My Prayer for Cambodia

Sometimes the Lord gives me a specific Scripture to pray for a person or situation. This last week as Kristin and I were together, she brought up Isaiah 61 and how God wanted her to pray that for Cambodia. As I read it, I realized that it is so perfect. I continued on reading in Isaiah 62 and found a couple more verses that I am also praying for Cambodia.

Isaiah 62:2-4 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or your name Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. 

Cambodia is a little country and has been ruled by other powers for much of its history. Yet it could be a place where God's glory shines, and other surrounding nations can see God's power and might in the lives of Cambodians. May God's name be lifted high as a banner over Cambodia!

All About His Glory

This week my Cambodia teammate Kristin and I joined forty others at a training on Disciple Making Movements. This wasn’t an ordinary conference where you sit and listen to speakers, but rather at our tables and as a group we studied God’s Word to discover His truth on the unreached, Jesus’ example for reaching them and what we are supposed to do. It was an intense week and I still have lots of pondering to do, but it was a really incredible time. 

We started out the week focused on God’s glory. It is an amazing place to start because it is really not about us. All that we do must be for His glory. We need to pray that God will accomplish His work in a way that will bring glory to Him and never attempt to gain credit for ourselves. It is easy to slip into this mode if we think we are coming up with some amazing strategy for winning the lost. Rather, God is the one who draws people to Himself and the end result is that He gets the glory. 

We studied two passages that were really key. The first is Revelation 7:9-12. This passage is about the multitude around God’s throne representing every people group, tribe and language, all focused on praising God. 

The second passage is John 17:1-5. Again, the focus is on glory- the word is repeated multiple times throughout the section. Jesus was sent by God, and by being obedient He was able to bring God glory. 

I’m not sure I can completely wrap my mind around God’s glory. In one sense, it is about how amazing He is, far above anything we could imagine. He is the Creator of all things, He sustains all things, and yet He chooses to use us. Part of glory is thanking and praising God, being obedient to what He tells us to do, and sharing with others in order for them to understand His glory. 

When you think of God’s glory, what comes to mind for you? 

If you want to check out some other verses on God’s glory, here are just a few. I know we didn’t cover all of them this week, and I’m excited about looking through the Bible for God’s glory.

•  2 Samuel 7:23
• Isaiah 43:6-7
• Psalm 106:7-8
• Habakkuk 2:14
• John 5:44
• John 12:27-28
• Romans 9:22-23
• 1 Corinthians 10:31
• 1 Peter 4:11
• Revelation 21:23

My Cousin's Wedding

My cousin Ilene, her new husband Brandon and me at their wedding, June 1, 2012

Thoughts on the Holy Spirit

A friend challenged me with some questions about the Holy Spirit recently. Most of my growing up years the Holy Spirit was mentioned in passing as part of the Trinity, but was not emphasized in Sunday school lessons or sermons that I can remember. As I did some searching, I found the Spirit is very active throughout Scripture! Here are some examples, just from the book of Acts:

Acts 4:8-12 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it”.

Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Acts 11:22-24 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

These are just a few places where the Holy Spirit is mentioned. It is amazing to see how the Spirit is at work! Here are a few summary points from Acts of the Holy Spirit’s:

•         Gives power and boldness for evangelization

•         Enables cross-cultural communication of the gospel

•         Gives the power which brings spiritual awakening

•         Qualifies, equips, and empowers people for Kingdom service

•         Enables to act boldly and endure in persecution

•         Gives guidance for divine appointments

•         Encourages

•         Expands the Kingdom of God

•         Brings conviction and repentance to those not yet following Christ

•         Consecrates and sends out believers

•         Gives prophecies

•         Speaks through believers

•         Helps people understand the gospel

•         Guides in and to the harvest

I think too often we focus on Jesus and forget about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I feel like I am just scratching the surface in understanding how that applies to my life and what it means to allow more of the Holy Spirit to fill my own heart and life, to speak through me and give me boldness and wisdom as was the case with the believers in the book of Acts. There are times when I am reading and I don’t understand the work of the Holy Spirit, like when people spoke in tongues or other things that are a bit out of my comfort zone. But I'm still learning and seeking to understand.

Do you have any thoughts on the Holy Spirit or ways that you have been learning more in this area?

Finally, Be Strong in the Lord

We are in a battle. Does that thought cross your mind very often? I have become more aware of the spiritual battle that is going on as Satan tries to hold on to the darkness in the world. He knows he is losing but that does not prevent him from trying his best to keep out the Light.

I have never been the kind of person to see a devil behind every bush, behind every trial whether big or small. But, I think particularly in the US we are either naïve or choose to ignore the spiritual realm and the battle taking place. Are we ready to do our part in the battle?

Ephesians 6 is our go-to passage for the equipping needed for fighting the darkness. I have been going to this passage over and over lately trying to understand how I can fight for God’s reign more effectively.

^{Ephesians 6:10-20}

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Here are a few thoughts that came to mind as I journaled through this passage:

·         “Be strong in the Lord” and “Put on the full armor of God” are commands to obey, not just suggestions

·         God doesn’t say, “Run away”, but rather “Stand your ground”

·         Belt of truth- God’s truth of who He is and who I am in Him. We should ask, “What is true?”

·         Breastplate of righteousness- Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life

·         Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace- Go! We are to walk in obedience out of love for God and because of the urgency of getting the message out

·         Shield of faith- instead of worrying, pray and step out into the heat of the battle in faith

·         Helmet of salvation- protecting our minds, turning to God and remembering his way of salvation

·         Sword of the spirit- speaking God’s Words aloud, it is powerful!

·         And pray- Keep praying; pray for the battle, pray as the battle, be alert and always on guard, pray for other believers, pray for boldness and for the right words to say. 

What can you do today to join the spiritual battle against the darkness?

Cambodia Facts at a Glance

A few facts about Cambodia to liven up your day! :)

• The median age in Cambodia is 22.9 years
• Life expectancy at birth is 62.67 years
• The country is 96% Buddhist, 2% Muslim and 2% other
• The garment industry employs more than 280,000 people, which is about 5% of the workforce, and contributes to more than 70% of Cambodia’s exports
• The primary agricultural products are rice, rubber, corn, cashews, tapioca and silk
• Cambodia uses US money for big bills and for smaller transactions they use the riel. The exchange rate is approximately 4,000 riel per US dollar

Birthday Blessings

I celebrated my 26th birthday on Wednesday and it was a wonderful day! God blessed me with friends and family who called, sent emails, chatted, sent gifts and cards and helped make my day special. My co-workers also provided me with a birthday lunch in the office. Here a few pictures:

Lessons from Grad School

Over the last three years I have had the opportunity to attend Dallas Baptist University and am two weeks away from receiving my Master’s degree in Global Leadership/Missions. I didn’t really picture myself attending grad school and if God had not thrust open the door, I don’t think I would have headed in this direction. I'm so thankful, however, for the lessons I have learned, the people I have gotten to meet and opportunities I have had while attending DBU. Here are a few things I am thankful for in my graduate school journey:

1. Interaction with students from around the world: DBU has a huge international student population and I have had the privilege of meeting many of them in my classes over the years. These students amazed me with their desire to pursue their education in a foreign country, in another language, in order to be more effective in their work back in their home country. They often added a insight to our discussions that helped me see things from another point of view.
2. Practical Professors: Many of the professors that I have had at DBU had not spent their life in the world of academia. Many were passing along their practical experience from ministry or overseas work. When the professors could back up their points with personal stories, I understood better and will remember more of what they were saying.
3. Good Challenges: I enjoy having my mind stretched and thinking about things in a new way (most of the time anyway). I appreciated the challenge that grad school brought as I completed the assignments, listened to the lectures and discussions in class and looked at my own way of thinking in a new light. I'm not sure that I have radically changed any of my values or philosophies, but it so helpful to be pushed to think about things differently.
4. Fun Stories: One of my favorite classes was Biographies of Outstanding Missionaries which I took last spring. I loved reading of missionaries throughout the centuries who served under all sorts of different circumstances. Some of them were not the best example but there was something to learn from each one.
5. Defined Calling: When I started graduate school, I knew that I would one day serve in missions overseas but I didn’t know any details. Not only did school give me more time to listen to the Lord’s calling, but He used my Global Leadership Practicum in Cambodia last year to help define what He had next for me.

My Chains Are Gone

This last Easter Sunday in church, we sang the song “Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone”, by Chris Tomlin. This is a special song to me because it was played at my grandmother’s funeral, but it also took on a new meaning on Sunday. The chorus is:

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

I started thinking about many of the people I have met and prayed for in Western Cambodia. Khru Map, the teacher in Ou Thmaa, who has had visions of Jesus and is finally seeking but hasn’t committed his life to following Jesus. Meng, the young man who does not want to become a Christian because it means he will have to forgive those who have wronged him. Many other men and women who are addicted to alcohol or gambling, who are not able to find adequate work or who struggle to provide for their families. All of those who have not had a chance to hear about Jesus and find TRUE release from the bondage they are in. As we sang the song in church, their faces flashed before me and I thought about them being able to one day sing this song. Not just one day to be free from bondage on earth, but to be around the throne of God worshipping Him with all of their hearts. Would you pray with me for that to happen?

History and Art

A couple of weeks ago, a friend came to visit and we did an Art Walk in downtown Dallas. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but the variety along the 3 ½ mile walk was so fun! There were 30 stops along the walk that exemplified the unique history of the Dallas area.

One of my favorites was the design of the Dallas City Hall and the Dallas Public Library which sit across the street from one another. The city hall was a very different design as the top of the building is wider than the bottom. The architect designed these two buildings to look like they are “dancing” with each other. The city hall “leans” forward while the library looks like it is leaning back.

I also enjoyed Pioneer Plaza. Some of the oldest residents of Dallas are buried there, but unfortunately many of the stones are broken down or unreadable. Also in the park is an elaborate collection of statues representing a Texas cattle drive.

I never knew many of these places existed! It made me appreciate the heritage of Dallas more and it was exciting to find these places as we did the Art Walk.