Jesus for President

I've been praying lots for this upcoming election. From reading previous blogs, you might think my requests have been: "O God, please smite Obama!" or "Let Sarah win!"

But I've not prayed that way. Months ago, the Lord put a very specific petition on my heart for the political process. My prayer has been: "Lord, let Your truth be revealed. Uncover deception and evil schemes. Let Your will prevail."

Being a bit of a conspiracy-theorist (notice the book on my reading list?), I was excited about this petition. What intriques would God uncover? What lies would He expose in the light of His truth? What motives of the heart would be laid bare?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes prayers have a boomerang effect? That they come back and smack you up the side of the head? Well, that's exactly what happened with my lofty pleas. The Spirit began digging up the dirt in my own heart!

Some of the files of my soul have yet to be "declassified," but I can reveal one alarming truth: I was born in the USA and am a citizen of the kingdom of God--but I've been living in Laodicea.

"I know your works," Jesus pointed out to me recently. "They are neither hot nor cold . . . and to be honest, your lukewarmness makes Me sick to My stomach."

Yeah, I'd felt kind of queasy lately, too . . .

"And you've become complacent and self-satisfied, drinking your $4 lattes and watching endless reality shows on your cable TV. You have no idea that you are really wretched, miserable, naked and blind. And did I mention spiritually bankrupt?"

"But Lord," I lamented. "I'm praying for our country and for the elections. What does the backslidden state of my heart have to do with such things?"

"I am coming back quickly for My Bride," He answered. "And she's not Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. And she will be ready--without spot or blemish when I arrive for the wedding. But she needs a little help with her preparations. My church is covered with the grime of Laodicea. And as much as she'd prefer a weekend at the Day Spa to get ready for her big day, it's going to take My refining fire to clean up the mess."

Ouch. Got it, Lord.

So, I've already voted, but it's beginning to dawn on me that maybe my character is more important to Jesus than my comfort. Maybe He's about to shake things up a little, to knock His Bride out of her Lazyboy and onto her knees. And He's been known to use the government to do His bidding.

I am not a big fan of suffering. But I'm sick of the dull beating of my lukewarm heart and I know that His refining fire is the only thing that will purge Laodicea from me--from us. With the election only a week away, my prayer has changed yet again:

"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Have Your way with Your people!"

Doers of the Word

My children inspire me. They are living lives of radical obedience, following hard after God, seeking the Truth. Their passion for Jesus--and compassion for His people--both blesses me . . . and puts me to shame.

Danielle and Krispin, little newlyweds that they are, just moved into an apartment complex filled with African refugees. Danielle has been building a relationship with one particular family for the past 4 years and felt that Jesus called her and Krispin to take their ministry a step farther--to actually become part of the Somali community. They were willing to sacrifice their beloved cat(but they got to keep Huckleberry after all) and their peaceful, newly-married bubble to become immersed in Somalian culture. You can read about their adventures in their new blog:
www.krispindanielle.wordpress.com
They are both amazing writers--I'm addicted to their blog!

And then there's Lindsay, who lives in the heart of the Hawthorne District and manages to "shine like a star in the universe, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, holding fast to the Word of Life." (That is from Philippians chapter 4 and is boldly tatooed on Lindsay's back!) She has a heart for Africa, the poor, the outcasts and is a diligent seeker of the Truth. She has not compromised her values or wavered in her faith during her many years in the secular music industry. In the darkest of places, Lindsay shines.

And Candyce--what to say about my globe-trotting child? Her gifts of faith and boldness take my breath away. She hears and obeys the the Lord, loves deeply, is quick to repent and quicker yet to forgive. I asked her friend, Stephen from Sudan, what drew him to Candyce and he said: "She is simple. She doesn't hold back, but embraces all people." He explained that many who come to Sudan draw back from the locals once they were done "ministering." They'd wash their hands after praying for folks. But Candyce entered into the experience with her whole being. And being present, the Lord's presence was with her. How cool is that?

Now my girls aren't perfect, but this is my blog and I can brag about them if I want to! But I hope they inspire you--as they do me--to take action.

Pics from New England

Unless the Lord Builds the House . . .

I've been praying a lot for our country lately. There is so much that ails America right now--from the economy to the political process--that it is easy to get discouraged.

But I read a quote by Ben Franklin that greatly encouraged me today. His words will definitely shape the way I pray for the US:

"The longer I live, the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the sacred writings that "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain." I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His aid, we shall proceed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

Lord, come build this house we call America! Lay her foundations with Your truth and justice! Raise up Jesus as our Cornerstone. Let those who govern this country lead us on their knees . . .

Pray for India!

This is a request for prayer for YWAM missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. The request came Mable Hurst, an associate of HCJB Global. Please read and make this a matter of urgent prayer.

Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off thecontinuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work.But none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage.... And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....

Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assai lants in Central Orissa last weekend.Immediately the Christians were blamed.. The cry rose up...'Kill the Christians!'And the horror began....

In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reasonthan they bear the name of Christ. Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right in the middle of all this chaos.In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff anddestroy the home. They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc.They have promised to come back and 'finish the job.'

Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doorsand windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the Lord in prayer.More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to ourdream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes orany personal belonging. As they fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace.

In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this area.So they left.. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore. All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside andpolice outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others we re not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholicorphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest anda computer teacher in house and burned them to death. Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left on theroad.... even women and children.

At another orphanage run by another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said: 'We stay with our kids.... we live together or die together, but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.' More than 5000Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They havefled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.This will continue for another 10 days.... supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest.

Many more Chr istian s will die and their houses destroyed. Many more churches will be smashed down. The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of Godcan calm this storm.

None of us know the meaning of persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at what ishappening around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during thesetrying times.

Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its children. Orissa will be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we cantake these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region.It is a long term goal, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great Com missio n.

What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer. Second, pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can. We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fightingthe devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa.Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us to get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations....Prayer works!

Live Free or Die!

I've been obsessed with the state motto of New Hampshire: Live Free or Die! Not sure why--I looked up it's origins and came up with this:

The motto derives from a toast offered in 1809 by a Revolutionary War general named John Stark, at a reunion of the soldiers he had commanded at the Battle of Bennington. "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils," Stark said.

Plucky state, New Hampshire! So far, I've purchased a t-shirt, magnet, mug and key chain which sport the famous motto. I think it's way cooler than Oregon's state motto: "She flies with her own wings." Who is "she" for Pete's sake? A duck? Or a beaver? You tell me . . .

Greg thinks "Keep Portland Weird" should be our state motto. It fits better.

Seriously, we've had a blast in New England. The people are friendlier than I'd supposed and the fall colors have exceeded my expectations. The weather couldn't have been more perfect--I've worn shorts nearly every day. We are going to Boston tomorrow, to walk the Freedom Trail and celebrate our last day on the East Coast.

More pics and adventures to come . . .

I'm all set!

So, we are wonderfully tucked away in a 100+ year-old farmhouse with good friends in Hookset, NH. Having a wonderful time! Yesterday, Bruce took us to the Flume at Frankonia Notch in New Hampshire. We took a Tram to the top of a mountain and could see as far as Canada--it was wild!

Today we drove to Vermont and took in Quechee Gorge and the little hamlet of Woodstock. We hiked down to the river at the Gorge and were greeted by a very naked, very old man at the end of our hike. At first I thought he was just wearing extremely wrinkled, skin-colored swim trunks, but noooooooo . . . he was flashing more than a grin. Not something you see every day. Or want to . . .

I've learned some of the local vernacular. If someone asks you, "Would you like something to drink?" and you aren't particularly thirsty, you don't say, "No, thanks!" or "I'm good to go!" You say, "I'm all set!" So, I'm going to work that into my vocabulary from now on.

Tomorrow we visit Portland, Maine. It will be weird thinking that my real life is a continent away, in Portland, OR. But I'm really glad to be here now.

I'm all set!

cut me some slack, jack!

So, the climb was cancelled due to bad weather. Wouldn't you know it? The only time in my life I've actually trained for an event, it gets rained out! I've been wandering around since yesterday in kind of a daze, not sure what to do with myself.
(I did repaint a wall in our living room yesterday, transforming the tangerine wall into a softer shade of pumpkin souffle. But that's another story . . .)

I actually enjoyed the training process thoroughly. I'd gotten really lazy on my walks, always taking the shortest, easiest route when I took Scout on her daily outing. But with Three-Fingered Jack looming in my near future, I hustled up hills, sprinted a gazillion flights of stairs and conquered two mountains (Hamilton and Dog Mountain) that I never thought I had the stamina (or knees) to climb.

I even made poor Stephen run steps with me this past week. I can't imagine what a sight we were: a tall, young Sudanese man, a short, middle-aged white woman, and a spazzy little dog charging up and down the 116 cement steps that connect the neighborhood to the grade school. We did this six times before I announced our training was done for the day and we forced our wobbly legs to stagger home.

I'm sure Stephen thought I was completely crazy after that little workout, but he never let on. He just politely avoided me for the rest of the day . . .

But seriously, I loved having a reason to push myself. Inertia is my normal state of being, but the challenge of Jack energized me and kept me moving. I set weekly goals and accomplished them and constantly surprised myself at what I could do. All of a sudden, 52 didn't feel quite so old and decrepit. I started wondering what other adventures awaited me on this "downhill" side of life!

So, I'm bummed that we didn't get to climb the mountain, but I'm kind of tickled at what I was able to accomplish along the way. And Jack's not going any where--guess I'll just have to keep training until next spring!

Stephen's story

Stephen and friend at the zoo

It has been such a privilege to have Stephen in our home, although it seems strange that Candyce isn't here. Stephen has been to the Portland zoo, the Hawthorne district, Multnomah Bible College, Multnomah Falls--and even downtown Boring!

He's kind of quiet, with a gentle sense of humor, and seems at ease with us. We've spoken of many things--the difference between the church in Africa and the church in the US; the things God has taught him on this trip; how he came to be a follower of Christ. He says in Sudan, anyone born into a Christian family is considered "Christian," but not necessarily a believer (Stephen's father, for instance, considered himself a Christian but not a believer).

He is fluent in two languages--his native tongue and arabic. He's got a pretty good handle on English, too. He shared his testimony with a small group of interested folks last night, and it was quite moving. Here are the highlights:

Stephen grew up in south Sudan and spent a good part of his early years fleeing from the "rebels" who raided his village on a regular basis, shooting and raping and bombing and burning everything in their path. He said his family would hide in the jungle for days at a time until they felt it was safe to go home. Many of Stephen's friends and family were killed during these raids.

When Stephen was 16, his dad decided to move the family to Khartoum. It was safer there. Stephen's dad joined the military while the rest of the family found lodging with an uncle in Khartoum. When Stephen was just 18, his father was shot and killed. Not by rebels or in battle--but by a neighbor who wanted the family's goat!

Stephen was not a believer then and vowed to avenge his father's murder by killing the neighbor. He started going to church in Khartoum around this time but was so filled with bitterness, he knew he couldn't truly follow Jesus. But God kept working on his heart and Stephen was finally able to forgive the man who shot his father. He became a follower of Christ and has been used by God as a peacemaker ever since. Today, his main ministry with YWAM is a ministry of reconciliation.

We are taking Stephen to the YWAM base in Salem today, where he'll hang out until Candyce returns. We look forward to him returning to our home.

Oh, by the way, we decided not to attempt the 3 Fingered Jack climb this weekend because of windy, rainy weather. All that training and no place to climb . . .


Stephen and Scout at Multnomah Falls. Stephen really doesn't care for dogs, but he posed gamely for this photo. Scout's not sure what she thinks of Stephen, either.