray, not one breath you breathe isn't heard by our Loving and Holy God. Make it count.
While we were there, a small group of us took part in a prayer walk for the human trafficking victims in Athens, Greece. This was part of a ministry known as "Nea Zoi" or "New Life" in Greek (www.newzoi.org), which is committed to rescuing women from human trafficking in Greece. It is an amazing ministry completely devoted to being used by God and seeking Him in all decisions they make, it was a blessing to pray with them! Below is what I wrote after I spent a day down in the "red light" district of Athens, Greece roaming around the brothels:
Today we went down to the brothels of Athens, Greece. I've never seen anything like this before. You can tell which ones are brothels because the porch light is on outside the doors. You look down one street and you see a few, then turn the corner and you just see scores of lights on above doorways. Immediately when I saw that, I felt nausea. I literally felt sick to my stomach with the amount of evil in the area. It felt like a war zone - and in many ways, it was, a spiritual war zone. We stood outside one brothel area, praying with our eyes open because of any suspicious activity occurring we had to be aware. During my time standing there, seeking a Holy and righteous God on behalf of this city, the girls, the men going inside.... I saw one man, an old tan American looking man walk out one of the brothel doors zipping up the front of his blue jeans. I saw that, and nearly fell to my knees weeping for the pain I saw all around me. Satan not only had a grip on that man, the girl inside, but all around that place. Also, during the my time standing there, I saw 3-4 men walk in and out of one girl's door in a period of 30 minutes. I found myself wondering, "is she a new girl? is that why so many visit her? is it because of some perversion? is it because she is more beautiful than the other girls? is it because she is cheaper? .....what would Christ say to this girl behind the door?" I literally felt my heartbreaking for what breaks God's heart. I felt God's anger, I felt His sorrow, I felt His grieving, I felt His deep desire for ALL of them to be set free from the lies and bondage. As I walked down these dirty allies full of lights on above the doors and seeing men and women come and go, I found myself asking under my breath about each person, "what is your story? how did YOU get here? what little girl dreams of doing this for a living? ...and what man dreams of paying for a woman to make him feel masculine for a mere 10 minutes? ...how much pain must they be in to hit these levels of despair?" I mourn for the women as they are someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone's cousin, someone's friend somewhere..... and I mourn for the men just as much, as they are someone's father, someone's brother, someone's son, someone's husband maybe, or even someone we know who has too much shame to discuss their problem. I noticed a lot of the men walking out of these places didn't want to look anyone in the eye, and some of them just seemed proud about it. On one alley, I saw about 40 people completely stoned and doped out on IV drugs, just laying, sitting, standing if they could all in a small patio area in the alleyway. Who do these people belong to? WHO is going to pray for them? Will you? What I realized is, hurt people indeed hurt people, and they are simply hurting.... badly hurting, hurting so much they can stand to face reality so they dull reality with a false reality that "feels" better with drugs and/or sex. Who can heal their hurts? It's the same man who has healed mine, and His name is Jesus. Will you pray for these people?
"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? - Ezekiel 18:21-23, NIV
Some facts:
- 1/3 men in Greece has been to a prostitute
- it is not uncommon for Greek parents to take their teenage son to a prostitute to "celebrate" him becoming a man for his first time
- over 30,000 women have been trafficked through Athens, Greece
- Human Trafficking is the 2nd largest organized crime (drug trafficking is the 3rd)
- The average woman in Athens, Greece is sold for 15 Euros (or approximately $20 US dollars)
Now that I'm back in the USA, comfortable in my room writing this entry and the images of young girls walking to and from "work" are still embedded in my mind. Most of all, my heart broke for the men. The war on human trafficking is not a war that can be won with weapons or government legislation, its a war won by the changing of hearts towards a Holy and Merciful God. Who will tell these people about Jesus? As God's word says above, when a wicked man turns from sin, NONE of his offenses are remembered. All sin is the same in God's eyes, we cannot choose or say "this sin is worse than that sin" or "that sin is worse than this sin." To God, sin is sin. And your sin and my sin is no "worse" than the wicked man who chooses to use these precious daughters of God for their own pleasure. So I ask you, please pray for them. I know often times prayer for a ministry in a distant land may seem fruitless before your eyes or in your immediate world, but I'm praying at this very moment for God to move your heart to pray. You may not see the man begin to feel conviction as he makes his walk to the brothel and decides to turn around, you may not see the young girl's heartbreak after her last customer and she calls up Nea Zoi ministry to ask them to get her out of this wretched lifestyle, you may not see the pimp or human trafficking dealer begin to wrestle with his own conscious, but God sees. And these are YOUR prayers at work. The power is not in the one who prays the prayer, but it is in the One who hears the prayer. So please pray, not one breath you breathe isn't heard by our Loving and Holy God. Make it count.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Sound of No Hope
What is the sound of no hope? Recently, a friend of mine went to a funeral where the pastor was giving an encouraging sermon on the blessing of knowing the deceased would be in heaven because he was a believer. According to my friend, the message drifted into points of “eternal security” and such, but to avoid any “Christianese” type language, I’ll stick with: The pastor was rejoicing, along with everyone else, because the deceased wasn’t just a “good person” (by those standards, what makes a person a “good person”? Is it your definition? Is it their definition? What about God’s definition?), but the deceased was an active follower of Christ and you did not have to ask him if he was a Christian – he lived it out. All that to say, he was now living for Jesus and accepted the free gift of citizenship in heaven – forever and ever.
The deceased could not lose his salvation. Salvation is a free gift given to us by the grace of Jesus Christ. The mere idea as to whether we can lose our salvation means we would have had to do something to work for it to begin with, and we cannot work for anything from God – not even salvation. He gives it even though we do not deserve it, because He is a gracious God who loves us THAT much.
All that to say, the pastor mentioned a story, where he was giving the message at a funeral for an elderly deceased woman. He comforted the family, and as the funeral was ending he was walking out. His hand was almost on the door and he heard this horrifying shriek about 50 feet behind him, and then he heard it again incredibly loudly. The pastor said the shrieking was so loud it was hurting his ears, and then he turned around. The pastor then saw the woman’s elderly husband run, shrieking and screaming, then throwing himself on his wife’s casket. He gripped the casket crying loudly, still shrieking, while family members scrambled to pry the man off of his beloved wife’s casket. Evidently, the woman had not been a believer in Jesus Christ. The husband had been a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and she died without him having the hope of ever seeing her again in eternity. THAT, without a doubt, is the sound of no hope. The shrieking, the uncontrollable crying and screaming from not having the hope of seeing someone you love so dearly ever again – surely, THAT is the absolute horrifying sound of having no hope.
I thought about this story for days, still thinking about it to be honest. I want to see ALL my family and friends in eternity with Jesus, but to be honest, I have serious and grave questions as to whether some of them will make it to heaven. The heavy heart issue here is: those same family and friends do not want to hear about Jesus at all, or maybe they just simply tolerate having to hear about Jesus. In fact, their lives look nothing like someone who follows Christ. So then God brought the next question to my mind: Do I love them?
A little caught off guard, my intellectual answer was “yes, of course!”. However, I admit it is a struggle to truly love these people because they reject not only Christ, but also mock and reject my incredibly personal decision to devote my life to following Christ. Then I remembered:
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? – Matthew 5:46, NIV
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:35, NIV
I could wash the feet of these people; I could call them everyday to ask how their day was; I could make them a meal; I could be their shoulder to cry on; I could hug them; I could walk beside them through difficult times; I could hold their hand; I could give them money if needed; I could buy them the best gifts at Christmas; I could pray for them; I could do a lot of things for these people to show love to them even though I may not have wanted to, even though loving them was way down on my priority list. However, one thing I knew even deeper was this: If I truly wanted to love them, I needed to do everything in my power to share Christ with them. I needed to throw my own pride to the wind, I needed to get rid of my own fear that I would offend them or cause them to think I’m judging them (because let’s be honest, folks who do not want to be held accountable to God will often cry “Judgement!” on those who impart His truth to them). I had to think about that, my OWN disgusting pride of what these people thought of me was standing in the way of them encountering the message of the Christ’s radiant love.
When I stand before God one day, I do NOT want to think, “Sure Lord, I love you so much! But uh, I was fearful in telling other’s about your love because they might reject me, or you, or both….” Moreover, I do NOT want to be the one standing there at a funeral crying out with the sound of no hope. Furthermore, I don’t want that for anyone, to stand in the presence of the deceased who is NOT known by their unrestrained heart for a living Christ. If you are reading this, and you are just a little bit unsure if you are a follower of Christ, I encourage you to seek out a bible believing church TODAY. Do not wait! Do not let your loved ones stand there one day shrieking and crying out with the sound of no hope, wondering if you are with Jesus or if you are somewhere much worse. I pray God uses this to reveal his love for you, and I pray this encourages you to also let God remove your own pride in sharing Christ with others. Don’t let fear stop the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ!
The deceased could not lose his salvation. Salvation is a free gift given to us by the grace of Jesus Christ. The mere idea as to whether we can lose our salvation means we would have had to do something to work for it to begin with, and we cannot work for anything from God – not even salvation. He gives it even though we do not deserve it, because He is a gracious God who loves us THAT much.
All that to say, the pastor mentioned a story, where he was giving the message at a funeral for an elderly deceased woman. He comforted the family, and as the funeral was ending he was walking out. His hand was almost on the door and he heard this horrifying shriek about 50 feet behind him, and then he heard it again incredibly loudly. The pastor said the shrieking was so loud it was hurting his ears, and then he turned around. The pastor then saw the woman’s elderly husband run, shrieking and screaming, then throwing himself on his wife’s casket. He gripped the casket crying loudly, still shrieking, while family members scrambled to pry the man off of his beloved wife’s casket. Evidently, the woman had not been a believer in Jesus Christ. The husband had been a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and she died without him having the hope of ever seeing her again in eternity. THAT, without a doubt, is the sound of no hope. The shrieking, the uncontrollable crying and screaming from not having the hope of seeing someone you love so dearly ever again – surely, THAT is the absolute horrifying sound of having no hope.
I thought about this story for days, still thinking about it to be honest. I want to see ALL my family and friends in eternity with Jesus, but to be honest, I have serious and grave questions as to whether some of them will make it to heaven. The heavy heart issue here is: those same family and friends do not want to hear about Jesus at all, or maybe they just simply tolerate having to hear about Jesus. In fact, their lives look nothing like someone who follows Christ. So then God brought the next question to my mind: Do I love them?
A little caught off guard, my intellectual answer was “yes, of course!”. However, I admit it is a struggle to truly love these people because they reject not only Christ, but also mock and reject my incredibly personal decision to devote my life to following Christ. Then I remembered:
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? – Matthew 5:46, NIV
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:35, NIV
I could wash the feet of these people; I could call them everyday to ask how their day was; I could make them a meal; I could be their shoulder to cry on; I could hug them; I could walk beside them through difficult times; I could hold their hand; I could give them money if needed; I could buy them the best gifts at Christmas; I could pray for them; I could do a lot of things for these people to show love to them even though I may not have wanted to, even though loving them was way down on my priority list. However, one thing I knew even deeper was this: If I truly wanted to love them, I needed to do everything in my power to share Christ with them. I needed to throw my own pride to the wind, I needed to get rid of my own fear that I would offend them or cause them to think I’m judging them (because let’s be honest, folks who do not want to be held accountable to God will often cry “Judgement!” on those who impart His truth to them). I had to think about that, my OWN disgusting pride of what these people thought of me was standing in the way of them encountering the message of the Christ’s radiant love.
When I stand before God one day, I do NOT want to think, “Sure Lord, I love you so much! But uh, I was fearful in telling other’s about your love because they might reject me, or you, or both….” Moreover, I do NOT want to be the one standing there at a funeral crying out with the sound of no hope. Furthermore, I don’t want that for anyone, to stand in the presence of the deceased who is NOT known by their unrestrained heart for a living Christ. If you are reading this, and you are just a little bit unsure if you are a follower of Christ, I encourage you to seek out a bible believing church TODAY. Do not wait! Do not let your loved ones stand there one day shrieking and crying out with the sound of no hope, wondering if you are with Jesus or if you are somewhere much worse. I pray God uses this to reveal his love for you, and I pray this encourages you to also let God remove your own pride in sharing Christ with others. Don’t let fear stop the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Your Love Never Fails
This past weekend I attended an event focusing on North Korean refugees in the US, and included a North Korean refugee giving his account of escaping North Korea and how he came to know Christ. Now let me first put you in my state of mind for a moment here…. The day before was my 29th birthday where I did absolutely nothing but lay around all day then went out to dinner with friends that night. I got up “early” to go to this event on North Korean refugees primarily because I work in cross cultural ministry at the church which was technically hosting the event, and I thought it would be “interesting”. Furthermore, I was running late because I couldn’t decide what to wear, I hit traffic, couldn’t get a good parking space, and when I got to the event there were audio/visual issues setting up the microphones for the speakers. Not to mention, I was thumbing through text messages of birthday wishes from caring friends and responses to “How was your birthday?” added to my distractions. Needless to say, my mind was anywhere but in the room that morning.
The speaker was introduced, he came up to the front of the room with his translator and my distractions continued with worries as to whether or not there were enough chairs, could people find the room location, should I put literature out….I was in prime time “Martha-mode” if you know what I mean. Then it happened, as I was sitting there the proverbial noise around me came to a screeching halt. This sweet refugee from North Korea was just about 7 minutes into his story, and he began to weep. I became glued to watching his emotions, which I felt God using to grab my heart, and not just my attention. I began to wonder if anyone was going to comfort him, but I immediately felt God reassure me that He was the one embracing this middle-aged North Korean man who was so brave to stand up in front of a crowded room to share such a heart wrenching story.
I immediately began to wonder, as this sweet man of God poured out his story, were these tears of relief? Were they tears of haunting fears? Were these tears of grief? Were these tears of joy over survival? He gathered his composure and continued on with his story filling us in on his time in a North Korea prison camp where he was asked by the North Korean government to cremate bodies who had died of starvation. You see, the government of North Korea uses food as a weapon, they do not feed everyone nor do they give healthcare to the sick. Tons of North Koreans die of starvation and many die of preventable illnesses. The man’s life had been spared, praise God! But what about the ones he left behind?
As he stood there, I also wondered what pain had his eyes seen? What terrifying and unspeakable torture had he witnessed and experienced that we will know nothing about in our lifetime as we lay in a warm bed tonight? If we could see through his eyes, what would we see? This man came to Christ in Thailand after escaping North Korea, and has committed his life to reaching North Korea for Jesus Christ. God has provided for him a wife who is a missionary to North Korea as well, they are partners in the gospel, serving Christ better together than apart. This man's life was a clear testament that God's love never fails, and "though there is pain in the night, joy comes in the morning".
If someone saw life through our eyes, what would they see? This gathering left me challenged to love deeply for Christ. The proverbial noise of our lives will try to distract us from Christ’s purpose for us and then run the possibility of missing out on the blessing of hearing from Him. I pray it does not take a hurting, previously tortured North Korean refugee for us to slow down and hear God’s heart for the suffering, the least, the last, the lost.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.- Hebrews 13:3, NIV
I pray we allow God to use us to meet the needs of His people, to come alongside of them and let God embrace them through us. I pray we never tire of this kind of work, but that we know it serves an eternal purpose for His kingdom. I pray we give of ourselves selflessly, out of a radical selfless love for the message of Jesus Christ. I pray we become increasingly aware of just how powerful the love of Jesus Christ is, and how He is such a Redeemer. How will you allow God to use you in the lives of those who are suffering?
The speaker was introduced, he came up to the front of the room with his translator and my distractions continued with worries as to whether or not there were enough chairs, could people find the room location, should I put literature out….I was in prime time “Martha-mode” if you know what I mean. Then it happened, as I was sitting there the proverbial noise around me came to a screeching halt. This sweet refugee from North Korea was just about 7 minutes into his story, and he began to weep. I became glued to watching his emotions, which I felt God using to grab my heart, and not just my attention. I began to wonder if anyone was going to comfort him, but I immediately felt God reassure me that He was the one embracing this middle-aged North Korean man who was so brave to stand up in front of a crowded room to share such a heart wrenching story.
I immediately began to wonder, as this sweet man of God poured out his story, were these tears of relief? Were they tears of haunting fears? Were these tears of grief? Were these tears of joy over survival? He gathered his composure and continued on with his story filling us in on his time in a North Korea prison camp where he was asked by the North Korean government to cremate bodies who had died of starvation. You see, the government of North Korea uses food as a weapon, they do not feed everyone nor do they give healthcare to the sick. Tons of North Koreans die of starvation and many die of preventable illnesses. The man’s life had been spared, praise God! But what about the ones he left behind?
As he stood there, I also wondered what pain had his eyes seen? What terrifying and unspeakable torture had he witnessed and experienced that we will know nothing about in our lifetime as we lay in a warm bed tonight? If we could see through his eyes, what would we see? This man came to Christ in Thailand after escaping North Korea, and has committed his life to reaching North Korea for Jesus Christ. God has provided for him a wife who is a missionary to North Korea as well, they are partners in the gospel, serving Christ better together than apart. This man's life was a clear testament that God's love never fails, and "though there is pain in the night, joy comes in the morning".
If someone saw life through our eyes, what would they see? This gathering left me challenged to love deeply for Christ. The proverbial noise of our lives will try to distract us from Christ’s purpose for us and then run the possibility of missing out on the blessing of hearing from Him. I pray it does not take a hurting, previously tortured North Korean refugee for us to slow down and hear God’s heart for the suffering, the least, the last, the lost.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.- Hebrews 13:3, NIV
I pray we allow God to use us to meet the needs of His people, to come alongside of them and let God embrace them through us. I pray we never tire of this kind of work, but that we know it serves an eternal purpose for His kingdom. I pray we give of ourselves selflessly, out of a radical selfless love for the message of Jesus Christ. I pray we become increasingly aware of just how powerful the love of Jesus Christ is, and how He is such a Redeemer. How will you allow God to use you in the lives of those who are suffering?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Does That Make Sense?
I'll be honest, I have no idea if this blog entry will make any sense at all. Usually when I'm walking through....stuff....I sit back from writing anything, but I've prayed and felt God nudging me to be transparent when my "stuff" is drawing me closer to Him - for His glory alone.
My first confession of the year: I can't be perfect. I fail so miserably at being perfect, and I will continue to fail miserably at this. What I've learned is that everyone around me has a different definition of what "perfect" is at times, so I'll tell you mine. When I hear someone say, "Oh she's totally perfect!" ...I think, "She, whoever 'she' is, has no flaws. None. She never thinks poorly of someone; she has won Miss America; she can eat chocolate and pizza for days with no weight gain; she has the picture perfect abs, legs, and arms; she knows several languages; she never gets stressed out or depressed; she has an Olympic gold medal; she never misses a day of church. In fact, she leads several bible studies, has been on 13 mission trips before age 25, and she has been baptized in the Jordan River. She never gets a pimple; she never accidentally says a cuss word; she has never had braces; she spends 2 hours a day in God's Word and in prayer; she never gets split ends or needs her roots done at the hair salon; she volunteers with special needs children....no, no, wait - they are homeless special needs children, at least once a week. She is a supermodel. She is an author of several books, a speaker, and a well-known recording vocalist. She always writes 'Thank You' cards; she never forgets a birthday or anniversary; she remembers to pray before every meal; she makes a comfortable salary in the $80,000 range and gives her excess to missionaries in Africa. Her parents have never had a fight, and she has never had a fight with her parents, ever. Any guy she's ever wanted asks her friends for her number and call her because she never has to 'drop hints' that she's interested. She plays the 'mysterious girl' routine perfectly to sway the hearts of every guy she meets. She never sweats or gets frustrated. She never has to hire movers because strong men come out of nowhere to help her move. She graduated from Harvard, and has never had less than a 4.0 GPA in every school she has been to, in fact, she was valedictorian in high school, Homecoming Queen, AND captain cheerleader. She always feels like being 'the shoulder to cry on' for her girlfriends; has never been drunk; she has never been in a fender bender; she has climbed Mt. Everest. She doesn't have to drink Diet Coke or eat anything Fat Free. She never smells or has bad breath. In fact, whenever she speaks, the scent of roses and proverbial butterflies come out of her mouth. She always has a clean house; she never has dirty dishes or stray wrappers around the house. She always has clean, neatly folded laundry. She's never, ever dated 'the wrong guy' and has never had a guy break her heart, I mean, why would she, she is PERFECT. She's never been sick, always on time everywhere she goes, and she loves paying bills. She's never missed an airline flight; and she is the life of every party. Ok....I could go on and on here..... but my point is, this mystery 'perfect' girl does NOT exist.
More importantly, this girl, is so NOT me. And I'm learning to really love her, me, that is. Over the course of my own crazy journey with my King, I've learned to praise God for NOT making me a 'perfect' girl. Why? Because all the imperfections I have, and trust me, there are PLENTY, it allows God's grace to be revealed in me and through me. It allows me to be authentic with people about where I am with God. Not being the 'perfect' girl allows me to be real. Real about my frustrations, my heart, my joys, my sadness, my hurts, my wounds, my victories, and my Redeemer.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. - Luke 7:47, NIV
Ok, no, I'm not saying go commit a ton of sins, and you will know the feeling of being forgiven much so you can know to love much. What I am saying is, I praise God for this verse. When we acknowledge our sinful nature, or acknowledge the place from where Jesus rescues us, how can we not fall on our knees in overwhelming love for Him? I confess, I've really needed to be reminded of this lately. It's so easy for me to stray on to a path where I'm living to please the opinions and expectations of others, and completely forget I live to please Him. The reason it is so easy is because I often see the opinions and expectations of others and God being synonymous. But, alas, they are so not. Not even close. Pleasing God may have some side benefits for those who pray to have a heart like His as in bringing them joy, but the absolute source of pleasure for me is bringing joy to the heart of my God.
After winding down a night of amazing worship and an awesome message at my home church, I was left pondering just how God is working in my life through the last two songs at the end of the night. I found myself choking back tears as I remembered His grace. His undeniable grace....the message of the Cross, and why He came for me. I was reminded of why Jesus, the Son of an Almighty God, chose to pray for me in those last few hours in the Garden of Gethsemane before the guards arrested Him. My sweet Redeemer romanced my heart even then, and He's never stopped fighting for it. All I could hope for in this moment of remembrance was for there to be more of Him in my life, and less of myself.
He must become greater; I must become less. - John 3:30, NIV
I found myself wanting to hit my knees in prayer over everyone who has yet to truly experience this incredibly powerful grace of His. Lord, I pray every tribe and every nation comes to know the fullness of your grace, mercy, and love. I pray they know they too were forgiven on that day at Calvary. I pray you give us all a heart like yours dear God. Please break our hearts for what breaks yours, and give our hearts joy for what gives you joy. Wash us clean in your likeness Father, surround us with those who know of your grace and live it out. I pray the word 'grace' is more than just a Christian buzz word, but that it becomes the trademark of our character as it was with yours. I thank you Father for not making me a 'perfect' girl so that I can give myself grace, so that I can receive grace from you and the act of receiving your grace can minister to others. Continue to teach me how to give the same grace I receive from you, to others, Christian and non-Christian alike. I pray we all actively practice grace instead of judgment with others in acknowledgement of our desperate need for your grace. Amen.
What do you need grace for and from whom? Are you trying to be 'perfect' for someone other than God? Why?
In Him,
Kristina
My first confession of the year: I can't be perfect. I fail so miserably at being perfect, and I will continue to fail miserably at this. What I've learned is that everyone around me has a different definition of what "perfect" is at times, so I'll tell you mine. When I hear someone say, "Oh she's totally perfect!" ...I think, "She, whoever 'she' is, has no flaws. None. She never thinks poorly of someone; she has won Miss America; she can eat chocolate and pizza for days with no weight gain; she has the picture perfect abs, legs, and arms; she knows several languages; she never gets stressed out or depressed; she has an Olympic gold medal; she never misses a day of church. In fact, she leads several bible studies, has been on 13 mission trips before age 25, and she has been baptized in the Jordan River. She never gets a pimple; she never accidentally says a cuss word; she has never had braces; she spends 2 hours a day in God's Word and in prayer; she never gets split ends or needs her roots done at the hair salon; she volunteers with special needs children....no, no, wait - they are homeless special needs children, at least once a week. She is a supermodel. She is an author of several books, a speaker, and a well-known recording vocalist. She always writes 'Thank You' cards; she never forgets a birthday or anniversary; she remembers to pray before every meal; she makes a comfortable salary in the $80,000 range and gives her excess to missionaries in Africa. Her parents have never had a fight, and she has never had a fight with her parents, ever. Any guy she's ever wanted asks her friends for her number and call her because she never has to 'drop hints' that she's interested. She plays the 'mysterious girl' routine perfectly to sway the hearts of every guy she meets. She never sweats or gets frustrated. She never has to hire movers because strong men come out of nowhere to help her move. She graduated from Harvard, and has never had less than a 4.0 GPA in every school she has been to, in fact, she was valedictorian in high school, Homecoming Queen, AND captain cheerleader. She always feels like being 'the shoulder to cry on' for her girlfriends; has never been drunk; she has never been in a fender bender; she has climbed Mt. Everest. She doesn't have to drink Diet Coke or eat anything Fat Free. She never smells or has bad breath. In fact, whenever she speaks, the scent of roses and proverbial butterflies come out of her mouth. She always has a clean house; she never has dirty dishes or stray wrappers around the house. She always has clean, neatly folded laundry. She's never, ever dated 'the wrong guy' and has never had a guy break her heart, I mean, why would she, she is PERFECT. She's never been sick, always on time everywhere she goes, and she loves paying bills. She's never missed an airline flight; and she is the life of every party. Ok....I could go on and on here..... but my point is, this mystery 'perfect' girl does NOT exist.
More importantly, this girl, is so NOT me. And I'm learning to really love her, me, that is. Over the course of my own crazy journey with my King, I've learned to praise God for NOT making me a 'perfect' girl. Why? Because all the imperfections I have, and trust me, there are PLENTY, it allows God's grace to be revealed in me and through me. It allows me to be authentic with people about where I am with God. Not being the 'perfect' girl allows me to be real. Real about my frustrations, my heart, my joys, my sadness, my hurts, my wounds, my victories, and my Redeemer.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. - Luke 7:47, NIV
Ok, no, I'm not saying go commit a ton of sins, and you will know the feeling of being forgiven much so you can know to love much. What I am saying is, I praise God for this verse. When we acknowledge our sinful nature, or acknowledge the place from where Jesus rescues us, how can we not fall on our knees in overwhelming love for Him? I confess, I've really needed to be reminded of this lately. It's so easy for me to stray on to a path where I'm living to please the opinions and expectations of others, and completely forget I live to please Him. The reason it is so easy is because I often see the opinions and expectations of others and God being synonymous. But, alas, they are so not. Not even close. Pleasing God may have some side benefits for those who pray to have a heart like His as in bringing them joy, but the absolute source of pleasure for me is bringing joy to the heart of my God.
After winding down a night of amazing worship and an awesome message at my home church, I was left pondering just how God is working in my life through the last two songs at the end of the night. I found myself choking back tears as I remembered His grace. His undeniable grace....the message of the Cross, and why He came for me. I was reminded of why Jesus, the Son of an Almighty God, chose to pray for me in those last few hours in the Garden of Gethsemane before the guards arrested Him. My sweet Redeemer romanced my heart even then, and He's never stopped fighting for it. All I could hope for in this moment of remembrance was for there to be more of Him in my life, and less of myself.
He must become greater; I must become less. - John 3:30, NIV
I found myself wanting to hit my knees in prayer over everyone who has yet to truly experience this incredibly powerful grace of His. Lord, I pray every tribe and every nation comes to know the fullness of your grace, mercy, and love. I pray they know they too were forgiven on that day at Calvary. I pray you give us all a heart like yours dear God. Please break our hearts for what breaks yours, and give our hearts joy for what gives you joy. Wash us clean in your likeness Father, surround us with those who know of your grace and live it out. I pray the word 'grace' is more than just a Christian buzz word, but that it becomes the trademark of our character as it was with yours. I thank you Father for not making me a 'perfect' girl so that I can give myself grace, so that I can receive grace from you and the act of receiving your grace can minister to others. Continue to teach me how to give the same grace I receive from you, to others, Christian and non-Christian alike. I pray we all actively practice grace instead of judgment with others in acknowledgement of our desperate need for your grace. Amen.
What do you need grace for and from whom? Are you trying to be 'perfect' for someone other than God? Why?
In Him,
Kristina
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