In Guinea

Hey everyone ...

I'm in Guinea now ... "downtown" but it looks like a village from decades past .. dirt roads and the electricity in this PC room goes off and on every 30 minutes or so ... so I don't even know if the generator will last until I finish this post!

I couldn't access internet or call while in Morocco due to security reasons. They monitor everything there ... but they tell me Guinea is safer. But dude, I loved Morocco! It's such an awesome place to be a pioneer for the Kingdom of God! And Guinea is MAJORLY hard core missions dude ... the places, the weather, the roads, and the challenges of an unreached land (some say the top unreached country in the world). I love it!

Wow, what can I say in such a short time. It's been an amazing couple of weeks so far. God's been giving me new strength and new passion for the nations ... just when I thought I would want to take a 'break' for awhile, I can't wait to get back to Morocco and follow up on some amazing "divine appointments" with people who need Christ. God brought so many awesome meetings with people who are interested in what our team and "teaching team's" mission is all about.

I don't have too much time, but wanted to post here and post an audio blog before we head into some very REMOTE villages where the gospel has never been yet ... and lands where there has never been prayer or4 a Christian to walk upon it yet ... so pray for more divine appointments and for the land to be prepared for a coming harvest.

Love you and miss you all!!

Gifts of Grace

Today was a wonderful day of experiencing God’s grace. And if God’s grace is a gift (which it is), I saw so many gifts being given out today in abundance. We continued our Sunday series: “Good News in a Bad News World”. Today’s message was entitled: “Good News for the Messed Up”, and I was able to witness first hand God distributing His gift of salvation … His gift of healing … and His gifts of love, acceptance and restoration to our congregation. And it was wonderful to behold. Thank You Father …

And this may possibly be my last post for a few weeks as I leave for my mission trip tomorrow morning. I will be spending time in France, Morocco and Guinea reaching out to Muslims in these nations and partnering with many ministers and missionaries along the way.

These places, especially in Africa, have many strongholds, so please pray that God would be my Wall of Fire protecting me, my faithful Provider of all my needs, my Banner who will bring me victory, my Jehovah Rapha who will bring me Healing and my Shepherd who will lead me … every step of the way.

And as teamwork is so crucial for mission teams, and with this team being very mixed (from Australia, the US and Korea), please pray for unity, humility and love as we seek to serve Him together.

I cherish your prayers, I am thankful for your partnership and I am honored to be your servant. To serve with you is always a gift of grace to me … a reminder that God is a God of second chances … what a great God we serve … may He receive much glory through this trip and through our lives.

[ps. I’ve included a short prayer letter in the photo to the left. You can click to see a larger version … plus, if possible, I’ll use the “audio blogger” function on this site and leave update messages through phone calls if I am able … so keep posted … and let’s stay in prayer for each other.]

Currently Listening How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb By U2 Yahweh

Our Lamp ... Our Light ... Our Life

In preparation for my mission trip next week and to help our December mission teams, I uploaded a bunch of new Bible verses in MP3 format. As time permits and as the Lord wills, I hope to have many more verses available from past mission trips as well as more personal favorites =)

Using this method of memorizing Scripture through my MP3 player has made a big difference in learning new verses more quickly, effectively, and efficiently, as well as keeping old verses fresh in my mind.

I've also been encouraged by those who have shared with me that this part of the website has been helping them start a new discipline in their lives that they didn't have before. It's an honor for me to know that this small act of service can help someone hide God's Word in their heart and grow in their knowledge of Scripture. And for that reason, I will continue to make time for this ministry on the web =)

I pray that our congregation would continue to cherish His Word in our lives ... by learning it ... loving it ... and living it. May God bless you richly as you saturate your life with Scripture.

Currently Singing ... Until My Heart Caves In By Audio Adrenaline King (You Are My King)

Too Cute!!!!

My friends (David, Hee Jhung, and family) who recently went to Alaska to pastor a church out there sent me some more pictures of their super cute kids! I just had to post their pix up as well as ask for more prayer on their behalf.

Please pray for God to provide good friendship and partnerships as they adjust to a new country, a new life, and a new ministry that has been very demanding (as usual, the original job description and the real one is very different). He has to take care of A LOT of things on the Korean side of ministry as well as the EM side (plus a ton of administrative work!).

Also pray that their super cute kids would adjust well to life in Alaska. And that they would also build good friendships and grow to be strong men of faith who will be used mightily by God. Wow, I can't wait to visit them some day and see their kids in person. =) So David and Hee Jhung, our prayers are with you and your family! Love you and miss you lots ...

I've added a few more videos from our EM Olympics. I don't think I can upload anymore chant videos though ... the remaining ones are over 100mb each(!) ... but we'll see what happens.

And a final prayer request: please pray for me as I prepare to go to France, Morocco, and Guinea, Africa next week. I'll be away for a missions trip to these countries for about 3 weeks, and I know we're going to be in some physically and spiritually challenging places, so I really need your prayer support in the coming weeks. Thank you always for your prayers and partnership ...

As I always share in my prayer and spiritual warfare messages: "your prayer support is my life support."

Asking You To ... I 2 (Eye) By Michael W. Smith Pray for Me

Kingdom Seeds

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernal of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24 NIV

This was the key verse that God was convicting my heart about during my first mission trip to Africa back in 1992 (oh my ... that was over 13 years ago!?!?!) ... and it was the verse that God reminded me of last night. There was a monthly Come Mission Intercessory Prayer Meeting that I had to speak for yesterday and during the opening praise, I felt I needed to share from this text again to the 'future' missionaries who were at that meeting. I had orginally planned on speaking from a completely different passage, but this was the theme, I felt, for the night.

A couple of our EM members were there (and are also regular members of Come Mission Australia). They are currenty preparing for a mission trip to Morocco in December as well as preparing for a lifetime of missions after seminary. And the lessons that I learned on my first mission trip I wanted to share to them.

I realized that the only way unreached nations are going to hear the Gospel is when disciples begin to live a life of 'dying as seeds' for the Kingdom. It's only when we are willing to give up our 'rights' for a comfortable life and the luxuries that our friends and family may have and be willing to become the first seeds to be planted among a people who need Him. And when those seeds die, new life begins ...

And it's only when we love something or Someone more than the life we live here on earth, that we'll be able to serve the nations in a way that will honor God and build His Kingdom ... for we honor Him when we say with our lives ... more than comfort, I love You more ... more than what I want, I want to want You more ... and when the nations see that we love Christ more than life and because of that, we do not fear death ... Christ is honored. So it has been and will continue to be the prayer for our congergation to be Kingdom seeds to be spread thoughout this world ... and to be used mightily for the spreading of His fame ... all for His glory. May we always honor Him in our life ... and honor Him in our death.

"God, prepare your servants in our congregation for a lifetime of loving You ... a lifetime of loving You more than life ... and lifetime of loving You until death. I pray that you will prepare us to be Kingdom seeds that will be willing to be planted anywhere you send us. To be seeds that are planted into the lives of those who need You ... and to be seeds that are willing to die ... for You ... so that more than comfort, we would always want Christ ... more. So prepare us well Father ... so that you might use us well ... all for Christ ... and His Kingdom. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray ... Amen."

Currently Praying ... Cutting Edge By Delirious? All I Want Is You

Good News and Good Fun in the Family of God

We started our "Good News in a Bad News World" series today and was able to see the Gospel reach many new people in our service. Praise God for His mercies that are new each day! Please continue to invite your loved ones this month to our ministry and pray for God to keep adding more people into His eternal family with each service.

And I've added a bunch of new photos from yesterday's olympics as well. You can find them in the "Pix of My Church Family" ---> "New Life Worship Various Events" sections. It was sooooo fun! I also uploaded a few videos in my "Video Downloads" section on the right. Hopefully I'll have the rest of the team "chants" ready for download soon (but the file sizes are a bit big so it might take awhile). I'll let you know when they're ready.

Plus I added one more post in my "Blogger Tutorial" section ... on keeping the spammers away (not the Stratty group), and added some pictures in my "Pix of Friends" sections. Enjoy! What a fun weekend it was! It's days like these that I get a glimpse of heaven ... enjoying life together as a family of God ... and I look forward to that day when these joy-filled days will never end. =)

Currently Listening The Joshua Tree By U2 Running to Stand Still

Olympic Sized Fun =)

A big shout out to Eddie Bang and the organizing committee for the great job they did in getting our amazingly fun olympics together! Seriously, GREAT JOB GUYS!! It was so awesome to see the care groups coming together so well and having so much fun along the way too.

I'll be posting up more pictures and videos(!) in the coming days, but for now I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to our very hard working servants who helped make today so fun! And I wanted to put up the pix for our top three finishers: 1. Care Bears, 2. Hills What! and 3. West RYDE!!!! =)

Also, we'll be starting our new sermon series from tomorrow: "Good News in a Bad News World". So for the month of September, we'll have many opportunities to invest well into eternity ... to invest into the lives of loved ones who need Christ ... and to invest well into many missions giving opportunities. Please pray for God's anointing and power for this month and for His Kingdom to come amongst us as it is in heaven. Have a great weekend of worship ... in His presence ...

Today's Olympics Made Me Want to Listen To ... The World As Best As I Remember It, Vol. 2 By Rich Mullins Growing Young

Praying for New Orleans

Wow, I didn't realize until recently how devastating the recent hurricane in the US was. Tens of thousands of people are left in desperate conditions, hundreds have died and fear of disease is also a great concern at the moment. Some people said it feels like a third-world country right now in New Orleans.

Let's pray for these victims of the hurricane and do what we can to bring hope and support for them. You can donate to the Red Cross through your iTunes as well.

I also wanted to post some links to a couple of John Piper articles on Suffering and the Sovereignty of God: 1. Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy and 2. Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained That Evil Be?

Let's pray for their faith and fight for ours too as we live a world that is longing for the return of Christ to restore all things again ...

Sydney Olympics

The Olympics return to Sydney this Saturday ...

Sports do not build character ... they reveal it.
- John Wooden

Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat everytime.
- Lou Brock

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
- Vince Lombardi

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.
- Michael Jordan

I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying.
- Michael Jordan

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified from the prize.
- The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9:27)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord ... since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
- The Apostle Paul (Col. 3:23-24)

Cowells Lane Reserve :: Ermington :: 9:00 AM :: Saturday :: September 3, 2005

Pretend You're Listening To ... Hercules Original Soundtrack "Go the Distance" by Michael Bolton