The overlooked moments

Karen was a 15 year old girl who heard the gospel for the first time the week we visited her village in the Andes. And she wanted to learn more, she wanted a copy of God's word that she could share with her friend, so they could learn together. 

God provided a copy for her that week, though we didnt have one to give from our team. I'll never forget her hunger for the word. And I'll never forget what God taught me on those 5minutes that lingered for eternity- that spsn of time betweeb when we didnt have a Bible to give her and when The Lord provided. 

His word was not a treasure to me. I had infinite access to multiple translations, and taken it for granted that not only was the Bible at my fingertips back home, but it was also in my heart-language! I could pick it up and read it and understand it. 

For hundreds of people groups, that is not the case. Their heart language may not have a Bible translated--or even more then that, their language may not even have a written code for a Bible to be translated in. 

And, similar to Karen, there are over 6,000 people groups worldwide who have never heard the gospel, never heard the salvific message of Christ. And they will live their whole lives & eventually die without ever having the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus and his gospel. 

Will you pray for translators and pray for these people groups to hear and receive the gospel. Will you adopt a people group to pray for and adopt. as a family of church body, & even send teams, or go youself, to engage the people with the gospel?? 

And will you pray that you and I would be obedient to share the gospel with anyone we encounter this week? Right in the midst of our everyday-mundane moments, God has prepared the way for us to share His truth with someone. Ask him to show you His heart in your every moment. 

Tuesday is 3 Weeks Away

I was one of those adventurers who claimed their "adventures" and still pretty much kept to the safest and most familiar. South Asia never quite made it to my list of ideal destinations. Not for lack of seeing beautiful pictures or hearing captivating stories. Friends served over there. Their blogs were filled with well written pieces of how God was at work in their midst. Still, somehow the map I looked at excluded South Asia. Too many stories of real suffering and too much fear...not enough love. Let's be real. There was NO love.
Fascination with cultural differences does not equate to real, authentic GOSPEL LOVE. Fascination with another culture is not enough to thrust me out of my comfort zone into places with out control and with out "safety."

Gospel Love knows the grace of salvific love found in CHRIST and out of that love is compelled to see that all would know Christ no matter the personal cost for a two-fold purpose: 1. for Christ to be exalted and praised from every tribe tongue and nation. and 2. because we know the love we've received, we should hope that all would know that same love.

I don't stand alone in this. I'm not the only Christian in the world...in America...in Northern Virginia...who has chosen safe routes and made excuses for not even sharing the gospel with my neighbors.

The up-to-date news has come about once a month since October and who (but God) knew reading some emails would come to this. This change in heart, this shift of focus... To sitting 3 weeks away from boarding a plane to meet a world 9hours & 45minutes in the future. To take a minuscule part, with 3 others from my home church, in God's BIG PICTURE purpose of seeing no place left. No place left where the gospel has not been heard, no place left where the people have not had even the opportunity to have access to the gospel.

God knew. He knew, and has a plan to reform each of our minds. That what is important to His heart would be important to ours. His gospel proclaimed. His name the fame of every tribe, tongue, and nation.