Afraid of crickets or afraid of SIN...

Last night I was down in the living room innocently folding clothes when I heard a piercing scream from upstairs. "Oh no! Get it away from me! Yuck, nasty! Melody come quick....help!" followed by more shrieks. You'd have thought my roommate was being attacked by tarantula's or something...

The reason for the screams was actually quite small though. It was a poor little frightened cricket that was racing around the bathroom counter trying to find a hiding place. (I'm sure he was half scared out of his mind by the shrieking giant that huddled as far away as she could get!)

As I went to catch him she shrieked some more. "Nasty! Don't touch him....kill him! Smash him, get rid of him!" She was definitely out for extermination...SHE just didn't want to do the job!

But why kill an innocent little cricket. He wasn't meaning to do anyone harm was he? He was just trying to eat spiders and kill flies and find a nice warm home. No, I didn't want to kill him. Against more shrieks and protests, I picked him up and gently carried him outside where I set him free.

Then I washed my hands and went back to folding laundry as I mused... "I guess every now and then it pays to be a country girl! At least I can handle the crickets...."

As I was thinking about it all though...I started thinking about our walk with God and how carefully we should guard our sacred relationship with him. What if we had the same reaction to "compromise" and "sin" as my roommate had to that cricket. What if our reaction was immediately to run away and cry out to God for help.... "Quick quick....help me, God! Get it away for me! I don't want to even touch it. Please....get it out of here!" Wouldn't our lives be so much more victorious and filled with God's glory and grace???

But no....most of the time, we deal with "sin" so casually, it's as if we're with neighbors that have only a few weird quirks. "Oh, watching this movie may not be the best...but it's not really a big deal. God knows my heart and that I would never live like the actors on the screen." Or, "My friends are kinda crude and don't really care about God, but I need to hang out with them so I can help when they want to know more."

Or...we ponder over "sin" as if studying a microscopic specimen in biology lab. "Let me see here....well...it looks like it has rods....but maybe those are cones??? Hmmm.....I'm not sure what to think. Maybe I should have a closer look, or maybe I should invite some others to look as well..."

Our senses have been numbed by our habits and the world of sin in which we live...and nothing is outrageous, scary, or startling anymore. We not only spend time contemplating "sin"...we often stop and take some time to "converse" with it...when in reality...we should be racing away shrieking, "God help me....get it away from me! Exterminate it!!!! Ooooh, yuck....I don't even want to touch it. Help!"

Satan, and all his subtle schemes, are nothing short of a roaring lion (in disguise) just waiting to destroy us. We can't talk to him, we can't reason with him, we can't play around with him...we must RUN!!!!!!!!!!! No compromise....no conversation!! Period, STOP!!!!

"Flee youthful lusts..." II Tim 2:22

"Flee from fornication, flee from idolatry." I Cor 6:18 & I Cor 10:14

"Closed ears to the Word of the Lord and godliness, pride, envy, strife, evil surmising, perverse disputings, listening to those destitute of truth, allying yourself with those that only care about riches and gain and the love of money - which has pierced them through with many sorrows - from such oh man of God, turn away. FLEE these things..." Paraphrase of I Tim 6:3-11

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"Deliver me oh Lord from my enemies. I flee unto you to hide me." Ps 143:9

As I think of all these sobering thoughts, triggered by a little cricket, I'm reminded...that it doesn't matter the SIZE of the "compromise" or "sin" in our life. If it is there, it is dangerous and it will eventually KILL us if we don't run away. It may be no bigger than that cricket in our minds eye...but we should be as afraid of it as if it were a herd of attacking bulls.

Let me share some challenging quotes I read recently:

Through the gospel, souls that are degraded and enslaved by Satan are to be redeemed to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. God's purpose is not merely to deliver from the suffering that is the inevitable result of sin, but to save from sin itself. The soul, corrupted and deformed, is to be purified, transformed, that it may be clothed in "the beauty of the Lord our God," "conformed to the image of his Son." "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. [However]...In order for us to reach this high ideal, that which causes the soul to stumble must be sacrificed.

Men may have excellent gifts, good ability, splendid, qualifications; but one defect, one secret sin indulged, will prove to the character what the worm-eaten plank does to the ship, utter disaster and ruin!

In closing, I encourage you to watch the challenging call...

RUN

And while I don't condone most movies now days, there are a few still worthy of recommendation. "Time-Changer" would be one...as it in a upright and godly way shows us how far we in the modern Christian world have fallen. It's a must see...and very inspirational!!

We may not be scared of crickets, but we must RUN from the world, from compromise, and from sin!

When I see the morning sun light...

...and I breath in fresh air,

I sing praise the Lord, praise the Lord!

When I spend time in God's word, talk to Jesus in prayer!

I sing praise the Lord, praise the Lord!

Good morning Lord I love you, I just wanted you to know!

Here's my heart, my life, my will, myself I give it all to you!

Take my life and use it, guide my feet along the way.

May your words my mind renew, your spirit fill me each day!

Yes, the "Morning Song" is one of my favorite songs to wake up with! And here in Southern California, after almost a week of solid rain, it's such a blessing to have the sunlight again. I got up early and went walking this morning, just as it was rising over the hills, and it was such an uplifting encouraging feeling....I couldn't help bursting into the morning song.

But today, there's more reasons to sing the morning song then just the rising of the sun! Was reading about the "Divine Nature of Christ" and His life on earth uniting divinity with humanity, and what an inspiration it was. I simply must share a few thoughts...

In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to humanity; divinity held its place, but humanity, by being united to divinity, withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness. Christ withstood the temptation, through the power that man may command. He laid hold on the throne of God, and there is not a man or woman who may not have access to the same help through faith in God.

So the question arises...how might we partake of this power...how might we be partakers of this divine nature that can withstand the fiercest storms or temptations??? I've studied this topic out before, but it's always inspiring to read again...

Well, as I started looking up a few verses on the divine nature...that set me off on quite an inspirational Bible verse trail that I hadn't been originally planning to take...but when you follow the spirit's leadings, He often takes us places we wouldn't have known to go. So again, let me share.

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." II Pet 1:3,4

Both verses are powerful...and the second really gives the KEY - filling our mind with the promises in the Word of God. But for the moment, I'm gonna just share about verse 3. I've spent two days alone, just looking at the cross references on this verse (II Pet 1:3) and it's powerful. So here's a few of the best ones:

According as His divine power...

• "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt 28:18
• "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Jn 17:2
• "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." II Cor 12:9
• "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." Eph 1:19

Hath given us ALL things...

• "For the LORD God is a sun and shield. The LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Ps 84:11
• "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely gives us all things." Rom 8:32
• "Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours. And ye are Christ's and Christ's is Gods..." I Cor 3:21,23

That pertain to life and godliness...

• "And this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God..." John 17:3
• "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." I Tim 4:8
• "But godliness with contentment is great gain." I Tim 6:6
• "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." I Tim 3:16
• "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may life." Duet 30:19

Through the Knowledge...

• "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." II Pet 1:2
• "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." II Pet 3:18
• "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." II Cor 4:6

Called to glory and virtue...

• "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish you, strengthen, settle you." I Pet 5:10
• "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." I Pet 2:9
• "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." II Tim 1:9
• "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but to holiness." I Thes 4:7
• "Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies." Prov 31:10
• "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil 4:8

I could go on and on! I'm not even expounding upon meaning of verses, or meaning behind words, or even looking up the Greek and Hebrew (which I love to do) but just looking at cross references. But just reading alone...Wow...such living water and inspiration in the Word of God!

And we haven't even gotten to II Pet 1:4 yet...(smiles) ...maybe next time!!

Some things NEVER CHANGE...

Wow - talk about a powerful sermon - we just heard!! You want some powerful Biblical inspiration and a sobering wake-up call to to evaluate where you are in your walk with God...

Listen to "Some Things Never Change" by Pastor Randy Skeete

This is a MUST HEAR...and MUST HEAR it NOW!!!

Whatever it takes...

Whatever it takes to keep me tender toward you

Whatever it takes Lord, I beg you to do!

Whatever you must lead me thru

Whatever it takes Lord, do....

Whatever you must lead me thru

Whatever it takes Lord

There's too much at stake Lord

Whatever it takes Lord, do!

Memories from the mission field...

Bible Stories in the Village

River Rides...

I can't believe it's been almost 9 years since I spent my adventurous months deep in the jungles of South America. While small in comparison with eternity, these months have dramatically impacted my life!

Looking back I still have many fond memories! Teaching little wild Amerindian children, playing guitar and teaching them songs, hiking through the rain forest, cooking over outdoor fires, beating wild vermin out of my outhouse, washing clothes in the river while listening to monkeys, picking swarms of flying termites out of my cooking (finally gave up, cooked it....turned out the lights and ate!!!), getting lost in the jungle, praying away evil spirits, delivering babies and sewing up spear wounds....and etc etc etc. I just stumbled along this cute list of a friend of mine that recently spent some time in Guyana...and I couldn't help but laugh and be reminded...Yep...I've been a missionary in Guyana....because I understand everything that she says here!

In fact, just for fun, I added a few of my own thoughts as well...see if you can guess which ones!!

You might be (or have been) a missionary somewhere in Guyana if...

…Your definition of running water is: grabbing a bucket, running down to the creek, filling it up, and running back up the hill

…You’ve ever had someone try to barter with you for your sibling while you were in the market place (for the record I refused=)

…You are now qualified to write a cookbook called “101 ways to cook pumpkin”

…You’ve ever been tanning out in the jungle

…You have become an expert at cooking over fires

…Your idea of hitchhiking includes boats instead of cars

…You’ve ever uttered the phrase “ hey, look, there’s white people” (and you’re white yourself)

…You remove your shoes before entering any house without a second thought

…You discover that your favorite music comes from the Howler monkeys across the river

…You’ve ever had the thought cross your mind that it might be cool to get malaria once just so you could say you’ve had it

…You beat the walls of the outhouse before entering, and look down the hole before sitting...you know...just in case there might be something alive inside!

….You can now nonchalantly pick a worm out of the piece of fruit you’re eating and continue eating it

…You've been awakened in the middle of the night to go settle drunken brawls and pray away evil spirits

…You’ve nearly been stoned for preparing a meal one day that did not include rice

…You know the difference between a star apple and star fruit

…You find that a favorite pastime is picking "jiggars" out of your feet

…You are aware that a pineapple plant will only produce one pineapple…ever!

…You no longer care when people hang in your windows watching your every move or constantly asking questions

…You’ve ever turned the room upside down looking for a giant centipede that disappeared under someone’s bed

…Your idea of entertainment includes running to the airstrip to watch the mission plane land and take off

…You love talking on the ham-radio and can't wait to hear the daily news from the village across the valley

…You’ve ever put buckets out to catch the rainwater

…You’ve ever climbed up into the rafters trying to extricate bats in the middle of the night

…You find yourself using words like vexed, jeer, fatigued, and gaff in your everyday vocabulary

…You’ve ever gone to the internet and been disappointed because you didn’t get a single email

…You cry with joy when someone decides to be baptized and accept Christ...After all, that's why you came!!

…You find that when you finally come home...you don't know what to do! Western culture is now the real shock!

What fun!!! Now I bet you ALL want to go be a missionary in Guyana!!!!

Happy New Year 2010!!!!

Thanks to Alden Ho for so many great photos!

What better place to spend New Year than with 6,000 other young people, worshiping and praising our Lord?!

Yes, this year found me again making the annual trip to the Generation of Youth for Christ yearly conference. (This is my 6th out of the 8 years they've been doing it!) And once again, as the opening day began, I found myself behind the long registration tables helping people get details works out. We had a crowd before we even opened the doors, and I knew it would be one long exciting day. As it turned out, I didn't leave my chair for the next 12 hours straight as we registered people...one after another. For that opening night, we had about 3,500 in attendance. (A record for GYC.) By the weekend we had over 6,000 young adults worshiping and praising God together. Wow!!

The theme of this years conference was "unASHAMED" and was based on Rom 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

As the controversy between good and evil increases, even upon that of Christian universities and campuses, we were inspired by the many Biblical Christ-centered messages reminding us to be true and not bow down...except to the one true God. I think the evening messages by David Asscherick were my favorite, as he challenged us boldly to be unAshamed of the Crucified Christ, the Creative Christ, and the Coming Christ! Everything was good, but Wow!!!

On Friday they loaded up 37 school buses to take the kids out into the communities to share Christ. 400 people did not find room on buses, so just walked the streets looking for opportunities to witness. As a result 22,000 doors were knocked on and almost 1,000 people actually requested Bible studies. Some even shared with those that came to their doors that they'd been praying God would send someone to them to share Him. (Isn't God amazing??)

Instead of partying away until midnight on New Year's Eve, after the meetings my friends and I knelt in our motel room to pray in the New Year. (Many others did the same!) What a special time it was...just opening our heart before our Savior! Outside our hotel window, the limousines came and went, and the secular party goers yelled and screamed. In the distance you could hear fire works...but for us, our hearts were aglow with the excitement of starting the New Year with our Lord! What a privilege and honor...

If you too, would like to share in some of the powerful talks, testimonies, sermons and inspiration that we were all blessed with, visit: GYC 2009 Audio

Be Blessed my friends, and Happy New Year, again!!!!