Sunday Afternoon




I got to church today and was met by near 15 children! I could hardly believe it! Just this past week I had spoken with Pon about how I wanted to teach the children on Sunday afternoons and here they were! It was crazy. As I am walking downstairs followed by a bunch of laughing kids, I prayed, "God, help me to be able to communicate in Thai!" One of the mothers was there and she had all the kids sit down together in a circle on the ground. I got out the Bible story book and started telling them about John who baptized Jesus, of how the Holy Spirit came down upon Him and of how God's voice was heard from heaven. Today we reviewed the three voices that we can hear, God's, Satan's and our own. Some of the older kids were distracted but most of the children followed and understood what I was telling them. The kids then drew pictures of either God's voice or the Holy Spirit which is like, rain, wind, water and some of the kids drew pictures of God speaking to them. Then I passed out some instruments and we all danced around while listening to "Supernatural" and then "Be Still" in Thai which definitely helped to calm everyone down. The kids loved the music shakers and little tambourine. This all lasted for about an hour and then they all went outside to play. Here are some pictures from this afternoon. They took many of them themselves. :) Please be praying for these children. Many of them come from buddhist families where most likely one of their parents is a Christian. Pray that the Holy Spirit stirs inside of them a hunger to know God and that they personally encounter Jesus in a real way. Pray that God would raise these children up to be the future leaders and revolutionaries of their nation. Pray also for me, that God would give me creative ideas in knowing how to communicate truth and an ability to understand the children when they speak to me. Thank you so much!


Is It Worth It?

Tonight I have been thinking about love verses exploitation. As I walk into the horseshoe plaza and sit on a coushioned bench in a windowless room, with women, holding onto a pole and dancing in front of me, I think, and feel so many things. When I have a girl sitting beside me, who seems more interested in getting a customer that night than talking with me, and yet in her eyes is something, a hidden longing for something more, and a little girl then throws herself into my arms, I catch a glimpse of why I am there. When I get a text message from a girl whose family expects her to pay off their debt because she is their daughter, and not only to pay off their family debt but the motorcycles her uncle bought and then to pay for her baby's formula, and in her text she says she cries every night but she doesn't see how she can leave this job and make the same amount of money, I wonder what hope there is. When I unexpectedly meet a girl on the streets who only a month ago looked like a little girl and now is dressed all up, wanting to meet just the perfect man, I think of my little sister and feel this ache, this longing, when, when will they see? When will they see that there is so much more to life than money? When will the economic structure of Thailand shift so that families no longer pressure their daughter to go to the city and then justify their work because of the money she can send home? When will bars where it seems Satan is getting the upper hand at exploiting God's most beautiful creation, stop being frequented by men from around the globe? When will the women really value themselves for who they are?



As I sit in a bar, talk with a girl on the street, I sometimes wonder if it is worth it. It hurts. It hurts to get close, to embrace and then to see them continuing down the same destructive path. But when a woman, I met in the bar only once, calls me and tells me that she wants to learn to speak English, she wants to take me and my friend to see the city of over 400 ruined wats and then she comes to our Christmas party and says to me, "I see that Christians think..." and "I want to become Christian too..." I see that somehow it is worth it. As I think about the thousands of women who are prostituting here in Thailand and it seems overwhelming, I have to focus on love. I want the world to know, to see, to realize that in the midst of darkness, in the midst of situations that seem hopeless, there is a God who loves and sees and He sets up divine encounters so that one by one, people can encounter Him.


Honestly, the only way that we who are a part of the ministry in Thailand can keep going into those bars, can keep meeting those girls time and time again, is because of love. It is because as we have those encounters on the streets or in the bar and are able to exchange even just a look, heaven just touched earth. I think that sometimes we as Christians don't realize the power and love that we carry. Our lense is too narrow. God is a God of the impossible. Each time I meet a girl, I see it as a gift. Knowing a girl's name, getting to talk with her, put an arm around her, look into her eyes and know that the God of the universe sees her, that is a beautiful thing. When I start to question and feel overwhelmed, instead of looking through the lense of the world that says this is the way it is and will always be, I look up and see that God is holding keys of freedom and He is passing them out. As we are talking, the words that we say to someone, may be the very key that God uses to bring them out of darkness. Sometimes we may not see how the key is used, but it is His business, to set the captives free. Will you join in being a part of this? In being a part of the revolution of God's love? Of His love even in the darkness, even when things seem hopeless and the world gets tired of hearing and seeing the needs, will you still let love carry you and move you to action? Will you be a part of seeing the revolution of love overcome the exploits of darkness, will you carry keys to the captives? Will you let heaven touch earth through you?

Childlike Faith


Thursday night this past week, I couldn't go to sleep. I was listening to Hometown Glory by Adele, just love the raw richness of this song. I took my computer and started writing...what came were lessons, truths that God was putting on my heart to impart to the kids here in Thailand before I leave to visit the states. When I finally fell asleep near 3am, my spirit felt full and refreshed. Then Sunday came. One of my Thai friends had asked me to be a part of the worship team for church. As I looked out over the group that had gathered, I saw that there were many children who had come, several I had never met before. I was really excited when I saw my friend Uh Oh, who is Thai, walk into the room. She had been a translator when a team from Bethel church in Redding and Expression 58 in LA had come to do a week of teaching with our children. Today was the first day that I had seen her since then.


When worship was over and the kids were dismissed...I was even more happy that she came to join us. Today, I really wanted the kids to realize how many God's thoughts are for them, more than the grains of sand, we can't even count them. Uh Oh helped translate and when we talked about how our hearts get dirty and how Jesus wants to clean them and fill them with good things, we had the kids lay on the ground and ask Jesus what He wanted to put in their hearts; what He sees when He looks at them. One of the boys, who is 5 said that he saw a black heart. Then he asked Jesus to clean it. As Uh Oh prayed with him, he said that he saw a sun. One of the girls who is near 10 was having a hard time listening and seeing but when I asked her to picture a garden and where she was in the garden and she saw also Jesus giving her a gift. We all got out paints, and the kids got to paint what Jesus had shown them. The five year old boy randomly started painting and on the top wrote S...H...I...N ...Uh Oh finished with an E at the end, SHINE...which fit in beautifully with the sun he had seen earlier. A father, who had brought his two young children, sat there painting with them, water, a wale while his oldest son painted white covered mountains.


When our time was finished, we all went downstairs to the main worship room. Entering, I saw that there were several people up front who were receiving prayer. Soon I realized that this father's, wife was there as well and she was experiencing a lot of turmoil and was wailing. Their youngest child, a little girl asked, "How is my mom?." I was a little concerned about her being there, but she didn't want to leave. A group of women who are experienced in ministering in the area of deliverance prayer, were there with her. The father lovingly had his hand on his wife and was interceding for her as well. After a short time, the ministry team had her sit up, and the woman started throwing up as the evil that had been tormenting her, physically left her body. Then she became quite again as the Holy Spirit enveloped her with His love. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen before. The team spoke lovingly to the little girl, explaining to her that her mom loves Jesus so much and that no bad things can live with her so they have to leave because she is a daughter of God. When it was all over, the little girl There was something special about the whole family being there to see their mom set free.


God really is in the process of making all things new! I love what He is doing right now and that I have the opportunity to be a part of loving the people of Thailand. I can't even describe how much joy it brings me to see children grasping truths of who Jesus is to them. It makes me want to jump around and dance for joy! And actually, I got to do that today...but that's another story :).

(Art is done by children)



(angel warrior)



Freedom

I have been thinking about children. Many times they can be overlooked, disregarded and dismissed but I believe that inside of each one is a key, a key of freedom. Though they are young, in God's eyes they are the future and destiny of the nation to which they belong. They are future mothers, fathers, pastors, doctors, teachers and world changers. The heart of the Father in heaven beats with undying love for the least in a land, they are His treasures. But how many times have these treasures been treated like clay pots? How many times have we shut out the voices of the children, thinking they are annoying or unimportant? Jesus said, it is to them that the Kingdom of heaven belongs. When we silence their voices, push them away, we are quenching the very breath of God. I can not even begin to describe the depths of love Poppa God has for children. His heart burns with justice and compassion for the one who knows the fear of death, of abandonment, of rejection and of physical harm. Throughout heaven a voice cries out. Can you hear that cry? He is in their song, in their questions, in their exploration of life, in their tears, in their smile, in their dance. Freedom. A child speaks of freedom.
If you will stop and watch a child, if you will get close enough to let them influence you, you will start to feel something being unlocked inside. That is when the Sprit of God has come. How many of you know that children can and do see angels, that with their gentle touch and simple prayer of faith, healing can come? So many of us have not known real love and often this makes us afraid and uncomfortable to get close to children because something feels amiss inside. When we havn't felt delighted in, it is hard to delight in another. When we are afraid of failure we will be uncomfortable with the freedom to fail a child realizes. If all we have known is someone making choices for us or we have made choices out of fear, we will cultivate an atmosphere of control that sufficates the spirit of freedom inside a child. Even in church we try to contain our children, keep them from disrupting our services, no wonder we can not figure out where the freedom has gone.
Jesus said that a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. How bad do we want it? It is a risk...to live like a child...to trust, to dance and not care what anyone thinks. But if we will stop and ask God to make us like children, we will discover that the same key of freedom they carry is inside us as well.

Getting Caught in the Unexpected

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010


Cole, Sandy and I got caught in the rain tonight! It was so fun!! The raindrops were so big and as we were running down the street to the hotel near by, I opened my arms and as I lifted my head to the sky this huge raindrop came and hit me on the forehead!! There is something about getting caught in a sudden storm that makes me soo happy :) I love being caught off guard by things that happen in nature. It seems like there have been so many thunder storms here lately. When we were in the hotel there was one point when there was a huge crash of thunder and at the same time the hotel lights flickered off and on again. Sandy was like, "I think we were just hit!" There is something about being hit by the unexpected and finding joy in it. Like earlier that night. We were all walking to dinner and the sky in front of us exploded in brilliant light and color! We all just stood there for like 15 minutes exclaiming about how beautiful it was as the Thais just walked around us not even glancing up. At one point all the colors of the rainbow were seen across the expanse of the sky and there was no rain. It was like, "God, what are You doing?"


Later that evening, we went to our apartment and spent some time in prayer and worship and reading from 1 John. It was like, ya...this is what real fellowship is like. It was real, raw and healing. We got to expose and share some of our personal struggles and where we are at with God and receive His love. One of the things we talked about is how when we grow up with feeling a lack of love, this orphan spirit is created in us that causes us to not fully trust that the love of God is enough. We spent some time in repentance and letting Jesus restore us. It was beautiful. We got to talking afterwards about how this is what real community is. It is when we can be real and exposed and there is no fear of shame or withholding of love. If the church doesn't do this, they are misrepresenting Jesus. He said He is the Light and that those who walk in the light have fellowship with Him. In the light, there is exposure and freedom.


As I think back to the events of just a few nights ago, I can't help but smile at the ways that God just loves to take me off guard with His presence. There can be a lot of darkness here. But God's voice is thundering across the nation, His tears of laughter and love and compassion are falling down, to catch us at the most unexpected moments. He is washing this land of Thailand, cleansing it. And then through a sunset, His glory is revealed. I love my God! I love the people that He has put around me right now and that I get to share life with. I love that it is in the unexpected events that take place every day that He catches me in His intense love and I get to be touched and experience His presence just like the followers of Jesus did, over 2 thousand years ago. So get ready, for the unexpected...


Weapons of a Nation

Children are the future and hope of a nation. When children are empowered and learn that they have a voice, the nations tremble. Children bring an innocence and hope that quenches the darkness. The praises of children silence the enemy. That is why he hates them so much. That is why he seeks to thrwart their destinies through wicked schemes. He has no mercy. He wants only to destroy. Children are the weapon of a nation and either they can be used and manipulated or valued and honored. Here in Bangkok, my heart cries out on behalf of the children. During the clashes in May, they were being used in the camps of the red shirts, being propped up onto tires that blockade a street, becoming human shields, weapons of war. The weapons of war that God calls these children to be are weapons of justice and mercy. These past 6 months here in Bangkok, I have had the amazing opportunity to work with the children at Nightlight. There is a bright hope and future for these children. Their mothers are making decisions of hope and life and these children are going to reap a great inheritance and become the leaders of their nation. When these children grasp the truth of who they are as children of the most High God, they become dangerous. They start asking for things that human reason says can't happen. They ask for the impossible.


A few days ago, before leaving for our kids center, I was thinking about the kids and this desire, this ache rose up within me and all I could do was pray, "God, pour out your Spirit on these children." "You have got to do it...I can't. I want them to see You." That morning, when I got to the room where the kids were, I saw there were only 3 older children and a few babies. One of them was a girl I will call Min. She is 5 years old. This little girl has the gift of dance. As soon as I walked in, she and another girl Gi were insistently asking if I could turn on the Thai children's worship music so they could dance. Soon they were twirling around with streamers in hand. It was beautiful. Afterwards I pulled out a Bible story book, sat cross legged on the ground, with the three kids sitting around me. After just a short time it was just me and Min. She was enthralled with the stories of Jesus. In my broken Thai I was telling her about the boy who didn't want to live with his dad but go away to party, about the men who were in the lake and they didn't get any fish until Jesus wanted to use their boat and sit and talk to the people and then their boats were full of fish, to the final story of the little boy who gave Jesus 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish. After reading the story about how there weren't enough fish and bread but when Jesus prayed, God made enough for everyone, Min asked me if she could ask Jesus for clothes, and shoes and a purse and makeup and God would give them to her too? I smiled and at the same time my mind was thinking that that is not exactly how it works but then again...He says ask, doesn't He? :) She was laying across my lap at this point and after closing her eyes she said, "Jesus, I want ...." naming each thing. And then she turned to me and asked,

"When is He going to give me those things?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Him."

(Closing her eyes..."day 18, what day is today?"

"Today is the 14th."

(She counted on her fingers.)

She then closed her eyes again and I asked her to ask Jesus to take her somewhere. She said something about water and swimming. :) "Can you see Jesus?" I asked. She shook her head in a negative. So I just waited...every now and then she would open her eyes and look at me and tell me what she was talking with Jesus about, there was more about the clothes and makeup.

After a lil while I led her in asking, "Jesus, can you take me to heaven."

I was just holding her, and praying quietly over her. Suddenly she opened her eyes and a big giddy smile had crossed her face. "I saw Jesus." she said. "And what did He say?" I asked. "I am a good girl," she said. :) I can't tell you how much joy this brought me. It was her who made the connection between the five loaves and fishes and her own life and the Holy Spirit did the rest. I love how much faith children have. I love the life that they carry. I love that they ask for the impossible. Will you? Today, many children are being exploited and used and yet God is raising up an army of worshipers, an army of children of faith. They are in every nation. When I was in Cambodia I saw this sign that read, "Please protect our national treasures." Children are treasures. Let us do all we can, wherever we are, to value and give voice to the children of our nation. They really are powerful in bringing the Kingdom of God.


Psalm 8:1-2 "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants, You have established strength because of Your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." (ESV)

Thank you Katie for the photo of the worshipping children. :)


Touch...the language of love


Your heart is one with Me. You feel My passions and My aches. Your touch is My touch. You carry purity. I want to take you into the heavenly places and reveal mysteries to you yet to be seen. I am your Lover. I always will be. Do not be afraid. My Kingdom is here. The time is now. Come, come, come higher...you were made to fly.

Something I have been thinking about is how being a believer in Jesus Christ, I carry the very presence of God wherever I go. When I realize that I am in Him and He is in me, the places that I go, the people that I touch are impacted directly by Him because I bear the mark and anointing from heaven. It is not anything that I deserve, it is His gift and it brings Him joy. I love feeling the love of God flow through me and those times when it seems the darkest and most sad are the times when I get to experience even more of this beauty. This little girl's mom is dying of HIV at a hospice in Poipet, Cambodia. Three weeks ago, a friend of mine, Malina, and I went there to visit ministries and it was amazing to see what God did. We knew God was up to something. Getting across the border was an experience all in itself. First we got dropped off and had to take a tuk tuk which tried to take us to a special place where they could do our visa for us :/ which we rejected, had a drunk Cambodian border policeman issue us a visa while he "flirted" with Malina and then we crossed the border within 15 min of it closing. Quite the night! The next day I was in awe of God's power in this incredibly loud thunder storm and I enjoyed watching all the street kids bathe fully clothed in the rain. :) All three days that we were there, we went to this HIV hospice and got to pray with and love on the women there. I met this one woman named "Mom" who was laying on this mat on a bed, too weak to sit up. I don't even know if her family knew where she was staying at this point but she had a beautiful smile that lit up her face and the last day I saw her, she was feeling a little better and I got to see that smile. :) What was really neat is that I was able to use my Thai there as many of them either spoke or understood it. The first night, God spoke His love deep into my spirit and I realized that in being in this land, a dream inside me was being fulfilled.

In reading the book "Dreaming with God" by Bill Johnson, he said that the word desire means "of the Father." There is something exciting and fun about discovering the dreams and desires that are inside of us. About a month ago when I had to do a visa run, I went to Poipet for only a two hour stay. Even before I had wanted to come to Thailand, it had been a desire to go to Cambodia...not exactly sure why...but I think that the poverty and exploitation stirred in me a desire to see God's power come to heal. So I went, not really knowing what to expect but as soon as I crossed that border something happened inside my heart. I felt this burden, an ache for this land I couldn't explain. From the outside looking in, the needs can seem great and hopelessly daunting. As I sat waiting while my visa was being processed, I started to think about how that is the enemy's scheme in that land, to make it seem overwhelming...but Jesus came to love...and love happens one by one. I wanted to come back.

One night, Malina and I were there, we were walking back to our motel and we noticed this cart/tuk tuk filled with little girls around the age of 7. We stopped to say hi and in talking to them, we noticed one woman there who they all said was their "mom". Obviously this wasn't true. Finally, a girl in her early teens came up and truthfully said that every day they are taken across the Thai border and every night they come back to Cambodia. Here was the very definition of trafficking right in front of our eyes. Many times the police at the border are bribed and these kids beg in the streets all day and then return home. Many have been bought to pay off a debt. Many of the little girls, when we reached out to touch them, flinched. It was so sad because it wasn't like we could just take over the tuk tuk and rescue all the girls right then and there. There have to be other options and a way paved to prevent this from taking place.
The weekend I was there in Poipet, I got to see people, beautiful Cambodian people, who were doing just that. Malina and I were taken on a private tour of the facilities and ministries of the "Cambodian Hope Organization" where they house and educate children and their families who have been affected by trafficking and to help prevent trafficking from taking place. They have also set up what is called "School on a mat" where teachers go out every day, into the rural villages, where the children have nothing to do and teach them on a plastic tarp. It was amazing to see this organization taking love and putting it to action. Love is not just a word it means dreaming and living from vision...it means getting involved in peoples' lives and when this happens...justice and mercy are revealed. God's love should inspire action in our lives. Being here at NightLight, I get to see this taking place and again in Cambodia I was reminded again to dream big, desire much and then move to bring the love of heaven to earth. It is simple...and it can even be just taking a child our arms.

**The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send out more workers for His fields.--Matthew 9:37b-38

There are many needs...there in Cambodia and in the ministry to the Karen people. If God is calling your name, don't resist His call.

--Picture above--
"Mom" laying on the bed, Malina to the right and the lovely woman on the left called after we got back to Bangkok to say that she was home again with her 5 month old child. Yay God!

An Unforgettable Trip


Traveling around with my friend Sharon as she ministered to the Karen people along the southwestern Thai border, was an experience I will never forget! Sharon is a woman who is passionate about seeing the Karen, who have been persecuted and forced to leave Burma, become dedicated followers of Jesus Christ. Me and my two friends, Katie and Cole met up with her in Hua Hin and from there she took us to their Karen Bible school. It was so much fun sleeping outdoors in her bamboo house and every night without fail, her family there would gather to sing, study the Bible or just hang out. The week that we ended up going was actually their vacation time so although there weren't many Bible school students there, the buildings were soon swarming with over a hundred children who had come for their kids camp. On Monday, around 12 o'clock we were asked, "Can you do some teaching for the children?" I looked at Katie and Cole a said, "Sure..." We had one hour to prepare. No problem! I was like, "God, I know You can do it." We decided to talk about fear, the authority that they have in Jesus' name and allow the kids to reenact the story of Jesus calming the storm. So as I was standing up in front of the kids telling them about how this huge storm came upon Jesus and His disciples as they were out at sea, something strange started happening. There was this commotion outside and as I looked out the windows I could see this gust of wind had swept into the camp area and it was picking up twigs and dirt and whatever else was in it's path. I was a little distracted at first until Katie said, "like this" and I got excited and wondered if God was trying to prove a point. It kept blowing until I got to the part of Jesus' saying "Peace, be still." And then it was calm. It was perfect!

While we spent this week with Sharon, I got to see how God moves powerfully through her life. Throughout the day, she would be getting phone calls from people, her Karen family who were in need. This would be her next assignment. We never knew how something was going to work out. But she knew, that if it was of God, He would pave a way and we would be able to get to the person she wanted to help and encourage. When I say that Sharon is a woman of power, I mean like dynamite. :) All of us had many good laughs together as our driver, who after receiving directions from her would say in his soft monotone voice, "Jai yen yen." (Meaning cool heart.) One of my favorite places that we went to was a handicapped children's home. We got to take a group of boys, many of them who are fighting HIV, to a river for a couple hours of swimming. It was so fun to get to just laugh and love on them and I think they too impacted me by their huge smiles and love for life. It was quite an intense trip although for Sharon I think we slowed her down, especially when all of us got constipated from eating only rice and the amazingly delicious curries that the Karen so generously provided, and spent an entire evening sitting in an air-conditioned hotel just so we could use their western toilets. lol! Yup it definitely was an unforgettable trip!
(Thanks Katie for the two photos above!)

Fire Boys

This was my second trip to Koh Samet. The first time I saw them I was caught in the awe of the show. I saw them again on this second visit and as I stood there watching them twirl those rods high up into the air and gaze as the hoola hoop size circles ignited with fire swung around their waists, a theme started rising in my heart. Koh Samet is an island about a 2 ½ hour drive south of Bangkok. It is a resort and retreat beach where people can rent a room, jump in the clear water during the day and enjoy sitting out on the beach at the many restaurants that line the shore at night. It is a beautiful place to be. During the evenings, there are several restaurants that have “fire shows” on the sand just a few feet away from where the people are sitting. These shows are directed by one man and several of his younger apprentices. As I stood there on the beach that night and watched these young boys, some of them near 8-10 years old, I like all the other spectators was in awe at the skill and precision at which they performed. And while standing there, I started to have these thoughts and ideas. Ideas of what it means to be a carrier of fire. These boys are young yet they are skilled. They are following the lead of one man. I started thinking about how this correlates to one man, Jesus and His followers. What does it look like to be a carrier of His fire today?

This is a theme that has been playing over in my mind since I came back to Bangkok. I see God's fire as being His presence. It is something that is dangerous, powerful and awe inspiriting. It brings warmth and ignites passion inside people. More than anything else I want to be someone who is skilled at handling the presence of God. The presence of God, His Spirit is a very powerful thing. Many people today are hungry to see a manifestation of the presence of God. They want to see some miracle or sign. They want to see a healing or a deliverance. Many times these things are the outflow that comes when the presence of God comes. Before I came to Thailand, I had the opportunity even in my home church and with my friends, to experience and see the power of God through healing, deliverance and salvation. Here in Thailand I see it as well. And yet I cannot be focusing on these things. I must be focusing on God's presence. If I focus on amazing things that I see, I will only get to taste a little of what God has planned. He wants me to be a carrier of His fire, to experience His presence in such a way that I let Him decide what the manifestation of His glory will be. As I watch the boys keep an eye on their instructor, and follow his lead, I am reminded of how important it is for me to keep my eyes on Jesus. He is the Master Instructor and One who will know where and how to move, what the next steps will be and how it will all work out. So when I think about carrying God's presence I think about keeping my eyes on Jesus and I also think about passion and purity. There has got to be a love and excitement for being able to be a part of carrying such a wonderful thing as God's power. The Bible says that we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the power belongs to God and not to us. --2 Corinthians 4:7-8 A few days ago I was reading in the book of Hebrews and it talks about the Israelites and how they went to "a physical mountain to a place of flaming fire..." (Heb. 12) and it was a frightening thing and how now we as believers are called to go into heavenly places to encounter the presence of God. We encounter this "all consuming fire" as we learn to walk and encounter God in the secret place and throughout the day. It is through prayer, listening to Him, watching for Him, receiving from Him, worshipping Him, that we are ignited with His presence, His fire. Something I noticed about these boys who were carriers of fire is that they were confident and even proud in what they were doing. God has called us to be confident and glory in we are as His children. We carry His glory.

So today, as you encounter places of darkness in your own life, in the lives of others or around you, know that you, are God's child, His child of fire, and that you carry the real, tangible presence of His glory wherever you go. May God richly bless you!














One Thing

I picked this book up in my friends living room this week and was struck by this quote: "...I urge you to reflect on the one thing in the world that wrecks you when you see it, when you hear it, and when you get close to it. Because your one thing is the exact thing that will create enough tension and angst, carve out enough capacity for activism, and stir up enough of an internal firestorm that you'll have no choice but to suit up and get in the game." --Bill Hybels Holy Discontent-Fueling the Fire that Ignites Personal Vision
The train lurched forward. Sitting by the open window I could feel the wind rush past my face. Were it not for the slight humidity it felt cool, almost refreshing. There is something about being on a train for 15 hours. You have time to sit, to read, to be, to gaze out on the rolling hills and open country sides. I felt like I was living 100 years earlier. I could stand and stick my head out the open window and gaze outside for hours on end. Looking down at times, my eyes would catch a river flowing down below a bridge that we were passing on or suddenly we would enter a tunnel and there would be pitch blackness. I have been reading a book by Jane Austen and another called The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam. Two moving stories. The first set in an era where women were all about balls and finding a partner and life's small but significant adventures and the second, the story of a young girl who was sold into sexual slaver, her thoughts, emotions and fight for freedom. There is something about combining the two in my heart and mind. Something that makes me dream.

Here in Thailand it is a normal for me to see a western man with a Thai woman, some of whom are very young. There is something about the bar scene that saddens but fills me with hope and expectation. I feel like when there is often no more hope, when the walls seem high, that is when the power of love is revealed. As I sit on a side street in the bustling city of Bangkok, my heart is dreaming. I keep thinking about anointing and destiny. In Isaiah God anointed Cyrus to bring treasures out of darkness. God promised to do the impossible so that He would be glorified. I want to see God do the impossible here. I don't want to just get caught up in watching things pass by. I want to be a part of it. Living in the adventure. While I was in Chiang Mai this week, my friends and I took a trip down a river on a rafting tour. It def wasn't as dangerous as it sounds, but it was so much fun. I think I was created for adventure. There is something about bringing strength, feeling the rush of the wind and knowing that life depends on it, that gives me joy. What is it that brings you joy? Don't get caught in the trap of thinking and settling for less. Gaze out the window, feel the wind in your face, look up into the expanse of sky and let dreams come alive.

Fingerprint of Heaven...thoughts for 2010

A breakthrough of love...what does it look like to make a mark on the land? I see God reaching down and pushing His fingerprints into the ground like soft clay. He is with me. I move in Him and He moves in me. There is so much on my heart sometimes it feels like it is going to burst. There is so much more. So much more of His love that I want to see. I want to see women who once sold their bodies dancing in freedom and pure joy. I want to see children jumping and leaping in shouts of faith. I want to see heaven touch earth. I don't know what that looks like. But I want to see it. I want to dream big with the Dreamer of Heaven. I want to see...to see things that are in heaven and speak them out on earth. I am asking for more revelation and wisdom. So much of it is about love. I want to be so filled with His love. So utterly consumed. This love goes beyond earth, it is the fingerprint of heaven...LOVE.