A Secret

Have you ever wanted a deeper relationship with Christ? Do you find yourself lacking close, intimate fellowship with your Savior? 

I have been there. In fact, I've spent most of my life in that state--wanting Christ, but not getting closer by my own measurements. I have attempted many different promising methods of reaching this abstruse relationship with Christ only to be disappointed in the end results. This post can not begin to unravel the amount of those methods and the lessons I learned from trying them. It can, however, unveil what may seem to be a Christian cliche, but in my opinion is the main secret to that spiritually connected, ultimately close relationship with Jesus Christ. 

What's the secret?

Prayer.

It's a simple, unassuming six-letter word. But that word has changed history. It's reversed the stony hearts of wicked kings and egocentric emperors. It has brought mighty empires to their metaphorical knees and halted the spread of seemingly inextinguishable epidemics. It has also brought little girls and prodigal men to the saving knowledge of Christ. Prayer is power. 

God's greatest gift to man-kind is eternal life (which, by the way, doesn't begin after death but after salvation) made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah. The second greatest gift is the ability to have unceasing intercession with the Lord and Creator of the universe.

Think about it. A minuscule, finite being, in the scope of the vast universe, is offered the opportunity to speak with the Creator of that universe! That is an unprecedented honor. If you received an invitation to an exclusive one-on-one meeting with the most powerful person in the world, you would feel honored wouldn't you? Yet that is an infinitely inadequate example of what God has given to us. We have the ability to speak with Him at any time, place, or day! He wants to speak with us. He wants us to share our hearts with Him, praise Him and ask Him for specific blessings.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (ESV) Jesus sequestered himself on many occasions for the sole purpose of finding a secluded location and praying to His Heavenly Father. Jesus went to a secluded place with the sole intention of talking to God. He didn't want praise from His disciples, and He didn't want anything to avert His attention from what was most important. He wanted focused, potent, powerful prayer. We should desire nothing less.

When was the last time you scheduled a time to get alone with God and pray? The world is slowly slipping into the sulfuric sewer and its largely due to the fact that we Christians have gotten off our knees and onto our couches. Prayer is our privilege. It should be our first thought in the morning and our last at night. 

Finding that solitary place to pray is a great step in the right direction. It can be a bedroom, dorm, lounge, park, forest, field or anywhere as long as privacy is paramount. 

I once heard a quote that said, "Everything vital to Godliness feeds off of closet air (alone time with God)."

So find a "closet" and pray. Pray for your relationship with Christ, for your family, your friends, your enemies, your country, your world. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). Jesus promises to grant our requests provided they are inline with the Word of God. If you still desire that close, wonderfully intoxicating relationship with our Creator then return to your knees and pray.


(to be continued)

金門日落 (Kinmen Sunset)

Here is a glimpse of my little island during two of it's finest moments this summer.

                                                      

 

Singapore/Hong Kong

Back in April I went on a short weekend trip to Singapore and Hong Kong. My friends and I simply toured around and saw what we could of the two city-countries before it was time to return to Taiwan.

Singapore at sunset

Street view of the Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer

Singapore at night

Hong Kong

IFC (International Finance Centre)

Hong Kong from The Peak

Happy Campers

What a great life! After spending ten days enjoying the beauty of Thailand and teaching English to the Thai kids, I completed another week of teaching English at an English camp in Taipei.

Performing a skit

While the camp was exhausting and there were more than a few times when I just wanted to sleep instead of keep track of nine kids, it was a rewarding experience. First of all, I was so impressed by the Taiwanese children's English ability. I was able to converse with most of the kids at the camp which was strange for me because I am used to the very low English levels in Kinmen. I was also very impressed by the respect that most of the children possessed for each other and the teachers. 

Each day the kids were required to write a "journal" entry (in English) into their camp books. What they wrote was so real, so genuine. Their entries included the friends they made that day and some of the activities they participated in. They would write about how much they enjoyed the day usually ending their entry with "Today is very happy!" 

One of my favorites from the camp was named Darren. He's ten years old and stuck to me the entire week like a magnet. The little guy had great English and was always trying to help me with whatever I was working on at the time. One morning, I didn't have any chopsticks handy so I used a straw to eat my breakfast. For the rest of the week, Darren used a straw to eat breakfast. Every time we would go from the classroom building to the main building he would ask, "Teacher, may we run [to the other building]?" He was always SO excited when I said yes. I'm going to miss that little guy. 

And now I find myself at the end of another chapter, albeit a short one. I'm so excited for this coming semester, especially because it begins with my sister, Vange, coming to visit me!! I can't wait to get started on so many new projects and goals! God blesses His children so much more than they deserve. 

Here are a few verses I read yesterday that I thought were appropriate:  

"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that they man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~ II Timothy 3:14-17 

What I Learned in Thailand

Thailand 2012 Team

Our group left on January 14, 2012, from Taipei, Taiwan, destined not only for Chiang Rai, Thailand, but much more. After two plane rides, a few rather lengthy truck-rides (i.e. in the back of a truck truck-rides), a couple nights spent in a hostel built for Taiwanese businessmen who come to give aid to Thailand, and another lengthy truck-ride up into the mountains, we found ourselves in a sleepy little town called Da Tong. It was there we stayed for the majority of the trip. It was a beautiful location, nestled in the mountains with a Buddhist monastery up a long staircase on one side and a massive Buddhist temple/memorial on the other. For breakfast we would go to the local morning market where we discovered several new foods we never knew existed before such as mangosteens, a sweet and juicy, yet tangy fruit.

Each of us taught about 14 classes, all different grades, at the local Chinese school throughout the week. The kids were a lot of fun to teach because of their enthusiasm and desire to please the teacher. This is where what I learned from Thailand comes into view. 

1. I realized less can be more. Those Thai kids didn't have much (especially the ones we visited in the mountains) but they were happy which is more than can be said for many Taiwanese and American children who get almost everything they want.

2. People can thrive in what I would consider to be very poor, dirty conditions. I realized that don't really need so many of the things I call necessities back in the states. 

3. The Lord just brought to mind the prayer of Jabez which I used to pray quite often but not as much anymore. I would pray, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territories, and place your hand upon me, and keep me from evil that it may not cause me pain.  The Lord has blessed me countless ways: I have an awesome family, godly friends, good jobs, fantastic opportunities and more. Much has been given. Much is expected. God has enlarged my sphere of influence more than I ever would have thought possible a few years ago when I was praying that prayer. He's placed His hand on me and has protected me from evil. I praise God for answering my calls to Him.

4. I think God taught me more about leadership while I was in Thailand too. Bethany Williams, my team leader, was back in the U.S. while we were in Thailand so I was left in charge of my team as the assistant leader. It was good for me to experience more responsibility in that regard.

5. I learned to have a greater appreciation for the country of Taiwan, leaders, and the good 'ol U.S.A. 

Thailand was beautiful, but it is under a huge amount of spiritual oppression. Please pray that God would remove the blinds off the eyes of the Thai people. And one last thing, don't take what you have for granted. You have more than a probably 80-90 percent of the world's population. Live open-handed.

(Photographs courtesy of Reuben Mitton)

Wat Rong Khun (The White Temple)

My Asian Home

My Lord's Prayer

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV)

This semester I have had a deep desire to learn more about prayer. A few days ago the Lord directed me to Matthew 6 where Christ gives us an example of a prayer we are to model after popularly known as the Lord’s Prayer. I decided to break the prayer down and write my own thoughts on it.

“Our Father in Heaven,” The prayer is personally addressed to God who sits above us on His heavenly throne. When I pray, I am to address my heavenly Father by name and with respect.

“Hallowed be your name.” Again, the Lord’s name is to be honored, revered.

“Your kingdom come.” May God’s kingdom come into the hearts and lives of the unbelieving and reignite fires in the souls of His distracted children.

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s perfect plan for my life, the lives of my friends, the lives of all humanity, and the course of all nations will come to fruition.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” May the Lord give me exactly what I need for today. Not more. Not less.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” May the Lord forgive me for my wrongdoings, but only as long as I forgive others.

“And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” May the Lord keep me steadfast and strong to resist the darts Satan fires at my shield.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” My Father owns the world; He controls it, and my single purpose in life is to bring Him glory through it!

I would challenge you to pray through the Lord’s prayer in your own words. It provides us with a beautiful outline on how to communicate with “Our Father in Heaven. . . .”