My Wait, His Worth

December 2009: God called me to Asia
September 2010: Left for Cambodia
September 2011: Came back from Cambodia to Canada
December 2011: A boy asked me out
January 2012: I said yes
March 2012: Applied to join Power to Change reaching international students in Canada
August 2012: Boy leaves for East Asia; I start ministry

January 2013:
Today I sit in bed, not in Asia, but in Canada. And the possibility of fulfilling the burden He placed on my heart not near in sight. Far from where I thought He would place me in by now. Yet, so much closer to where He wants my heart to be. You see, this is an epic journey. And it's not done. That night that God called me to Asia, it was like He took my self-written plans from my hands, lifted it up to the sky and as I gazed to see my page full of plans and thoughts, it was absolutely blank. Now, I see that if He had revealed to me what His plans were, I would have turned the other way and bolted.  It has been 3 years of uncertainty, heartache, heartbreak, depression and loneliness since God called me to Asia for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Joseph must have sat in bed one night too - if you might call it a bed. Perhaps a simple mat in a prison cell, where he was thrown in and accused of a crime he did not commit. Not as a leader with great respect, as his dreams as a boy suggested. Far from where he thought God would place him by now. An epic journey that wasn't done. It would be 13 years of betrayal from his brothers, sullying of reputation and being forgotten in jail before Joseph would see God fulfil his dream.

David must have sat in bed one night too - if you might call it a bed. Perhaps a patch of ground with rocks for pillows in a cave, hidden from the sight of men who sought his life. Not as king and ruler over Isreal, as Samuel had been so convinced with even in anointing him king. It would be 25 years of fierce battling, scrounging in the wilderness and spiritual torment before David would be crowned king.

Jesus must have sat in bed one night too - if you might call it a bed. Perhaps a trough full or hay, or some would call it a manger. Not as one enthroned and glorified over all the universe, but as a humble babe. It would be 33 years of (literally) growing pains, impoverished and nomadic living and, finally, brutal and inhumane death on a cross before it would be finished and Jesus would reclaim the Throne.

 

My Father, I trust You. This cost and cross I bear is nothing like Joseph's, David's and certainly not Jesus', yet I feel the weight of spiritual battle each day. I know it is worth it, Lord. But it is painful. Lord, it is painful to taste love for a moment only to have to let go. It is painful to wait and watch others. It is painful to labor alone in ministry. But I know it is worth it, Lord. I know You are worth it.

The Mystery Unfolds...

Day after day we muddle through life. Especially in the develop world, our comforts become constraints which lock us into mind-numbing and soul-paralyzing rituals. From bed to bath, to work to workout, from dinner to dashing. In the mundane, in the routine, what are we doing it all for? What does it account for in the end?


This week, God is allowing my eyes to be open to how the little pieces of our lives overlap, undertone and synthesize to point to and declare an undeniable mantra. It's like entering the lair of a genius mastermind where snipets of articles, seemingly random photographs, bits of material, cut-outs of maps, circles drawn, words underlined are strewn in chaotic disarray. Often, our lives are a picture of coincidences and unlinked events, only to attain stability from routines and familiarity. Yet, we know there must be a purpose, we yearn for answers and yet as we micro-analyze and rethink the pattern, we come up with nothing. This mastermind must probably be of higher and greater intent and intellect, or a stark, raving madman.


I recently watched Megamind and there was a certain scene where the reporter lady person was attempting to decipher Megamind's evil plan which was drafted out on papers, articles and randoms bits hung from strings from the ceiling. Then, there comes a moment, a special moment at a special angle, where everything aligns and she sees it for what it is. 'TITAN' is spelled out. Megamind's mega evil plan is revealed! or at least a glimpse, a portion of its great genius.


That's what I saw today. That glimpse of beauty, pure mastery and perfection in each highlight and lowlight. I've had the chance to listen to people's stories and immense challenges. The trials and rude awakenings of marriage, the utter rejection and despair of sexual abuse, the hurt and hardship of running away from home as a kid, yet the joys and journey of trusting God for small blessings. From stories of complete redemption and reconciliation to stories that are still being written. Wow, no one story is the same. Yet, one thing makes it all beautiful - Jesus.

Jesus is God who became man to enter into our messy lives. God didn't just mastermind the chaos and leave us to figure out His plan. Jesus is the mastermind who enters the brokenness of turmoil of our outward routines or our inward insecurities and beckons us to open our spiritual eyes to see how everything aligns and we see our lives for what it is. 'CROSS' is spelled out. God's compassionate plan is revealed! More than just a glimpse but the completeness of His great redemption plan.

What is this cross, you talk about? And what does it mean to my life?? Stay tuned as the mystery unfolds...

I Will Find You

Gospel Unleashed

In the 1950s, David Bentley-Taylor was kicked out of China as authorities started to clamp down on Christians in the country. He moved to East Java with a passion for continuing to preach the gospel to the Chinese diaspora in Indonesia. There, he taught Hebrew and Greek to the Chinese Indonesians in Chinese. And with a thick Liverpool accent, he would always remind his local bible students: "Never be satisfied with just reaching the Chinese with the gospel but share it with the native Javanese as well!" So for those 11 years in Java, David Bentley-Taylor also established 8 Javanese churches. However, it was the Madurese of Java that really captivated the heart of Bentley-Taylor. The Madurese were radical Muslims and one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. For years, Bentley-Taylor and many others after would share the gospel. A generous estimate of the number of Christians prior to 2003 would have been close to nothing. 


In 2003, Richard Konieczny meets and hears about Madurese in Java who were affected badly by some floods. The Christian community in that area gathers together to help and care for those affected. Surprised and unnerved, they ask why they are willing to care and love. The Christians answer: "because the love of Jesus compels us". 3 years later, 18 Madurese are baptized. 


Richard arrives back in Canada who relays the message excitedly to Michael, David Bentley-Taylor's son. Michael meets his father at Christmas that year in England. 94, blind and bed-ridden, yet daily praying for the Madurese and never knowing or seeing anyone come to Christ. Months later, David Bentley-Taylor passes away with peace in his heart and an unquenched passion for the gospel.


What then is the gospel that transforms the lives of mere men? 

The gospel is good news to those who hear and receive. It is news that our sin, brokenness and despair no longer have a hold on us because Jesus, God on earth, has taken it's sting. He has broken the curse. And through His death we can have life. 

How then should we live?

Now what...

It's been about 5 months since I've been back from Cambodia. The glory and grime of re-adjustment back to Toronto has been interesting. Life's been crazy/amazing. God's been crazy/amazing to me. Coming back wasn't the end of a great experience but the beginning of an even better experience with God! 


This is the story of life beyond "the experience" in more ways than one. Beyond the experience of Cambodia. Beyond the mere experiences and brushes with God through fleeting emotional highs and lows. Beyond just the experience of the superficial. Let's get beyond the experience and see what happens when the unwavering truth and knowledge of a living God collides with the chaos and confusion of a crazy world.