Words Revealing Function

November 27, 2011 in Missions with 0 Comments

Leadership

People sometimes ask me how I view my missions work and what I do.

My short explanation is…

“I am a mission strategist and mobilizer, a thinker and practicioner. I work to empower local leaders through training partnerships & consultation, while also pioneering new context appropriate outreaches, “groups”, and resources.”

But beyond my own role in cross cultural missions work, I have thought through some words that can reveal function in “missions.”

When you think through your own work, key words can also help you understand how you view your own work and function.

Here are some of my own words with a little blurb of my thoughts on each one:

Learner- Taking in new information constantly as a way of life, whether it be through various types of media or in one on one conversations with people who are outside of your normal scope of conversation.  This heart is essential in missions work.  Many times we come in as the teachers when we should first be entering in as the learners. Continue Reading…

Thankfulness Is Powerful

November 24, 2011 in Commentary with 0 Comments

thanks

Real thankfulness is powerful.  

It has the power to bless our lives.  But the reverse is also true. Unthankfulness has the power to destroy our life.

It is our daily choice.

I woke up this morning to join our friends for morning prayer.  As I began to pray I started by recounting the blessings that God has given me throughout my life.

I started with my mother who made the choice as a seventeen year old young single woman to not abort me.  She chose to give me life despite not knowing how we would make it financially or otherwise.

While at a Catholic convent in New Orleans, she prayed to God and told him that if he would take care of us, she would give me back to Him.

Growing up facing all that we faced as a family, both of us would have never known that I would one day have a family of my own and be serving God in a place like Thailand. Continue Reading…

The Revolutionary Life

November 21, 2011 in Missions with 1 Comment

Rev Life

Our friends and coworkers in the Gospel, Dustan and Darlene Stanley, have recently arrived back to us here in Thailand after a trip back to the US.

But not until they first got their reality TV show, The Revolutionary Life, picked up by JCTV.

It’s now being broadcast weekly to a global audience.

When I first met Dustan and Darlene I knew that we were supposed to meet.  At that time, the show was still just an idea in progress and they were working hard to make it a reality.

One day after being in Chiang Mai for just a short time, I was needing to just get out of the house and away from all of the issues that can be associated with moving our family and unpacking.  We had recently moved from the Northeast of Thailand.

I drove my car down to the center of town of our new town, Chiang Mai, and looked for a place to park.  I circled around a certain area for awhile until I finally found a spot.

Once I parked, I took off walking not knowing where I was going but I decided to take a left at the end of the street in front of the city gate.  After walking for a minute or so, right in front of me I saw Dustan and Darlene walking toward me!   Continue Reading…

Praying for Revival in Chiang Mai

November 18, 2011 in Thailand with 1 Comment

Shot at the Bless Thailand Prayer Event held at Thae Pae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 19 November 2011

A large crowd of Thais showed up to worship God in the public square and pray for the nation of Thailand. Continue Reading…

Loi Krathong &The Water Goddess

November 12, 2011 in Thailand with 1 Comment

Forgive us. But who will answer?

Loi Krathong has been called the most important and significant holiday of the year for the Thai people as well as parts of Laos and Myanmar (Shan state).  It was recently celebrated here in Thailand, but in much less fanfare due to the current massive floods still affecting greater Bangkok.

What is it all about? How does it play out with the current flooding situation?  Is there room for interpretation?

“Loi” means to float and “krathong” is the small boat that is floated.  It is usually very creatively made from natural materials such as banana stalk, banana leaves, and beautiful flowers that are just coming into bloom. The festival is celebrated every year in November at the time of the full moon.  The city is full of light, both naturally and from the glow of lanterns.

The origins and roots of the festival predate Buddhism but have been incorporated into Thai Buddhism as a way of making merit.

Originally and still today, many ask for the forgiveness of the “water spirit or water goddess” called “Pra Mae Khongka.”  There is also  a “serpent-ruler” called Phaya Nak that some Thais seek to “appease” in order to halt the monsoon rain, dispel floods and return the rivers to calm. Continue Reading…

Thai Woman Encounters God

November 10, 2011 in Buddhism, Thailand with 1 Comment

Seeking Answers. Is anyone listening?

I have to tell you this testimony while it is fresh on my mind from today.  It is an incredible witness to how God Himself is at work to bring Buddhist people to know his son Jesus Christ.

Today I was meeting with my ministry partner at a local restaurant to discuss some preliminary goals that we needed to accomplish before the end of the year related to our overall outreach and training plan.  We were encouraging each other by sharing what we sense that God is doing in us and through us and what we are believing Him for in regards to Thailand coming to know Jesus.

The verse and saying that has become our mantra of sorts is Luke 10:2, “The Harvest Is Ready.”

Just as we were wondering what could happen here in Thailand, a friend who works here in Thailand came up and thanked us for sharing with a group that he was a part of last week.  We had spoken to a network of fellow missionaries on some fresh insights as to what is happening in Thailand and what we feel needs to happen in order to see a movement begin here.  We didn’t know it then, but we were speaking some things that was confirming the amazing experience he and his team were already having as they made the decision to step out of the four walls and engage the people more than they had done before.

He began to tell us about how he and some of his guys have been going out to a certain village and moving from house to house, meeting with people.  He and his wife had met a Thai lady who he was having small talk with when she asked him “What do you do?  Why are you really here”?  He replied, “I am a Bible teacher.  I love to teach God’s Word and help people to understand it for themselves.”  The lady said something to the affect of, “Everyone in my village thinks I am a crazy woman.  I want to tell you about the experience that I have had.”  She was thinking that this man and his wife might think she was crazy too.

Continue Reading…

Finding Your “Calling”

November 8, 2011 in Missions with 0 Comments

serve

-You don’t have to be a “minister” or “missionary” to be called into God’s service.  In fact, I believe you are called to use your God given “life mix” to make an eternal impact right now, right where you are.  Pastor and author Tim Keller writes,

“Your vocation is a part of God’s work in the world, and God gives you resources for serving the human community.

These factors can help you identify your calling.

  • Affinity—“Look out.”

Affinity is the normal, existential/priestly way to discern call.

What people needs do I vibrate to?

  • Ability—“Look in.”

Priesthood of all believers, secular versus sacred

Ability is the normal, rational/prophetic way to discern call.

What am I good at doing? Continue Reading…

Flooding in Thailand- Fast Facts

November 5, 2011 in Thailand with 2 Comments

thailand floods

Here are the facts I have distilled down and continue to update so far. 

By December 2011 the floods were still affecting over 4.4 million people in 83 districts of 10 provinces, 63 out of 76 provinces have been affected.

Duration: Going on 5 months plus, some areas have been in inundated the whole time.  This is the worst flooding in 50 years for Thailand, but probably much more strongly felt economically in this current time.

Death Toll: 800 plus, many from electrocution.  This is a real tragedy since much of this could have been prevented.

Affected and Non Affected Areas: Bangkok is now free and clear.  We are not sure which provinces are still under water but we know that some, especially North and West of Bangkok are still inundated and the people are still suffering.

Major tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi, Ratchburi, Pattaya, Ko Chang, Rayong, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Ko Samui are all flood free.  Ayutthaya is said to be working to clean up, but there have been reports of problems with foul odors and dirt.

Continue Reading…

Church Planting & 7 Billion

October 31, 2011 in Missions with 0 Comments

people

According to UN calculations today, October 31st, 2011, is the “official day” when 7 billionth person will have been born on planet Earth.

Our “world” has just gotten a little bit bigger now.

What does this reality mean for the global Church in regards to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:18-20)?  

This means that our strategies have to flex with the growing reality we face if we are going to be effective in carrying out the Commission.

A recent Time magazine article breaks down some of the realities of what seven billion people means for us.

Roger Martin, chair of the NGO Population Matters, writing in the Guardian recently:

The 7 Billion Day is a sobering reminder of our planet’s predicament. We are increasing by 10,000 an hour. The median UN forecast is 9.3 billion by 2050, but the range varies by 2.5 billion — the total world population in 1950 — depending on how we work it out.

Every additional person needs food, water and energy, and produces more waste and pollution, so ratchets up our total impact on the planet, and ratchets down everyone else’s share — the rich far more than the poor.


The author brings to light the massive impact of each person’s physical needs, but what about their spiritual need?  

This reality has seriously challenged me to look even deeper into what we can practically do to see “Church Planting Movements” multiplied in every nation of the world and among all unreached people groups.

I believe that “CPM” is our only real hope.   Continue Reading…

A Sobering Story From Thailand

October 26, 2011 in Thailand with 1 Comment

Isaan church planting

I just received this email from a couple that I spent time ministering with in Isaan (Northeast Thailand) recently.

Hi John, You may recall when you visited us a few months ago, we prayed for a man (Paw ***) who had had a stroke. He is much better now, walking around, his speech is still slurred, but his faith is strong.

While we were at his house another man came over to see us.  Khun ** had become a believer when we first began working in the village four years ago. But he was an alcoholic and seemed unable (or unwilling) to escape his addiction.

We had prayed for him many times, and for a time there was an improvement, he got a job. But he dropped out of attending the House church meeting about 2 years ago, though we invited him to come every time we saw him.

When you visited with us you had a prophetic word for him along the lines of “This was his last chance..to be free”. Continue Reading…

Sometimes I Just Let It Die

October 25, 2011 in Development with 0 Comments

plug

The plug is right next to my computer.

I see the warning pop up.

I watch my percentages go from 9 to 4 to 2 to one and yet I still don’t plug in.

I am too focused on what I am doing at that very moment.  I know it would be best to just stop and grab it and plug in.

But I choose to wait.  I have a little more time I tell myself.  Then I forget.

All of a sudden…black screen…frustration….grumbling and I’m looking for the power cord.

Now I am forced to plug in.

I have no choice.

Isn’t this a picture of our spiritual lives sometimes?

All or Nothing

October 24, 2011 in Development with 0 Comments

checklists

I apologize for taking a break from blogging consistently for the last couple of weeks.

I had been on quite a streak since I reformatted the blog, posting almost every day since.

Then we had a visitor and I threw myself completely into making sure she had the best possible time here and that my family had 100% of my attention.

Through it all I realized something about myself, a little pattern you could say.

I tend to be consumed by whatever I am working on at the moment.  I work better in blocks of time, definitely task oriented.  I like check lists.

And many times, my life and ministry projects become all or nothing. Continue Reading…

Elephants and Entitlement

October 14, 2011 in Commentary, Thailand with 3 Comments

elephant-camp-Chiang-Mai

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt cornered by someone with a need?  Have you ever felt bullied and pressured to do something you really weren’t prepared to do at the time?

If you were given a little time and space, you may have changed your mind, but you didn’t have that opportunity.

Since my mom is visiting, we decided to take in some of the sights of Chiang Mai with her.  We have been here for over a year now, two and a half years in Thailand, but haven’t visited an elephant camp yet. (Sad, I know.)

So, we booked an all inclusive tour and made our way by van about a hour or so north of the city.

Once we arrived at the camp, we were greeted by the coolest elephants and their mahouts (drivers/trainers). They were motioning excitedly for us to grab the rope and get up on the elephants bare back.  I thought it would be fun and was the first to grab on.  Many other people followed and the others were having a great time snapping pics.

When we were all off the elephants, we were standing there waiting for our “already paid for” tour to begin. Continue Reading…

Your Own Inciting Incident

October 9, 2011 in Development with 1 Comment

"Inciting Incidents" Not Welcome Here

Have you ever thought of the circumstances in your life when you felt forced to do something you didn’t necessarily want to do?

You found yourself facing an incident that forced you into a critical decision that would change the course of your life’s direction?

One year ago this month we moved to Chiang Mai from Khon Kaen, a 13 hour drive away.  I didn’t want to move.  I had had finally started to become adjusted to my home in the Northeast of Thailand.  I despised the thought of moving.  But it was time to move.

I was thinking about this time in our life today when I came across a chapter in Donald Miller‘s Book  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  It’s a book that’s all about how our stories are formed in life.

In the book, he and some friends who are helping to write his story, begin to discuss how to make his character move.

They said that a general rule in creating stories is that characters don’t want to change.  They must be forced to change.

“The rule exists in story because it’s a true thing about people.” Continue Reading…

Steve Jobs Was A Buddhist?

October 7, 2011 in Buddhism with 9 Comments

Steve Jobs: Buddhist?

Steve Jobs, the CEO and c0-founder of Apple and Pixar, was an extraordinary man.  There is no doubt that he has left an indelible mark on history.

His recent unexpected death at the early age of 56 has many people wondering about his personal faith.

He has been known to speak very openly about death and how its reality has motivated him in his life to accomplish something of great substance and worth.  He is quoted as saying “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon, is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

But beyond statements like this concerning death, he has not spoken very openly about his faith.

Some have pointed out that he was confirmed as a Lutheran.  Yet what has emerged about him concerning his faith is that he visited ashrams in India during the 70′s and returned to the States as a “Buddhist.”

But what kind of Buddhist was Steve Jobs? Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, Zen, or a New Age mix? Continue Reading…

Flying: America to Thailand

October 6, 2011 in Thailand with 2 Comments

Bangkok Airport by Trey Ratcliff (CC) See more at http://www.stuckincustoms.com

From America to Thailand:  

I recently have been going through the process again of getting roundtrip plane tickets from America to Thailand again.  My mom is coming to visit us for the first time, so we are pretty excited about it!

Got me thinking about the process of traveling to Thailand and so I wanted to share my way with you.

My way is possibly not the easiest but I try to make it the most cost effective, especially when I travel with three other people or more in our group.

Cheap Domestic Flight:

My first step is to find a cheap domestic flight within the US to Los Angeles. Continue Reading…

Three Principle Problems

October 5, 2011 in Buddhism with 0 Comments

Breaking the Problems of Ignorance, Craving, & Clinging

There are three principle problems outlined in Thai Buddhist teaching:

 

 

They are:

  • Ignorance- “Awicha”
  • Craving- “Tanha”
  • Clinging- “Upataan”

In addition, there is the idea that everything in this world is unstable and transitory (“mai tiang”).

Talking with my Buddhist monk friends, it is said that these qualities are the root cause of all suffering and evil in the world.

If they are not eradicated, they will bring continuous suffering.  We agree. How they are eradicated is where our paths diverge.

But where did these qualities originate from?  What was their original cause?

There is an answer in Buddhism for how they originate in us as people, but not how they originated ultimately.

Here is how we speak of the three elements causing suffering and how they came to be; using the testimony of God’s Word Continue Reading…

Making Evil Concrete

October 4, 2011 in Commentary with 0 Comments

Babies are cute. Evil isn't.

How would you define the word “evil”?  What does it look like to you?  In our culture, many people like to throw the word around in jest.  They may tell their close friend, “you are sooo evil” as they laugh.  Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movie is also a big joke.

In our generation, there can be this ethereal or even unreal sense of what that word really means.  Some may hear the word “evil” or “devil” and their minds automatically go to the red suited little guy with horns and a pitchfork.

When we are used to “evil” being a joke, we are more than likely not going to take the threat of it seriously in our own lives.

We will keep thinking that it is “out there somewhere” rather than near us, and even plotting our demise.   Continue Reading…

Thai Food “Without Thinking”

October 3, 2011 in Thailand with 4 Comments

Real Thai Food: "Pad Khrapaow Kai" Straight From the Street Stand

Many people who think Thai food think about the famous Thai noodles, “Phad Thai.”  They may think that Phad Thai is the national dish of Thailand, but if you judge by what is actually eaten from the street stands, it’s not.

I have been told by my friends that the one food everyone orders, myself included…without having to think about it, is Phad Khrapaow or Stir Fried Thai Basil.

It usually comes in Chicken or Pork, with or without a fried egg on top, and always over plain white rice.

Thai people call Phad Khrapaow the “food without having to think” or something like “อาหารไม่ได้คิด”.  You can order it at just about any road side stand that has a wok. Continue Reading…

20 Great Quotes on Taking Risks

October 2, 2011 in Development with 0 Comments

Risk

I see two extremes to avoid when it comes to the issue of taking risks.

 

 

 

  • Being a person who takes risks just for the sake of taking risks.  They don’t think about the negative consequences.
  • Being a person who watches life pass them by because they’ve become paralyzed at the face of risk.  They don’t think enough about the potential reward.
Both are potentially dangerous don’t you think?
What are some areas in your life where you are needing to face the challenge?
Wherever you may be today, here are some great quotes to inspire you in your journey:
Here are my Top 20 Quotes on Taking Risks:
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