The Phil Files

Sometimes things turn out great — better than you can hope and bigger than you can imagine. Such is the story of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. Everyone has been waiting for bubble to burst, and it may burst, but for at least one week, the NBA, New York, and much of Asia are awash in Jeremy Lin Mania.

I want to share an angle that may be new to most folks. Shortly after Karen, a young Chinese woman I study with over Skype, began to contemplate giving her life to Christ, God sent a volunteer to her school in Thailand. This volunteer was a recent Harvard graduate. She wanted Karen to reassure me that she was a conservative Christian from Harvard — in other words, she believed the Bible and trusted passionately in Jesus. She was just what Karen needed as she confessed Christ and was baptized. These two have worked together in a nearby church where they live in small town in Thailand.

The odds on someone who was a Christian landing in Karen’s life at just the right time are staggering — unless you count on the prayers of those who love Karen and her sister. The interesting twist to this story was that as I was talking with Karen this morning, reminding her that God was at work in her life even when she couldn’t see it, she started talking about Jeremy Lin. She was excited that someone from Asia (his grandparents are from mainland China and Taiwan), was so vocal about speaking about God and his faith in Jesus. That this was opening eyes to folks who would not have ever even given it a second thought. What’s more, the friend that God sent into Karen’s life has a close connection to him.

I don’t know what will come of Jeremy — if his faith holds out in the face of the wilting pressure and temptation of the NBA (I sure hope and will pray that it does shine brightly and it sure seems genuine) — but I know for at least this moment, his hard work, perseverance, faith, and humility have opened doors in places that no one else could. And for that, I’m thankful.

After 26 hours in transit, I am home! I was able to catch an earlier flight from DFW to Abilene so I arrived about 11:10 Saturday morning. The flights went smoothly and my luggage made it. It is good to be home, but there is a touch of sadness at leaving behind people precious to me that I will not see for a long time except through Skype. This sadness is compounded by Donna being with Megan — she went there to be with her for the appointment with the rheumatologist. To combat my weird sense of homesickness at home, I have had my Heartlight.org article, completion of my sermon prep, washing my clothes, and trying to help my body figure out where in the world it is to distract me.

As for the goofy picture, well, because of the flooding in southern Thailand this winter, production of Coke Zero was greatly delayed and unavailable in Chiang Mai. So I got back on the Coke Classic bandwagon — not good. So after some nudging and cajoling, I promised my precious Chinese friends in Thailand that I would lay off the sugared drinks and in my weak moments, drink only Coke Zero — yes, no Dr. Peppers either, but I’m mad at them for what they have done to the Dublin Dr. Pepper plant. So it was sweet delight to get home and taste the familiar taste of Coke Zero. But only one! I also promised not too much caffeine either! 8^)

This afternoon, I have been busy washing clothes and putting away my travel gear. Washing clothes after a trip like this is an interesting job after the experience of the last ten days. Clearly, some of my clothes desperately needed washing — YIKES, they were stinky — but some of them were not stinky, they just carried the aroma of another land with its rich smell of places, people, and spices. Each load evoked memories just from the fragrances of my trip. It is a reminder that I have not only changed time zones and cultures, but there is an undeniable distance of place even though there is no distance in heart.

Part of changing 13 time zones, especially coming from Asia, are some weird things that happen to your body when you fly back against the time zones — not to mention I watched the sun come up twice on my trip home. It just zaps me. Going west seems so much easier than flying back east. Part of my accountability to my friend Don had to do with spiritual feeding time as well as being accountable for what I did, thought, and exposed myself to. Since Donna and many of her friends have been doing James, I have read in James while I was gone and I have escrowed some time tonight to do that. I will also do my next chapter in Names of God workbook I’m doing with my mens group. I have also taken a 2 hour nap to try to help my body get a little sleep without ruining a good nights sleep back on Texas time. So I’ve tried to rest some this afternoon and evening.

I have not been good at resting most of my life, much less resting in the Lord. Yet as I have looked at Jesus and his times of withdrawal and rest, then realized he celebrated sabbath times, I was convicted by the importance of Biblical time (Realizing that in God’s eyes, the day begins with the gift of rest in the evening to allow us to serve God and bless others during the day! This is the pattern of Genesis 1, “And there was evening and morning — the first day” {Genesis 1:5 and repeated in vs. 8, 13, 19, 23, 31}) So before jumping back into my final polishing of sermon preparation, I am taking time to rest in the Lord with another trip through James and some time for thanking God for a great trip with no health or travel problems, for answered prayers, for special moments of knowing the Spirit was at work doing things things I could not do or see, yet got to celebrate as they began to bear fruit.

Tomorrow will be a special day. Preaching with my church family at Southern Hills as we begin a new focus on Jesus in the Gospel of John called, UNPREDICTABLE. We will join Jesus as he repeatedly does the UNPREDICTABLE to demonstrate God’s love and grace to people he came to save. But it will also be hard — not because I’m unprepared, but because my heart is full of so much emotion as well as my body being weary. To see how seeds planted two years ago are bearing fruit is an unspeakable great joy and deeply humbling. To realize that God is stitching lives together to use people to grow the Kingdom who two years ago knew nothing about Jesus is so moving to me. And these are people who are deeply important to my heart — I come back again to Paul’s words to the new followers of Jesus in Thessalonica:

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?  Indeed, you are our glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NIV).

In fact, all of Paul’s deeply personal and emotional language of 1 Thessalonians 2 is no longer the focus of study, but an existential awareness: these people are my family, and their eternal destiny is my passion. My prayer is that when the time comes for Jesus to bring an end to tears and saying goodbye, that each of these precious ones, along with those precious ones that God has given me as my physical family, will enjoy the grace and relish the moments when distance, culture, and language are dissolved in the grace of unending glory and there are no more partings or sickness or separation.

May God bless you with a great Lord’s Day,

Phil

P.S. Robert and Jan, thank you for more than two decades of friendship and partnership in the work of the Lord and for the journey we have shared that was God’s gift to renew our passion and remind us that the book of Acts isn’t ancient history, but God’s desire waiting to be realized in us today. God bless you and your precious children Ericka and Bransom. You guys are so SPECIAL! And to the interns, Sonya, Constance, MamaZone, and Ven, all I can say is muy sic ‘em: thanks for sharing your time with me and may the Lord bless you in ways you cannot imagine. And to Melody and Karen, just remember that you are precious and incredible.

I am writing this update from chilly Seoul, Korea, airport. I left Chiang Mai and my precious and beloved friends, brothers and sisters, and spiritual daughters to head home shortly before midnight. Things have been hard at home in Abilene with several challenging situations. The most significant has been our daughter, Megan’s appointment with a Rheumatologist. It has been hard to be a “daddio” for several precious ones in Chiang Mai and not be there physically to do that with my daughter. In addition, there have been some other challenges that our church elders have had to handle. They are good men and they have been very busy loving on people with broken hearts, big dreams, and important ministries.

This beautiful, modern, and spacious Inchon airport is great for many reasons, but free Wifi is at the top of my list. I was able to video Skype with Donna and get the latest word on Megan’s appointment. Sitting here with my Mocha Frappacino watching the sun come up over the snowy hills around Seoul, I am thankful for friends and family who loved on Donna on her way out of Abilene yesterday afternoon. She headed to Austin to help Megan with her appointment today. She had so many things on her heart and I wasn’t there to help. Megan had a good first visit to the doc this morning and we will see where all this takes us. Prayers for complete healing would be appreciated!

Inevitably, important visits come to an end. This is hard and everyone begins to feel the urgency of the countdown as hours melt into minutes and minutes escape into hours. Suddenly, you realize that you are down to your final 36 hours. This urgency is good because you are reminded to make each moment count and not leave any stone unturned. I felt this urgency on three fronts:

1. Make each moment count with those precious to me who I get to see so infrequently and who I love so dearly. They felt this, too, and we all tried to make every moment count.
2. Make sure I helped complete things that Robert wanted to have done and get those things in good shape before I left.
3. Visit with people about the most important matters, the faith decisions they are facing, and helping them undersand how important their decision is to them and how precious they are to me.

I had one person I longed to see but never did. He ree-scheduled several appointments and eventually cancelled. This was the ONLY disappointment of the trip. The Lord blessed it in every other way. I’m tired, but filled with joy. I don’t think I could have done much more.

When Robert, the interns, and I arrived back from our trip to Phaoyo on Thursday, I went to meet Melody — someone very precious to me — at the coffee shop. We talked about her life, where she wanted to go with her life, and then came the moment of truth. What was the barrier that kept her from considering faith in Jesus? This special young woman is precious to me. We studied together 2 years ago when I was here. We visit at least once a week on Skype. She introduced me to her sister who also joined us in Chiang Mai for several days. Her sister has become a follower of Jesus, but she has not … yet.

We had great conversation and open sharing of our hearts as she described the barrier holding her back … then she lowered the barrier. There is a journey still to share and there will be strong challenges ahead, but there is also a commitment to journey together. She is part of Daddio and Nonnie’ group of girls from Peru, China, Madagascar, Uganda, and places in between that we would love to tuck into our beds and eat our table and claim as our own, but we probably won’t be able to do that this side of heaven. That’s why leading them to faith is so important to us.

After the conversation, we went to the Zone and visited some more about a few things then had supper and shared in the devo time at cell group meeting. Melody translated to me as the meeting was held in Thai and translated for me when I shared some things on my heart. Cell group is a time of singing, praying, and learning from God’s word. It is led by the church members. It follows a dinner. This provides great community, something so often lacking on the university campus or in the lives of the young business professionals that are a part of the Christian Zone.

Long after cell group was over, Sonya walked with us as I walked Melody back to her dorm. The international dorm is way on the far side of the campus. The three of us talked about what to look for in boys they dated, how did I know Donna was the right one for me, how could they know they were in love, and several other very important questions. Then they asked some very good, very straightforward questions of me. In many ways, these young woman are so innocent about all of this despite having grown up with significant challenges. Learning about dating from a Christian point of view was fascinating and also exciting for them. It was sweetly touch for me that they would share their hearts and concerns so freely and ask such spot on questions about what is important.  I was reminded again of two very important truths that I so often take for granted:

• Often, our best opportunities to teach God’s truth about life’s most important things occur because we are present at the moment they surface. To put it more simply, we don’t get those strategic moments of quality time without a commitment to be present with quantity time.
• How important a father’s love, even a surrogate father’s love, is to young men and young women as they begin to make their life decisions and seek to find their own moral compass.

I told them both that I was honored they would share their concerns so readily! After we dropped Melody at the dorm, Sonya and I walked Chinese pace back to the Zone where we read Scripture together with another intern.

It was a late night already when I got back to my room, but as I checked my international txt messages, there were several things in email and txt that broke my heart — things from back home and people I love and those who are seeking to minister to them.. I prayed. To be honest, I cried as I prayed. Worried about Megan’s visit and Donna’s travel and friends heartbreak and longing to see some of these precious young men and young women fully come to Jesus made for a deeply emotional time of prayer with the Father. This made for a very short night!

My last day began with equipping time and the reminder that just because something is God’s will doesn’t mean it will be easy or bring immediate and favorable results. There are fewer calls of God more clear than Paul’s call to go into Macedonia and share the good news of Jesus. However, Paul’s obedience to this call led to his beating and imprisonment in Philippi before he was asked to leave, being run out of Thessalonica and Jason having to post bond money assuring he wouldn’t return, being run out of the dumpy little town of Berea, being laughed out of town in Athens for preaching the Cross and Resurrection so that when he came to Corinth, he came in weakness and in fear (Read Acts 16-17 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 for the story). In other words, three years after Paul’s vision, he had faced beating, imprisonment, rejection, hardship, difficulty, ridicule, and planted the mess of a church we see in 1 Corinthians. Yet it was God’s will, and years later, the importance of this work is immediately clear. The reality, however, is that obeying the call of God can lead to challenging difficulties, hardships, and persecutions. Our job is to be faithful!

We shared some things we have seen this in our own lives. After working through these concepts, Sean Todd — another part of the mission team in Chiang Mai — shared his time and his life with the interns. Sean is animated, friendly, and sharp. (He is also a great translator and had graciously and powerfully translated for me on Sunday morning!) His honest sharing was a blessing to them. He talked about strategy and planning, yet reminded them of the importance of discerning what God was doing and hopping on board God’s work rather than trying to manufacture it ourselves.

After equipping time, Robert took the interns to lunch and I met Melody for a quick lunch. Then at 1:00 we all got back together and worked on the first lesson of Robert’s Friendship Bible Study to make it more suitable. This was the very first thing Robert and I spent time on when I arrived and it would be one of the last things we worked on before I left. These studies are a great follow up to LST or reading the Bible in English with others.

When we finished our study, Robert and I continued to visit and talk through several things and then I ran over to my room, packed my bags and it was time to go. Sonya joined us and we picked up Melody to share our last night together. We went to Sizzler for their vegetable buffet and then on to Robert and Jan’s house. We peaked in at a basketball game, but Melody and Sonya and I went across the street to have our final chat about their goals in life, the kind of men that could help them along the way, and the pressures and challenges of dating for them in their culture.

A quick trip by Robert and Jan’s house allowed me to call Karen and tell her goodbye — she had left Chiang Mai several days ago. I showered, visited with Jan a few minutes, talked about plans for the future with Melody, and then it was off to the airport to say goodbye.

My heart yearns to be home. I want to be a daddy to my own “little girl” who is hurting right now. At the same time, part of my heart will be with these precious ones whom I yearn to be part of our forever family. I am convinced that day is closer for them now than ever before. It has been a great trip filled with many things — preaching, teaching, counseling, conversation, prayer, planning, dreaming, editing, brainstorming, and most importantly, loving. The world is much smaller than we often realize and the differences between us as people are real, but often much smaller than we often imagine. Most importantly, we all have a shared need for Jesus and his love and his family.

Two years ago, God opened the door for five of us to come to Chiang Mai to teach English using the Bible to Thai students with Let’s Start Talking. What began there has turned into something much bigger — circles of influence and relationship are spreading all over Asia and China. There are followers of Jesus where once there were people who had never really known anything about him. God has changed us and caught us up into something much bigger and grander and certainly much deeper emotionally, than any of us could have imagined. Along the way, love has deepened, hearts have changed, the Kingdom has grown, and we’ve even launched Verse of the Day in Chinese (as well as Korean, Russian, German, Portuguese, & Spanish) and soon will have it available in Thai.

To God be the glory!

My continuing prayer is that He continue to use us to make a difference in the lives of people we dearly love so that we can share in his grace with them … forever.

For two years, I have read and studied the Bible with young people in Asia over Skype. It has been wonderfully effective. I have a daughter in the faith because of this tool. Her name is Karen and she is the sister of Melody. I actually met her when Skyping with Melody 18 months ago. I can still remember her peering over her sister’s should and smiling and giving a gentle wave and saying, “Hello!” Several months later we began reading online and she confessed her faith in Jesus and gave her life to him baptism a couple of months ago. This trip allowed me to be with her face-to-face for the first time.

Karen teaches several hours south of Chiang Mai, but came her to spend time with me and be a part of the equipping times with the interns. Melody is also here going to the university. While Skype is a great tool, there is nothing that takes the place of face-to-face time.

After preaching Sunday, I went to the Makro (Thai version of Sam’s Wholesale Club) and shopped for food with the Chinese girls. Melody, Karen, and Sonya wanted to prepare Chinese food for the interns and me. It was a “real trip” watching them all in action. You learn alot about folks by being around them in the ordinary times of life. You learn a great deal about their personalities, how they interact, and how they conduct themselves.

For a guy who hates shopping, it was really interesting and fun. But again, it was about getting to know Melody and Karen at a day-to-day level. Their personalities are very different. Both are smart and driven. Both are precious to me after two years of Skyping with them and reading the Bible with them.

I had met Melody on my previous trip and God attached her to a special place in my heart. Watching these two sisters shop for 2 1/2 hours at the mall on Saturday and doing the same at the Makro on Sunday afternoon was great. They each had different tasks, as did Sonya and Constance, and we blitzed through there grabbing fresh vegetables and meat for the food that would feed us the next several days.

Then, because we could not find a red taxi, Karen — in her typical take charge fashion — looked around the parking lot and found a guy who looked Chinese and had a friendly face. She went up to him and his wife and asked if he would take us back to The Christian Zone where we were staying. He did! This is Karen. She is a force of nature — but more on that later.

This means that in two days, on consecutive afternoons, I went clothes shopping with Melody and Karen (Chinese sisters), in a huge Thai mall, with me as an American “father-type” wandering around after them. Then we added Sonya and Constance — an intern from Singapore — and hit the Makro shopping the next afternoon. What a cross-cultural learning and relational experience! Then we went back to the zone and prepared food — well I didn’t do too much preparing, but they certainly did, and I enjoyed the eating part of it.

After supper, we read the Bible together, talked about what was important and then late in the evening, Karen and I walked Melody back to her dorm so she did not have to walk that long way alone after dark. It was great conversation both ways.

Monday was focused on getting the intern equipping portion of the time here started. With airport introductions, shopping trips, and time at the zone already, the door was open to talk about important things. A wonderfully mature Christian of Chinese descent, from Australia, whose husband was German is joining the group, too. Her son and Thai daughter-in-law are very important parts of the church here, and she is moving here to be part of their lives and watch her first grandchild be born this next year. We call her MomaZone.

Robert gave a brief introduction to the internship and what the focus would be. Then we lead the equipping time together during the “Inspire” time of the devotional. We did 5 loaves and 2 fishes and then Robert had me talk about the whole heartlight.org and verseoftheday.com adventure to help them see that Jesus still did that amazing kind of thing today. Then he showed a powerful video about believing and then seeing by a National Geographic photographer. Powerful and great. He went over some orientation stuff, then we had prayer together and then lunch.

After lunch, I spent a great deal of time talking with Karen. We were trying to read 1 John together, but then a question would come up and as Karen said, “We would fly away” for awhile and talk about her life and the big decisions she has to make and the things she wants to happen.

At age 8, Karen began to take care of Melody and their brother alone in a small village in southern China. Her parents lived 90 minutes away and sent them some money and occasionally they would go to town and see their parents. Mostly they lived alone — all alone. To understand Karen, you have to realize she has been a mother who shopped, washed, cleaned, cooked, and nursed herself and two siblings since she was a little girl. They were alone because of the China policy about 1 child per family and for economic and family reasons. Karen is determined, talented, and goes non-stop at full throttle. She is perceived sometimes as a little bossy, but she has the warmest heart and really tries to mother everyone. She is great with little kids. So we shouldn’t be amazed, these she and her brother and sister growing up alone won most of the awards at school without a parent to help, clap for their achievements or be there to help their hurts. They lived in an old house with a dirt floor and electricity for a light, but no running water. Their years as children were filled with hard work and some very scary times. They are remarkable … and Karen deserves much of the credit, as does our Father in heaven who preserved them through some very difficult times.

Like everything Karen tackles, she knows what she wants and what she believes. Her faith is the same way.

At 4:00, Melody came in from the university and we all three began to talk about important things. Then it was time for dinner and they launched into that with gusto along with Sonya and Constance. Karen, of course, was in charge. Another delicious dinner with lots of laughter and talk. Ven, the other guy in the group is a great young man from Malaysia, and he was very much a part of the dinner proceedings and conversation. We all visited, then Karen and I walked Melody back to the dorm talking about boyfriends, how and when I knew I was in love with Donna, and things they don’t have a dad they can talk to about this kind of thing. Late back to the zone to make sure Karen was in OK and then I walked to where I was staying.

Tuesday was a great day. We all boarded Robert’s truck and headed to Phaoyo to eat Brick Oven Pizza and visit a mission team there. Along the way, we stopped at beautiful waterfalls and took pictures for a few minutes, then Robert and I led the “Inspire” devotion for the day. Robert talked about the amazing way God had brought each of us together to this point from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Austin, China, and Abilene. How his plan had made this happen and how so many little things had to work just right for it to be so. Then I talked about Psalm 139:13-16 and how God knit us together in our mother’s womb and had a plan for us and knew us before we were even born. This is a very big leap of faith for some of the Chinese to believe — that there would be God who could know everyone and care for everyone. Then Robert came back around and talked about as we were in this circle that we were like a reed basket that God had woven together. Some of us long time Christians, some new Christians, and some seeking to understand and have their hearts open — all praying together with open hearts. It was precious and powerful.

Another hour down the road, we came to the Pizza place. It was a three hour experience. We ordered and ate, then as the Pizza place cleared out, the owners brought us samples of new things on their menus and we began to visit with the mission team there.

The Chinese girls played with the three little boys and the boys were delighted to have someone besides their parents playing and speaking English with them. This allowed for some great side conversations and prayers with the mission team and exposed the interns to another group of believers. Karen met Haley, a single young woman living passionately for God and part of the team. It was a special blessing for her because she saw another strong, forceful, passionate single Christian woman of God to help her know she wasn’t alone in being a strong woman who knew what she wanted in life.

The trip back was rainy and cold for Thailand. Some were in the truck and then we rotated and some of us were under the cover in the back, scrunching in tight to stay warm. Ven shared his story with Melody on the way back. It was story that faith is not always easy and yet it is worth the effort and God is real and good and close, especially during the tough times. I could not ask for her to hear better things as she struggles to believe and I know she heard them.

We got back late, ate dinner at an open market, and then went back to the Zone. Karen and Sonya and I read from the book of James and prayed together before bed — rich discussion and such honest prayers! Karen has been so special to remember Megan, whom she has never met but only seen in pictures, praying that God heal Megan’s problem she is facing right now and that the doctor visit goes well Friday. It was a sweet and emotional way to end a long day — I left the interns at 11:30 for my walk to where I stayed a few doors away.

I know this is a lot and probably confusing. But I wanted to get it down before I forget it. In between the words are tender and sweet moments with each intern, Robert, my Chinese girls, MomaZone, and God that can’t be put into words.

My prayer for them, these precious young adults both believers and those struggling to believe, is what Paul promised the Philippians in 1:6: that God will bring to completion what he began in them! This is my heart’s longing.

For those who are not yet part of my family of faith, I yearn for that gap to filled soon.

For those who are strong in Christ, I pray that God use them mightily.

For Robert and Jan and their family, good health and powerful ministry.

For those at home in Abilene, grieving for Matt Phillips, comfort and thanksgiving.

And for my family, healing and health and adoption.

By God’s grace,

Phil

Today was an incredible special day, full of emotion, reflection, and grace. Thousands of miles from home, I have prayed and tried not to worry about my daughter’s health problems. Prayers were made by elders at two churches for her as she looks at going to a specialist this week. I preached in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a room full of people who were not Christians 17 years ago when I first visited here — most of them first generation Christians. In addition, several precious young women who are from China and are studying here were also present. One is a daughter in the faith, others I hope to be soon. But I felt nervous speaking because I felt so much was on the line with every word.

In addition, we sang songs in Thai, but I knew the words and parts of every one of them in English. Some were modern praise songs. Others, however, were old hymns. One I hadn’t sung in years and I remembered being sung when I was a young boy at a funeral in Oklahoma at funeral I attended with my grandparents. Another was my dad’s favorite hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.” We had just finished a testimony by a Thai man who talked about the difference Jesus had made in his life. His words were translated to me by a young woman I want so deeply to come to Jesus. There was such power in hearing his testimony brought to me in English by someone I wanted so badly to hear and understand them. I had already begun to think how much my dad would have loved the moment and the place, and then we sang his song and my throat closed and tears flowed. I am emotional now even recounting it.

Worried about my own “little girl” — grown and so precious — and worrying about this young woman I want so much to know Jesus and remembering my dad’s death and my precious wife who was with him when he drew his last breath … well, it was a place where grace found me. Some moments, some emotions, are as Paul says in Romans 8:26, “too deep for words.”

I don’t know what your Sunday has been like, but mine was full of emotion and grace and it lasted all day and into the early evening. I have just finished praying for my daughter, joining elders in two cities as we intercede for her to be well — going over Psalm 17 several times to guide my thoughts and prayer. I have prayed for others who are precious to me to come to know Jesus. I have prayed for my home church, Southern Hills, to be blessed and challenged by Mitch Wilburn as he preaches to us today. And as I finish this, I am praying for you, that you are in a place where grace finds you as you read this.

By God’s grace,

Phil

Thirteen time zones away from home and suffering jet lag, I went to Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and got a special dose of grace and humility. You work on something, you plan something, you pray about something, but the reality of it doesn’t hit you until you experience from a whole different angle.

We have worked hard at expanding verseoftheday.com into other languages — Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Korean, and Russian. But the impact of that in other places is hard to gage. But when I went with Robert Reagan to visit the school and eat lunch there after arriving late the night before, I couldn’t help but be touched when I went through the school and people told me one after another that this is how they began their morning each day at school — reading verseoftheday.com. It was made even more exciting because I got to meet with a precious young woman will be translating for us in Thai, which should launch on March 1.

Even now, I have just finished an email to a young, passionate, believer in China who is doing our translation work there. Her passion for the Word of God and for others knowing Jesus is amazing.

And as I get ready to preach in Thailand this morning, my heart is back home with my Southern Hills Family as Mitch Wilburn speaks to them about taking our faith outside the walls of our church building into the world. In God’s twist of humor and faithfulness, Mitch’s missions camp counselor years ago at camp Deer Run, was Robert Reagan, for whom I’m preaching this morning.

What a precious thing God has called us to do and to experience: to change the world in the name of Jesus. And every-once-in-awhile, you get a glimpse of that happening and it is a needed dose of grace and humility. Grace to be privileged to do something that really matters and humility that the King of glory has called us to be His partners in doing it.

 
VerseoftheDay.com in Chinese
Notice the language choices bottom right!