Highlights of 2006

As 2006 comes to a close I find myself reminiscing over some of the great blessings I have received from God. The top blessings of the past year would have to be...

• KKMS Faith Builders John MacArthur conference in Minnesota in January
• Ligonier's Ministry conference in Orlando in March
• Finding my new church home, Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church, and all my new sisters in the LORD in April
• Finding the teaching of Francis Schaeffer over the summer

And drum roll please....

• Going on my first short term missions trip to Thailand in October

God is so good! What great blessings did God pour out on you this past year?

Wonderful Gifts

My most wonderful husband blessed me tremendously this Christmas by giving me four awesome books...

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy
Sense and Sensuality by Ravi Zacharias
Can Man Live Without God? by Ravi Zacharias
& Truth With Love:The Apologetsics of Francis Schaeffer by Bryan Follis.

I've already read Sense and Sensuality... OUTSTANDING!!! Ravi Zacharias is easily the most thought provoking writer of our time! I look forward to meeting him in March.

What was your favorite gift this Christmas?

More Thai Trivia

While in Thailand we were led in awesome devotions out of the book of Acts by an elder in my church who you see seated on the far left, named Ross. Next to Ross are two of the missionaries my church supports in Thailand, Mark and Buzz. Seated on the far right is my pastor, Phil. These are all amazing men of God and it was a blessing to serve along side of them!

Your Thai trivia question is:

What year is it in Thailand?

Thailand's Elephants

Pictured above is the Elephant building in Bangkok which is a 32 story office building. The owner believes he was blessed by the elephant god who provided him with the luck to earn his money. In Thailand seeing a white elephant is a sign of extremely good luck as it was one of the protectors of Buddha. Models of white elephants are often found adorning Buddhist temples. It is hard to find a souvenir in Thailand that doesn't have an elephant on it!

We were hoping to have time to go to a place where we could see, pet, and ride elephants but God in His goodness caused us to run into some elephants while heading north into central Thailand. F0r just 20 baht (less than $1.00) you could feed them a bushel of bananas.

Thailand Trivia

It's time for Thailand Trivia!

Pictured below are two of the Thai teachers who I taught english to at the language school in Saraburi, Thailand.

Trivia Question: What are they each holding?

The Grand Palace

Some photos from the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. The most grand spectacle of idolatry I have ever seen! The photo above is our missions team from Tucson and a couple from Wisconsin who joined us in LA.

No License To Be Wrong

"Jesus and Buddha cannot both be right. The lotus is the symbol of Buddhism; the cross the symbol of the Christian faith. Behind the two symbols stand two diametrically opposed beliefs. I ask you, the reader, to examine the message of each, using both your heart and your mind. It is worth the exercise because it will determine your destiny. One day we will all find out that being respectful and sincere does not give us license to be wrong. Truth demands investigation and committment. Our conclusions must be in keeping with Truth that can be tested. To be handcuffed by a lie is the worst of all imprisonments."
-Ravi Zacharias in the introduction to his book "The Lotus and The Cross."

Thailand Draws Near

One week from today I will be getting on a plane bound for Thailand. I will be there for two weeks praying with and encouraging missionaries and Thai Christian Pastors in central Thailand, teaching English to Thai teachers at a language school in Sarabari, and sharing the gospel whenever and wherever I can. Reading literature about Buddhism this last week has really opened my eyes to how difficult it is for Buddhists to come to Christ and how little fruit the missionaries have with Buddhists. This brought to mind a couple of passages...

When the disciples heard this they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." -Matthew 19:25-26

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. -Romans 1:16

I have never shared the gospel with people whose worldview is so extremly different than mine. I take for granted that there are certain things all people believe and I have come to discover lately this is not necessarily so.

Thank God that He saves people through the preaching and sharing of the glorious gosple of Jesus Christ and that the power is in the gospel applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit, without which our efforts would be in vain.

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You...

To be released September 28, 2006...

Truth With Love: Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer by Bryan A. Follis.

for more info go to http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Love-Apologetics-Francis-Schaeffer/dp/158134774X/sr=1-7/qid=1158530083/ref=sr_1_7/102-2908769-4811352?ie=UTF8&s=books

I can't wait!!!

My Peeps

The best sisters and brother-in-laws in the world!

My Favorite Joke

El Vaquero and his Chihuahua, Chilito, are camping in the desert. He sets up their tent and both are soon asleep. Some hours later, El Vaquero wakes his faithful friend. "Chilito, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Chilito replies, "I see millions of stars, senor."
"What does that tell you?" asks El Vaquero.
Chilito ponders for a minute. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Chronologically, it appears to be approximately quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful, and we are small. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, senor?"
El Vaquero is silent for a moment, and then says, "Chilito, you pendejo. Someone has stolen our tent!"

Results Are In...

The results are in regarding who you would like most to have coffee with. Not suprsingly the Apostle Paul won by a landslide. Honorable mentions included Solomon, David and Mary. Thanks for voting!

The Best Ligonier Conference Yet!

Ligonier's 2007 National Conference

"Contending for the Truth"

Orlando, FloridaMarch 15-17, 2007

This Years Speakers:
John MacArthur
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
John Piper
R.C. Sproul
Ravi Zacharias
R.C. Sproul, Jr.

For more details including the schedule of lectures go to http://www.ligonier.org/conference/orl2007/index.php

We are all immortals...

"Every human being is in the process of becoming a noble being; noble beyond imagination. Or else, alas, a vile being beyond redemption. The dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.... There are no ordinary people... It is immortals who we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit- immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." -C.S. Lewis

Justification by Death

Below is an excerpt from a review of the movie World Trade Center by a gentleman who has a fantastic blog called Cross-Eyed. I thought he pointed out someting very interesting at the end...

"The context: As these two cops are trapped and about to die underneath 20 foot of rubble, they try to keep each other awake. While one goes in and our of conciousness, he sees Jesus. The implication is that he is very close to entering Heaven.On a serious note: we need to think deeply about this. If Karis (my daughter) were old enough to have theological conversations, my questions would go something like this: Karis, did this movie give any reason to believe that this cop was a Christian? Did this guy possess an obvious faith in God's promises? According to his own words, what was this cop's greatest treasure. What did he most want in what he thought were his last moments? Sadly, this movie was another instance of our culture's core theology: Justfication by death. This movie portrayed the false belief that all "good" people go to Heaven."

How true is that! This culture sadly believes in justification by death without a second thought. How blind people are to the truth!

For entire review go to http://justinchilders.blogspot.com// and read the blog from 8/11/06.

Christians and Politics

I am not a fan of Greg Boyd by any stretch of the imagination however I did like some of his comments made in an article that had appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Please take the time and let me know what you think. How involved in politics and social reform should Christians be? (On a side note- I would have walked out when Boyd said God doesn't know the future rather than waiting unitl I disagreed with him on this point!!!)

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/disowning-conservative-politics-is/20060729195809990004

Passport

So I just got my passport in the mail and I was thinking to myself I'm 26 yrs old and I just got my first passport- how lame! There are many kids who have seen more of the world than me. Thailand will be my first stamp and I hope to add many more after that. Any suggestions? Also looking for words of wisdom from those of you who have traveled afar. Is there anything you suggest I make sure to take with me? Any other tips would be welcomed as well.

Woohoo!

Woohoo! I just found out my plane ticket has been purchased!

Thailand- here we come to share the Gospel cleverly disguised as English teachers- praise God!

Photo Finish

Please notice my new poll and vote accordinlgy. Thanks for your votes on the previous poll titled, "Who Rocks the Pulpit the Most?" Johnny Mac and Piper were neck and neck the entire time. Photo finish resuls indicate Johnny Mac won by a nose.
* Note to Cbass- only one vote per person! :)

Christ Gives Sight and Life

To deny Jesus' message while pursuing spirituality is to conjure an imaginary religion in an attempt to see heaven while sight is confined to the earth. That is precisely what Jesus challenged when He said, "I have come that you may have life" (John 10:10). His life spells living. Your life or my life , apart from Him, spells death. -Ravi Zacharias

Praying for the Return of Christ

Do you ever find yourself praying fervently for the return of Christ because you have just been exposed to a seriously disturbing dose of the depravity of man? While at a training conference for work today I unfortunatly experienced a vivid reminder of man's depravity and perversity. I think the world is so much worse than most people know, it's frightening. God's longsuffering in the midst of such deep and dark sin is at times uncomprehendable to me but I know that He is altogether trustworthy and knows what He is doing. Seeing what I saw today makes me long all the more for Christ to come back and take over His Kingdom. MARANATHA!

America, America God shed His grace on thee...

After reading Schaffer's book How Then Shall We Live and KP Yohanan's book Revolution in World Missions and listening to Vishal Mangalwadi's lectures a few weekends ago I have come to a renewed appreciation and thankfulness for living in America. I never spent much time thinking about our freedom here until recently. The great freedom in this land is because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the word of God. Thank you God and Happy 4th of July to all!

Mangalwadi

My church was very blessed this weekend to have a guest speaker by the name of Vishal Mangalwadi. He is a brilliant Christian philosopher/theologian from India. He came and delivered five fascinating lectures adressing The Davinci Code and related topics. He also spoke on much of what I just finished reading in Francis Schaffer's book "How Then Shall We Live." Mangalwadi studied under Schaffer. I highly suggest checking Mangalwadi out via the internet or his books. If he come to speak in your town make sure you go!

Awesome Sayers Quote

"For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is- limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death- He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine... When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile." - Dorothy Sayers.

Christian Humility

My assistant pastor at my wonderful new church preached a great sermon last Sunday on Christian humility. It can be found by clicking on link below and scrolling down to the end where Pastor Phil Henry's sermons are. It is titled "Christian Humility" and I highly recommend it.

http://rinconmountainpca.com/sermondocs.html

Be convicted, repent, and enjoy!

Hunting for a Husband

The time has come...

Today my precious little bengal kitten Indi (short for Indomitus; Latin for "wild") received a clean bill of health from the vet and a green light for breeding. Now the hunt is on to find her a husband worthy of her infinite beauty and charm. If any of you know such a fitting stud send him our way so that we may meet and he may receive the blessing.

Recommended Reading

Just finished up the book "How Then Shall We Live" by Francis Schaffer. It was my first Schaffer experience. This book is very different compared to what I normally read and at times I found it very challenging. I find history fascinating and would like to read more- if anyone has any recommendations let me know. Worldview is so important and Schaffer applied it in ways I hadn't considered thus far. I now understand the humanist worldview more and why they don't have the answers to life's greatest questions. I am so thankful that because of Christ I start at God and end in hope instead of being a humanist who starts at man and ends in despair. Anyway, this is a great book and I highly recommend it to everyone, especially those who love history, philosophy and truth. Happy reading!

Oblivious

I have good friend that is Jewish whom I have known for about 6 years. Last night I met with him to see photos from his recent trip Israel. Though it was really awesome to see photos of places I am familiar with because of my faith it was also a very saddening and sobering experience. Though the tour he went on concentrated on Israel's recent history there were some photos of places like Mt. Carmel, the Dead Sea, Tiberias and also some photos overlooking the Holy Land in which you could clearly see the Islamic Mosque. Every photo that was taken outside made me wonder, did Jesus walk there? It was so neat but it was so sad to think about my friend and the group of people he toured with being in Israel where Christ, the one true God who created them, had walked, preached the Kingdom, had lived a sinless life and then died on the cross for our sins- and they were completely oblivious to this.
As they stood on Mt. Carmel did they know that is where Elijah had victory over the 450 prophet's of Baal and showed Yaweh to be the one true God? As they were partying in Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, did they think about all the great miralces ofChrist around there? And when they looked out over the city of Jerusalem do they know how Christ wept over it and that some day Christ will return to earth and reign from there? I am afraid they never thought about Christ as they walked where He walked. This made me so sad for my friend and others who are lost and oblivious to Christ. May God in His great mercy draw the lost and blind to Himself.

He Has Put Away My Sins

"Well, before we ever start talking about the cross showing us the love of God, we ought to take the time to define what took place on the cross so as to explain why the death of Christ shows us God's love. Surely the first thing to say is that the achievement of the cross was the putting away of our sins. Had that not happened through the wisdom of God who put His Son in our place, we would have had to pay the price for our sins and that would have been eternal spiritual loss. Thus, the meaning of the cross is that a God, who was my stern judge, has become my loving heavenly Father because He has put away my sins. The Father, through the Son, redeemed the world. So our relationship with God becomes the most important issue we can ever face and the cross of Christ becomes the most momentous event in history, because we have a loving heavenly Father and the Judge who fully satisfies the account of us for our guilt. This is the God-centered way of looking at the cross."- J.I. Packer

Piper Quotes on Missions

Quotes from John Piper that have struck me lately as I prepare for Thailand...

"Missions exists because worship does not."

"Worship is the fuel and the goal of missions."

I never thought of the way that I looked at missions before as far as the language I use to think about it or describe it. These two quotes, though they are simple, really gave me a new perspective on missions, one more grand. I am going to Thailand because worship of the one true almighty God does not exist there. And I must prepare myself for this by spending time worshiping God. God- may You be worshiped in Thailand and all over the globe because You are worthy!!!

downhere

Anyone out there a downhere fan? If you're unfamiliar with their music I encourage you to pick up one of their CDs. The first one is especially good. Anyway my Sharptooth got me their latest CD for Mother's Day (via my fantastic husband). The chorus in the first song called, "The More" has a line which says, "And the more You show me, the more You grow me, the more Your glory becomes all there is." So true!!! This line reminds me of the series I have been listening to by John Piper called "The Story of His Glory" which is an awesome study about God's glory. I wish that God's glory was the focus of the church today instead of man. Focusing on God and His glory is absolutely transforming!

Scripture in Action

This morning while trying to share the Gospel over coffee with my co-workers I was reminded of the truth of John 3:19 where Christ says, "This is the judgement, tha the Light has come into the world , and men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil" and Proverbs 16:25 which says, "There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death." Seeing how much unregenerate man hates God's truth, rejects the Gospel and insists upon his own righteousness is so sad and so frustrating! The only positive thing out of such situations is the confirmation of God's truth that you see, or as I refer to it; Scripture in action. God said it will be a certain way and it truly is.

Pointing out to unregenerate man that he is making up God how he wants God to be (idolatry) does not get you anywhere. Nor does telling unregenerate man that he is a sinner (there are so many worse than him) and that God rejects self-righteousness (I ask -if you have a righteousness of your own then why did Gods send His one and only Son to die?). I am reminded yet again that the only hope for man is the sovereign grace of God and how thankful I am that He opened my eyes!

As an affluent American Christian...

Once again I am blessed beyond belief by a book regarding saints on the other side of the globe. A few years ago I read "Totured for Christ" by R. Wurmbrand (who started Voivce of the Martyrs) which I cannot recommend enough. This man's testimony and the stories the suffereings of the saints across the globe defintily challenged my own faith. Reading about the lives of saints in third world countries and what they go through for their faith left me feeling like a waste of a Christian. These are modern day examples of men of whom the world is not worthy! Presently, as I am preparing for a missionons trip tp Thailand, I am reading "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan (who started Gospel for Asia). Like the Wurmbrand book this book is also challenging my faith. On top of the stories of the saints and God's amazing works this book also will convict you as an affluent American Christian and challenge you to take a look at your life and your faith. To read Yohannan's impression of America and American Christians is causing me to repent and ask for God to change me!

Officially A Member

I am officially became a member of my new church today. I have always gone to very large churches where it was almost impossible to get to know people. I have yet to experience being a part of the body the way God designed. I am so excited to see how God will use my new church home to grow and shape me. Praise God for another one of His awesome designs and plans!

New Church Home

This weekend I am officially joining my new church home. I am so excited to be a part of the body of Christ in a fellowship that is so loving and in a church where God is glorified and exalted and where the truth is proclaimed boldly. Praise God for this answer to prayer!

18 Inches

My pastor made a comment this weekend that many people will miss heaven by 18 inches-the distance from your head to your heart. Yikes! How many people are self-decieved with only a head knowledge of the gospel that never penetrates their heart. God save me from being one of them!

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