"From Buddha to Jesus"

I got a free book today!

Well it wasn't initially free but here's what happened: I accidentally purchased the paperback version of this book when I meant to purchase the Kindle version (whoops). The book arrived to my dismay a few days later. I went on the Amazon website to go about returning it and when I filled out the page that asks you to provide the reason for the return, I selected "Accidental Order," clicked to go on to the next page, and Amazon was all like, "it's on us! You can keep the book and we'll still give you the refund!"

YES. Thank you God!

I'm very pleased to have a physical copy of the book so I can share with others who want to learn more about how to be a Christian witness to Buddhists--a very pertinent topic in Thailand where Buddhist practices are so prevalent. Also, I can scribble in the margins of this copy since it was freeeeee. :)

Also, as I go through this book, I'll probably be posting things that I'm learning as I read it so be ready! Also, the author was born in Thailand and born again in Thailand. So fitting.

Spirit-Led

Tonight Liz and I Skyped with John Lapos, the IMB missionary with whom we'll be working once we're in Thailand. The paper that I'm holding in the above picture are all the notes that we took through the course of the conversation. I am going to attempt to turn this thought-sprawl into a reasonable looking assemblage of ideas. It's quite the undertaking.

One thing though that is becoming clear is how vital it is to be Spirit-led as our departure draws nearer. There's so much that I can't control or be completely aware of and instead of being frustrated with my limitations, I should relish the freedom that I have in not needing to be in control because God is. God knows exactly where and when I'm going to mess up and He is going to use my screw-ups to bring Himself glory. How awesome is that??

At Encounter, we're doing a study on the Holy Spirit and His tangible role in our lives. I don't think it gets any more tangible than a proper understanding of His intimate awareness of my thoughts, actions, future actions, etc. And yet He still stands before God as my advocate. He knows my sin nature and still comforts me, guides me, and points me towards Truth. He dwells in me.

It's comforting to remember that the Holy Spirit is preparing me at this moment for future challenges I'm going to experience in Bangkok. He is going to instruct me in how I can glorify God in those times. Even though I don't know specifically what that looks like right now, I trust that the Spirit does know. I need to pray that I can be willing to submit myself to the authority of the Spirit and in so doing, be Spirit-led, always pointing to Jesus and His magnificent work of salvation.

Redeemed

Last night, I went to a wedding reception for my bosses and it was beautiful (see above for blurry picture taken on my phone). I was incredibly blessed to get to be a part of this momentous event in their lives. The purse I brought to the reception was the same one I toted around Bangkok back in August during our initial vision trip. As I was scrounging around the bottom looking for a dollar to pay for my stay in Fredericksburg's only parking garage, I found a few treasures from Thailand:

Treasures? Really? A 7Eleven receipt and the equivalent of 0.30 USD in Baht. Yes. Treasures. Every time I find something that I got whilst in Thailand, I hang on to it--ticket stubs, receipts, coins, and other miscellaneous scraps of paper. They remind me of the brief time I spent there and the radical work that God did in my life leading up to the trip, during and continues to do in the time after the trip.

This morning at Encounter and tomorrow evening in small group, we're discussing the word "Redeemed" as a means of understanding the God we worship. It seems appropriate that the remnants I found in my purse are things used in a pecuniary transaction (of or relating to money). The word "Redemption" in a nutshell means "to buy back." To buy back? Did God lose a bet? No! Through Adam's first Sin and my own Sin, I sold myself into slavery; slavery to death, Sin, destructive habits, emptiness, worldliness, etc, etc. I lived in open rebellion against a perfect and Holy God.

But God desired me. He wanted me to be His daughter. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1

Before I went to Church this morning and heard Doug deliver his message, I was getting really excited about a Facebook status that one of the Lifepoint Bangkok missionaries posted on his wall about all the exciting stuff going in their Church and their ministry. I was excited really just about the stuff, not God being made famous through the stuff.

Near the end of the lesson, God gripped me and convicted me of this wrong attitude. Doug posed the question, "Am I becoming more of a worshipper of God?" I felt that the answer to that question couldn't be "yes" until I reoriented myself to the cross, to the magnitude of the God I worship, and the fact that missions and evangelism won't endure. 10,000 years from now, I'm going to be standing before the throne of God joining all the nations, all the angels, His Church in glad worship!!

"No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:3-5

Being excited about "God stuff" is not the same as being excited about God. God is going to do awesome things in Bangkok to make His name famous. However, the reason that God redeemed me from my empty life was not just to do good works; it was to love and invest in the Church and in those that God desires to be part of His Church to bring glory to God.

I pray that this week every action, every thought, and every word reflects that notion and in so doing glorifies my AWESOME GOD.

In the News

It seems appropriate that it's Tuesday and that Thailand is making headlines today (see previous post). My bat radar is always tuned for mentions of Bangkok anywhere so when my Twitter-feed mentioned a blast in Bangkok, I was alarmed.

I know the above is in Thai (with English subtitles) but I'll summarize further: an Iranian attempted to throw a grenade at a taxi and ended up blowing his own legs off and injuring four Thais. If you read this article, you'll get a much better summary than this.

However, my point in posting this video is to serve as a reminder to myself and others that any work done in Bangkok needs to be SOAKED in prayer; I mean, absolutely drenched. Yes, God is SOVEREIGN over this attack and will use it to bring Himself glory. However, God wants us to pester Him. He wants us to ask Him for the things we desire. If we desire for Him to be made famous in Bangkok, why not persistently pray for that to be so? I struggle to be a persistent petitioner. I spend a lot of time talking about God and forget that talking to God is more important. What happened today in Bangkok was an important reminder of the fragility of the state of things in Bangkok. All it takes is a bomb and a bomber to disrupt lives and destroy peace. I praise God for that reminder.

Will you pray with me for this city?

Pray that God uses His people to direct the attention of the Thai people to Christ and to His power to save and restore broken lives. It's ironic (sad irony) that one of the grenades that the Iranian man threw blasted off his own legs. That's the destructive power of sin. We lash out in anger or bitterness and end up destroying ourselves.

Pray for the Iranian man who lost both his legs and for the Thais who were injured as a result of the explosions. Pray for the Church in Thailand and for the missionaries there that they can use this as a bridge to the gospel. Pray for new Christians in Thailand like Preem that they are not discouraged by the attack but rather emboldened to be courageous in telling their friends about Jesus.

For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations;

let no rebel rise in defiance. Psalm 66:7

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

Embrace the Cheese

Borrowing from Liz who was borrowing from Jon Acuff's "Serious Wednesdays," I propose a blog theme of my own. Prepare yourselves.

Monday: "Music Monday"

Post a song I've heard that's meaningful. Write about it.

Tuesday: "Thai Tuesday"

I will be in Thailand so there's lots of interesting cultural stuff to learn and take note of. Also my efforts to learn Thai will indeed be blogworthy.

Wednesday: "Quote-Worthy Wednesday"

The quote could be from something I'm reading, something I hear someone say in person or via the internet.

Thursday: "Low Expectation Thursday"

A phrase Liz and I share concerning work done on Thursdays. Don't expect too much on this day. (Sorry to depart from the lovely alliteration.)

Friday: "Fun Fact Friday"

Daily life in Thailand as an English teacher is different from my day-to-day routine in the States. This day is where I scribble a drivel of mishmash observations I collect.

Saturday: "Snapshot Saturday"

Expect pictures to be in more than just this post but the main content of the posts from this day will be photographic. Hopefully I'll become a better and more astute photographer in the future through doing this.

Sunday: "Sacred Sunday"

Sunday is typically set apart as the Sabbath (doesn't have to be but it normally is). On this day I will share prayer requests, things God has been teaching me throughout the week in my time with Him and at Church and small group.

To clarify, I know the alliteration is cheesy but I like the idea of a framework for the blog. Being the "creative" individual that I am, I am not restrained by the framework but rather guided towards increased spontaneity through it. So embrace the cheese y'all.

"There Will Be Rats!"

Today at work, my boss (the Practice Administrator) called me into her office. Newly married, her face was tanner than usual having just returned from some exotic trip with her new spouse. Apparently Jenny, my manager, had told her about my "trip to Thailand." (Put the word "mission" in front of that phrase and you have it right). She told me she was excited for me but also sad that I was leaving. She couldn't believe that I was going to Bangkok. Bangkok. "You know prostitution is really terrible there, right?" She said vehemently. "And there's trash on the streets too. We've seen places where it's been that way in Egypt and India but in Bangkok, it's bad. There are rats there too, you know. Big, giant rats in the streets!"

A few months ago I was going through a period of immense discouragement and my pastor Doug recommended that I listen to a sermon by John Piper entitled "You Will Be Eater by Cannibals! Lessons from the Life of John G. Paton." John G. Paton (1824-1907) was a Scottish missionary to the New Hebrides.

A loud critic of Paton cried out, "The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!" But to this Paton responded, "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer." Wow.

The parallels between the comments made by my boss and Paton's critics are unmistakable. No, I'm not in danger of falling victim to cannibals in Thailand and the Thai people are certainly not hostile savages who practice infanticide and widow sacrifice (so they could serve their husbands in the next world). In fact, my boss spoke very favorable of the Thais saying how kind they were and what a smiling people they are. Really, the point I'm trying to make is that when one is called by God to a particular task, there will be critics who will try to discourage you from accomplishing the work that He's set before you. These critics are well meaning family members who question your ability to fundraise enough money, bosses who warn you about the rodent problem in Thailand, and others who just haven't spoken up yet but keep their reservations in their hearts.

I told my boss that the reason why I am going to Thailand is because of the problems there--the prostitution, the absence of the Gospel in a place that's culturally and historically Buddhist. I told her I was excited to work with the Thai Church and be a part of what God is doing in Thailand.

Critics voice their concerns but the powerful voice of the Holy Spirit is MIGHTIER and we should listen when He calls us to obey.

"And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should." Ephesians 6:19-20 NLT

What Are We Waiting For?

"What Are We Waiting For?"

He says Go, take the news to every nation

We say no, you know I just don't feel called

But oh the Lord of all the universe

Has called us all to go, so

What are we waiting for

A message in the sky

A miracle, a sign

From up above, is not His word enough?

What are we waiting for

He's given us a choice

He's given us a voice

And right now, if He is Lord

Then what are we waiting for

He says now give your life to serve the broken

We say how will this fit into my plans

But oh the Lord of all the universe

Has spilled His blood, His precious blood

If we love Him we will keep His word

keep His word

If we know Him we will tell the world

tell the world

I praise God for Gospel-centered song writers and artists like Matt Papa. These lyrics remind me of the all the excuses that I had before I went to Thailand in August:

It's too expensive. How can I afford it?

God used His Church to make a way.

The flight is really long...

We survived. Mostly.

How will I get off work?

I got permission to go in my interview (and advice from the person hiring me about Bangkok).

What if I get lost in the city and can't speak Thai?

There was never an opportunity to get lost and as long as you smile, you're fine.

What if I get food poisoning?

Again, we survived.

God basically took all the excuses that I had created as reasons not to go and asked me the question: which do you love more, yourself, or Me?

I just finished reading the Gospel of Mark in my Bible reading plan and Jesus doesn't get more explicit about this whole Great Commission business than He does here.

"...Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16 ESV

Hearing Matt Papa's song this morning was God's way of reminding me that when He commands something from His servants, He makes it possible for His servants to do that thing because He promises to go with us into all the world.

Every time I feel overwhelmed with all the preparations for June (turns out moving to the other side of the world is no easy task), I must remind myself that going to the world (Thailand in my case) is a command and that Jesus is there with me through this process. Jesus spilled His precious blood so I could have freedom. It is worth it to tell others, to tell the whole creation, this awesome news of what Christ has done for us, if we believe.

How can they be saved through the name of Jesus if they never hear His name?