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Still sobering

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Tuesday was our worldwide day of prayer. It was a good time to reflect on the tumultous preceeding week. The Virginia Tech tragedy. Deaths of 3 Christians in Turkey who were involved in ministry there. The arrest of 44 Christian workers in Indonesia. These are people with names, faces, wives, children, mothers, fathers.

Towards the end of our time together, Al Denson led us in the Matt Redman song…

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

A staff friend in front of us had a hard time. They lost a baby a few months ago. But she stood there praising God singing, “Blessed be your name.” Redman’s song goes on…

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Then today, I read the following on John Piper’s Desiring God site. Wow.

Karen Watson was a Southern Baptist missionary to Iraq killed by unknown assailants March 15, 2004. Karen left behind in an envelope that said “Open in case of death.”

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger,

You should only be opening this in the event of death.

When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward . . .

The missionary heart:

* Cares more than some think is wise
* Risks more that some think is safe
* Dreams more than some think is practical
* Expects more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience. . . .

There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you two and my church family.

In His care,
Salaam, Karen

I can’t get the phrase “I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him” out of my mind. It resonates in my soul.

We can rest “in His care”. We can sign our lives, as Karen did, with “Salaam”. Peace. God’s supernatural peace.

Sobering week

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Today was kick-back-and-relax day. A week of conferences is over. We depart Thailand about midnight tonight. I spent time reading, including reading and watching some of the Virginia Tech stories.

Campus Crusade for Christ has a website relaying up-to-date information of what is happening at Virginia Tech through the Campus Crusade movement there. It is interesting to hear how students are responding.

My friend Shannon documents two amazing stories. You must watch these news clips from ABC and Fox. Their stories are amazing, but it’s even more interesting to watch the TV news commentators trying to grasp the spiritual solutions these two people are displaying. In the first one, Molly Donohue, the first to find the bodies, talks about the role her Bible study group is playing in her recovery. In the second one, Lauren McCain’s father talks about the importance of forgiveness.

There are also sobering news clips of interviews with Molly, a VT Crusade student who was the first to find the dead bodies on her dorm floor. In all, four Crusade students have died. Please pray for the VT students and for the Crusade staff as they minister during a time when they too are reeling from shock and sadness themselves. There are excellent articles that you might find helpful in ministering to your friends who are shocked and confused by the tragedy.

These are must-view clips.

We also received word this week that 3 Christians were found in eastern Turkey with their throats slit. The worked in a Christian publishing house.

At our MinistryNet conference, we were asked to pray for a large number of Christians in a Southeast Asia country who have been arrested for “defamation of Islam”.

I am excited to see our internet ministries learning to take advantage of opportunities that God gives us to interact with hurting, seeking people. At our conference this week, someone shared that crises are God’s opportunities to help people come to know him. During crises, people often realize that their worldview does not work very well. They become open to seeking how to make sense of the crisis, and it often leads them to God.

A little water on the floor

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Two days ago, we got an email from daughter Jennifer who is staying in our house. Even before opening her email, the subject didn’t look good. Can you call? Hummpph. I wonder what’s up? The first line didn’t help me feel better. hey dad and mom! I woke up this morning to the downstairs bathroom toilet flooding.

This is definitely not how I envision starting a new day in Thailand! Have you ever tried to fix a plumbing problem from 10,000 miles away? I’m pretty new at this kind of home repair.

So we called and learned that we had 2 inches of water in the bathroom and a soggy carpet in the living room and bedroom. Well, not all of it was soggy, just 2 feet or so around the door, and under the wall into the next room, and into the bedroom… You get the picture. Not terrible. But not good either!

Jennifer had turned off the water to the toilet and begun using towels and fans. I asked our next-door neighbor Scott to take a look. Also, my friend and colleague Doug came by to see what he could do to help. Everyone agreed that we could probably avoid hiring a professional. So Jennifer has fans going, the air conditioner on 68 or so to keep it dehumidifying the house, and we’re monitoring it for mold or any other problems. We’ve called Jennifer daily to keep updated. It seems to be drying.

This is a first – dealing with a soggy carpet from 13 timezones away. I hope it is also a last!

MinistryNet is over

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MinistryNet participants100 participants. 26 countries. 5 continents. Together our internet ministries are seeing hundreds of thousands come to know Christ every year.

You’ll find it hard to locate Kay and me. We’re at the “way back” as our kids used to say.

Conference participants gave tremendous comments, like:

It’s been an eye-opening experience for me to attend this conference. I came not knowing what to expect but I’m learning with a greater awareness of what I can be doing in the internet. I am so excited that God has raised up so many talented, gifted, and passionate people like you guys to do something so ‘out-of-the-box’ creatively and courageously. Thank you for setting an example for us! I’m blessed by you guys!

I arrived feeling like a fraud because I am so technically challenged; but am leaving empowered. Thank you so very much!

You can read more on the MinistryNet:Bangkok 2007 website.