We have come to the end of week two here in Thailand and are getting ready to move into a new level of intensity as we move into week three. FYI: I just got our new web site up and running! It’s no web designer’s dream, but I think it communicates well. Take a look at www.spreadtheflame.com and let me know what you think. Thanks to Jeff Sim who helped me get my domain name working!
Appetizers anyone?
This week was pretty adventurous. I ate my first Isaan delicacies…garlic sauteed bugs and some kind of stew made with fermented fish sauce, vegetables, and ant larvae. The Isaan people seem to get a kick out of watching me eat their “jungle” foods.
I should have paid more attention to how “grandmother” was pulling the little wings off those bugs before she ate them. Pastor Nikom said that he just eats the whole thing, no bother on the wings. I guess he would also be one of those guys who eats peanuts, shell and all. Well, my stomach had some problems digesting it all later that night. read more…
Aslan
We have been in Thailand for just one week now. Our travel was easy enough despite the snow we had on the ground when we left Charlotte, NC. It was just looong, but we arrived safely and we are thankful. Thankful for so many things…safety in the journey,thankful for the prayers and support of the people who have believed in us and helped us to get here, thankful for our leadership in the States, thankful for our new team and family here in Thailand, and thankful for my family who has adjusted so well so far.
We are currently staying in a small two bedroom 400 sq. ft apartment. It is adequate for what we need now and next month we will move into the Hughes home while they return to the United States for furlough. Once they come back, we will hopefully have found our own rental home and will be able to settle down completely. All of us are at peace with how things are going and we are thankful for those who are praying for us to make a smooth transition. read more…
Receiving Prayer During my Ordination
The time has come. I have waited for this moment in some form or fashion for the last 13 years. I was thinking back the other day to a time in 1996 when I was just coming to fully surrender my life to God. I had been confronted by the claims of Jesus Christ on my life and the reality of what God’s Word really had to say about the way He expected me to live.
I knew that this “decision” to follow Jesus would be different than any one I had ever made previously. I knew there was a line and I was faced with the decision of whether or not I was going to cross it. I knew that if I did that my life would be radically different.
It wasn’t about whether or not I felt it was the right thing to so, it was more about…now I know this is the right thing to do! I had to decide whether I would stick my head in the sand and pretend like I don’t know it is or will I give up everything-what I think, what I want, what I feel, to embrace his will for my life.
Jesus has paid it all for me and now what would I do for him? It was a question that confronted my selfish self-centered life. I was driving down Hwy 98 in Pensacola that I made that choice. I remember knowing that I had crossed the line in my heart. I knew my life would take a huge turn, but I didn’t know what that would look like at the time. I simply knew that Jesus was worth my life…all that I was, all that I had, and all that I could give. read more…
My friend Jeremy Empie who ministers to people daily despite his disability.
Over the last few months, as we have traveled through four states and two countries outside of the US, Jacq and I have come in contact with more people who are walking through difficult circumstances. Some are deeply painful and others are just confusing as people are grasping for answers. It has opened my eyes to the reality that everyone has a story to share. Some are more willing to share it right away than others, but if we take the time to listen and care, everyone has something going on in their life that they are walking through.
It’s probably safe to say, especially in this time we are living in as a nation, that every person we meet needs prayer for something going on in their life right now. They may not open up about it right away, but if we are sensitive to God’s leading and sincerely want to know, we can draw those current stories out. If we are willing, we can allow God to use us as an encouragement and blessing to those people we meet on a day to day basis. I think alot of it just has to do with being willing to take the time and listen. We also have to be proactive enough to look for the signs that people are going through something (the “bubbles”/signals they send up when we ask them how they’re doing) and be willing to draw them out.
This can be hard when we have so much going on in our own life, so much that we want to talk about, but I’ve found that the best times of ministry come not when I’m speaking, but when I’m listening to others share their story. read more…
I almost flipped my lid when I saw that I was going to have to pay $7.99 a pop just to get four 2×2 visa photos. So, I thought to myself, there has to be another way for me to do this. With a little searching around I found out there was!
I paid .19 cents per 4×6 sheet at Walmart.com’s one hour photo and instead of two photos, I received 5 passport photos for that price! I saved over $31.00 doing it myself.
Want to know how I did it? It’s pretty simple: read more…
This month is my 2 year blogging anniversary. That’s right, two full years!
Some people may be reading this for the first time and thinking, “what is a blog anyway”? Is it a web site….is it a diary…is it a forum? Well, it’s kind of a little bit of everything.
Blog actually short for “web log” and it is a chronological listing of posts that also has the function of creating conversations online. Many blogs take on a certain subject and stick with it…for instance…politics, entertainment, sports etc.
This blog has been mostly about missions, my personal life and journey, and anything else that happens to be floating between my ears that day. It’s not really professional or anything, but it has been a great tool to chronicle life events and thoughts over the last two years.
So, in honor of my anniversary, I thought I’d share my top 20 favorite past posts.
Read a couple or read them all then leave a comment and let me know what you think!
The Reality of Living in a Garbage Dump
20 Great Quotes on Risk Taking
Top Reasons Not to Be a Missionary
Honored by Men; Detestable to God
10 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Missionary
2008: The Year of Breakthrough and New Beginnings
A Tragic Fact and A Workable Solution
Too Religious or Unreligious: A Checklist
Fighting the Dark Night of the Soul
Reflections on Where I’ve Come From
Thailand is now officially 30 days away …plus two. We have a few things to do between now and then so I am always thankful to have an extra day…even two. I have been thinking about all of our friends and family, the people we will leave behind, and I have become even more thankful for each one of them and the work that God is doing in their lives as individuals.
I have found that my personal prayer for them has increased over the last couple of weeks especially since so many feeling the crunch of an economic downturn. I have been praying the promises of Psalm 91 and Mal 3 over them and believing God to show Himself strong in their behalf.
I am also looking forward to meeting my new Thai family in Khon Kaen and being immersed in a whole new way of life. Jacqueline and I often look at each other and remark about how we will have so much to learn, so many adjustments to make. But we are looking forward to it. We look forward to the lives that God will bring us in contact with and the opportunities we will have to share the story with them.
It won’t be long now before we will see them…in 30 days plus one.
Today HBO will air the “Trials of Ted Haggard”, a documentary about the former pastor of New Life church in Colorado Springs who was brought down because of a secret lifestyle of sexual immorality/homosexuality and drug use.
He lived this secret life all while leading a congregation of over 12,000 members, being president of the National Association of Evangelicals which represents more than 60 denominations, 45,000 churches, and tens of millions of people, and having the ear of the White House under President Bush.
What is striking to me about this reality is the sheer magnitude of the numbers and power read more…
