Sunny and Winnie

Wow. I was so excited to hear about these girls! It's just another incredible reminder that the Gospel knows NO boundaries, NO limitations and has NO restrictions. Christ is not a respecter of persons and will go after all the nations. He uses unlimited means to reach people, including our very own Next conference! Who wants to go with me to China tomorrow? :)

Testimony from a new Chinese believer (from mainland China) at the NEXT conference:

After hearing about the return of Jesus for perhaps the first time in her life, she (Sunny) was praising and thanking God for opening her eyes to the hope of the future, forsaving her and giving her such a "glorious inheritance". She and her friend from Taiwan, Winnie (who was saved only a few months ago) were so excited about every meeting, and after each session they looked like they were glowing with the truth they had just heard. Winnie was so excited about each next day that she couldn't sleep at night.

Anyway - thinking about your "China " impression and the ripple effect that has come up in our prayers-this is exciting! A short while ago, Sunny's boyfriend, who is still in China, has become a believer through her phone calls to him. She returns there in two months time to face her family. They had said, "Whatever you do in America, DON'T become a Christian," before she left! We should continue to pray for her and expect God to do wonders.

"i have been blind"

so, i know i haven't posted much lately. i have been busy. ::grin:: but. i just had to get you to read this post by Ali on her blog about her African Adventures...i have never met her but Carolyn McCulley linked to her blog a while ago and i've been hooked ever since. this girl is simply amazing. i want to be like her when i grow up.

Thursday, February 5. 2009
i have been blind

To “The Poor” : An apology, for I have been blind.

I have always come to you with my heart full of your suffering. I came with my guilt, all so carefully amassed over the years as I sat at my table and despised the abundance in front of me, knowing that you were going hungry. The eyes of your children, liquid black windows to souls I thought were haunted, haunted my dreams when I saw them from my sleep.

I thought it was right to come with my arms full of things, shirts and stickers and little plastic cups with handles. When I saw your need from across the ocean, my soul was stirred to bring you something to fill the void in your lives. I brought shoes to cover feet accustomed to feeling the warmth of the earth beneath their soles, cartoon character band-aids to cover wounds as deep as time.

I have always seen myself through what I thought were your eyes. I was a ministering angel, there to bless the masses, and your faces and stories swirled and mixed in my mind as I moved among you, touching and greeting and unseeing. If you asked me now to share your stories, I wouldn’t meet your eyes as I searched to call out your names.

Read the rest here.

Let me off…

Let me off
Of this merry-go-round -
This ride of choice,
This ride of force.
It rarely stops,
Gaining speed instead,
And challenges all
To keep up with
Its incessant,
Ceaseless
Unremitting
Relentless
Speed towards…what?
Towards more
Of what does not satisfy.
More of this
And more of that.
Leaving each
Fully
Unsatisfied.

Let me off
So that I may do
What I was called.
Let me off
And I will walk instead.
Let me off
And I can help,
Lend a hand
Or feed the hungry.
Let me off
And I can learn
To speak with those
Who cannot hear.
Let me off
And I will take the time
To listen to the mother
Who feels her only option
Is to murder
The child that she created.

Let me off
And I will give
Living Water
To those with parched
And thirsty souls.
Let me off…

Shi Hua

Pathetic...

it is 12:30pm and i am hungry. i am hungry because i wanted to fast and pray for the persecuted church today. it has only been a few short hours since i've eaten, really, and i am so distracted. i thought i would remind myself of what i've heard their life is like vs. mine.

...they endure mocking for their faith. i work at a church.
...they endure beatings for their faith. i never do.
...they worship in secret. i worship with hundreds of other believers.
...they live every day as if it could be their last. i live every day fighting worry over what my future holds.
...they go hungry in prison. i eat whenever i want.
...they are sent to prison for speaking the name of Jesus. i sometimes feel embarrassed about praying in public before i eat.

oh, that i would have their perspective! God, make me more like them - they truly look like Your Son. stop my tongue from complaining over trivial matters. give me endurance to run the race. and God, please give them courage, faith, assurance of Your love, peace and joy in the midst of their trials. help them to endure the unimaginable to which You have called them. but free them from prisons, save their captors, build up Your church! i look forward to That Day when all the waiting armies in heaven are given the word to go forth and fight the enemy. hasten the day, Lord!!

for all of you who are wearing your "pray for china" bracelets, i was at disney a few weeks ago and a young girl from china was working at one of the rides where i asked a question. she saw my bracelet, read the chinese writings and asked me what that was for. when i explained it to her, she thanked me. she thanked me!

okay, back to work...i'm not so hungry anymore...

08-08-08, Part 2

ONE WORLD. ONE DREAM. The theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I just finished watching last night's opening ceremony which cost $300 million – 10% more than the opening ceremony in Atlanta. I found this horribly sad when most of the 1.3 billion Chinese barely eke out a survival on $2 a day. That amount could have supported 86% of the population for a day...or supported almost 2 million people for a year. That's pretty staggering!

All that is to say, the ceremony was incredible. I watched most of it with my jaw hanging. The precision, timing, sheer numbers of cast...it amazed me and fascinated me. There were no markings on the stage/floor. Each member knew exactly where to go and when during their performance - each one lasting probably 8-10 minutes. Great attention was given to minute details. The part of me that loves performing wanted to know all the little details - backstage and front. :o) And every single performer seemed to have their own in-ears! I don't even want to think about that. Makes me sick. :o) So, here are a few stats, along with a brief overview, that I picked up during the evening:

2008 drummers opened the show pounding away perfectly synchronized ancient drums. The drums lit up forming gigantic numbers to countdown to the beginning of the ceremony – in both Chinese characters and Roman numerals. How many countless hours were they required to work each day to reach this amazing performance???

Throughout the ceremony, there were different "scenes" portraying both Chinese history and modern culture. There were many forms of "opposites" displayed, popular in Chinese art such as light and dark, loud and soft, etc.

The first scene, a giant scroll was rolled back over one of the world's largest LED screens while dancers performed with modern expression one of the most ancient style of painting: using their bodies as brushes. The canvas was massive and at the end of the scene was lifted off the ground and suspended from the air. It would later be used during the Parade of the Nations...

One of the most amazing scenes that totally blew my mind was a literal sea of boxes that moved up and down in the floor to create wind (Confucius said the virtuous leader can pass across his subjects with the ease of the wind). Up and down the boxes moved giving the idea of water drops on a pond, creating the symbol for "harmony" and other amazing movements. At the end, a Chinese man popped out of each box - no machines, no computers! You would have to see it to believe it...although I did and I still don't. It's ridiculous how incredible that was...

Aside from the massive amounts of seating (91,000 people), the gi-normous LED screen on the floor of the stadium, there was a scrim that ran the length of the "Bird's Nest." It was a quarter of a mile in length and throughout the evening, images were displayed all around the rim of the stadium on these screens - like massive movie theatres! The Bird's Nest took 50 some months to build. I wonder what all the people who are now out of a job are doing? Now that the Olympic Kingdom is built...but I digress...

Moving into the modern scene, Lang Lang a 26 year old pop-pianist was accompanied by Li Musi a 7 year old who had been playing for a year. Surrounding the two at the white grand were another 2008 performers dressed in neon green. About seven days earlier, the director of the ceremony did not like their costumes which were, at the time, black. He ordered new costumes... a week before the show for 2008 performers!...and three days later they were ready.

The Chinese invented the kite (Beijing means City of Kites) and in one of the next scenes, 9 year old Xiu Chiao Yung flew high above the crowd's head. She was beautiful.

Next, 2008 new performers (none of the 15,000 performers were EVER repeats - imagine directing and rehearsing, costuming and communicating...wow!) surrounded a group of school children to contrast the current global warming and the effects and burden it will have on the next generation. 2008 men doing Tai Chi with exact precision, running in rows backwards and forwards...the choreography was ridiculously incredible.

One of the most amazing, and one that made me cry, was when the Chinese "astronauts" began floating in the air as a globe emerge from the floor. All around the globe were dancers who began to run, walking, leap, flip...but sideways, and upside down! Eight months of training were needed for them to be able to do this! Atop the globe was a pop singer in China and Sarah Brightman - they sang "You and Me." During the song, thousands more performers surrounded the globe and all at once lifted umbrellas with a picture of a different child's face on each one - so precious (that's the part that I cried at - I know, I know. :o)...

On to the Parade of Nations...I think this is a fascinating portion and I watched almost all of the nations march through. Part of me just couldn't help wondering if I would stand beside them before the Throne, along with every tribe and tongue. Some of the nations have one athlete and some have upwards of 400 athletes. Watching Cuba walk was very interesting...

Eighty-seven of the 204 nations participating have never had a medal winner of ANY kind. Can you imagine? Some of these poor, small countries (whose population was not even as great as the number of people gathered in the STADIUM) continue to participate year after year...I know my mom wants to give everyone a medal, right? :o)

Finally, the torch. One of the Chinese medal-winners (the last of eight torch-bearers) was hoisted into the air and "ran" the length of the scrim! Pretty unbelievable. When he reached the starting point, he lit the torch. Ridiculously amazing fireworks went off and it was altogether an incredible torch-lighting. Yes, it was really good.

Off to an amazing start...now I just have to catch up on the games. Still, my heart breaks for this people as we are all watching the clash of politics and pride and their intense efforts to gain the approval and place of leadership with the rest of the world. To what cost? Time will tell...for now, we are praying!

(photo courtesy of The Official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.)

08-08-08

Tonight it begins. The 2008 Olympics begin in Beijing, China. The eye of the world is upon this nation and will be watching it closely...carefully. And China knows this. For quite some time they have been preparing - and not just their athletes. They have been whitewashing, cleaning and constructing all for the sake of impressing the world (Matthew 23:25-28). But in the midst of this, our Christian brothers and sisters have suffered and most likely will continue as China seeks to shut down many churches, their leaders and members.

And so it is our privilege to intercede for them. I encourage you to watch the Olympics with a prayerful heart. Pray that the real triumph for China is not their coveted gold medals to display in a glass case but SOULS SAVED! What a privilege it will be to stand in heaven alongside the individuals we pray for! Individuals who may be beaten for their faith, taunted for their beliefs and killed for the One they serve. On that day I want to thank each one!!!

Matthew 5:43: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matthew 5:10-12: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

If you haven't seen this already, you can order a very inexpensive reminder here.