Reflections of Praise

September was definitely an interesting month! Actually, end of Sept to beginning of Oct was the interesting part. Leaving the country has that effect. Besides allowing me to visit a ministry in India, I had two weeks to try to meet up with new hosts for teams to India in 2010. Before leaving, the task looked a little daunting because it pushed me way out of my comfort zone. But God, in His perfect wisdom, knew it was exactly what WFI and I needed. It was so encouraging to meet and talk face to face (as opposed to long, drawn-out communications via email), to ask and answer questions, and to get a feel for what God is doing through music ministry in that country. Not only did He help establish friendships that can fuel several partnerships in the coming years, He ministered to me personally so I would return spiritually refreshed and refueled for the work ahead. Rather than taking up space here, I’ve posted my personal take on the trip here. Thank you so much for praying for me while I was out there. God truly did an amazing work through you to me.

Please pray

• for our 2010 hosts. We are aiming to send teams to at least 4 countries next summer. Please pray God will continue to speak to them about how He wants to use music in their ministries to expand the borders of His Kingdom where they are.
• for our 2010 teams. We are not as actively recruiting as we could be because I have been occupied with india over the last few weeks. Please pray I will get back into the swing of things quickly and have many opportunities to share our vision and mission with those whom God wants to use internationally next summer.
• for the development and planning of our domestic programs. Again, slightly distracted over the last few weeks. Pray I can re-focus and listen well to the Lord’s directions.
• for a peaceful re-entry period. The Lord was so good, not only to WFI but also to me, personally. Please pray I will continue to receive all He has for me and for this ministry through this trip. Pray also for re-adjustment. Physically, it was a little bit more challenging this time, and my body is definitely feeling it.

Looking Ahead

We all have our trust issues with God. So often, I fear what God has in store, but the truth is that fear is really rooted in my pride more than anything else. Through a long convoluted path, I sometimes end up serving Him out of a deeply hidden fear rather than joyful adoration. By that point, I am no longer His servant; I’m just doing stuff, as if He needed my favor to help Him out. It’s ugly, but I’m willing to bet it’s true for more of us than we’d like to admit.

But God, in His grace and mercy, takes us as we come and even humors us, all the while trying to teach us to find delight in our truest (though sometimes unrecognized) desire: living out His best plans for us, including growing more in love with Him with each step of faith and act of obedience. It took two weeks in India and the wisdom of the One who knows me better than I know myself to be reminded of the truth in Psalm 37.3-6. For whatever reason, I didn’t fully trust God was behind me in the small task of going to India, but that very trip turned out to be exactly the refreshment I needed to restore passion for what He has created me to do. What a delightful way to learn again that our limited lives here, when spent for His purposes, will prepare us for a far greater joy in Heaven.

Please pray we will continue to grow in understanding what it means to find our delight in Him so we can better enjoy the truest desires of our hearts.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Psalm 37.3-6

Reflections of Praise

God has been so kind over the past few months to be present as the ministry grows. Even though we’re still in the beginning phase of praying, receiving and refining vision, and developing strategy, it’s been a worship experience in itself to see Him put people and pieces together. There is still a lot to do, but I’m really thankful for the ways He has been present to confirm ideas and to guide us.

In the past month, we’ve been able to connect with 8 hosts in 7 countries who are interested in working with an international team next summer. One of them was an answer to prayer a couple of months ago, when I was asking God for connections in two specific regions of the world. Even though we might not be able to make all 8 happen by next summer, it is still exciting to go through the process of listening to God together for His plans.

Applications for next summer are now open and online (another answer to prayer!). We also have a new name for our international teams program: Wavefront. [Special thanks to the 3 Gees for sitting with me and being my sounding board as I went through the re-naming process. ] We’re pretty excited about how that will fit in with the rest of what is becoming a full suite of programs under Global Impact Ministries.

On top of all of that, I’m set to go to India Sep 23 – Oct 9 on a vision trip! Getting airfare, visa, and drugs (immunization, not street – haha) all happened quickly and smoothly. I’ll be traveling with Sandy Hoffman and his assistant, Janey Sandoval. Sandy is a worship leader from New Mexico who teaches frequently at a YWAM School of Worship out there, and he invited WFI to join him. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what God is doing out there and hearing from Him about how He wants to use us to bring more people to worship Him.

Please pray

• for our 2010 hosts. They have a lot to think through and do to make our ministry together effective.
• for our 2010 teams. It would be nice to have them settled before the year is over so they can have at least 6 months to spiritually prepare and raise support. Pray for God to speak to those He has already assigned to go.
• for the development and planning of our domestic programs. With all that is going on, it’s been a challenge to find energy to invest as much into that as I would like.
• for the trip to India. I’m excited to go, but the idea of leaving all of the work that needs to be done for 17 days is not so thrilling…since I’ll have to make up for it somehow. Pray for wisdom in how to make the most of the time I have as I prepare to go, for flexibility to be fully present in each moment and event while in country, and for His grace and spirit to overwhelm me even now so I can be a blessing to people I meet and minister with there.
• for opportunities to share the vision of WFI and Global Impact Ministries with more supporters. I actually enjoyed presenting and speaking to my church’s college group. Even though I get totally nervous in public speaking situations, it’s a lot of fun to talk about what God is doing.

Looking Ahead

I’ve been reading through Ruth Haley Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry for the last 3 months or so. It’s been a slow process, partly because of time and partly because it has been convicting enough for me to need to set it down after each chapter and re-examine my life and my approach to ministry. The last chapter I read was about the concept of Sabbath and how Christian ministries encourage activity, but rarely Sabbath. It’s been a good reminder as I start praying about building a core team. Even in my own life, it has become glaringly obvious how I neglect God’s command to observe a weekly Sabbath as I hit a wall every Thursday for the past two months and seem to find countless ways to procrastinate until after noon. In the midst of that frustrating realization, God reminded me of one of my favorite renderings of Matthew 11.28-30, where Eugene Peterson interprets Jesus’ words as “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

Rather than forcing myself and my schedule to fit the typical work week of Monday to Friday and filling my weekends with “ministry activities” or whatever I couldn’t accomplish in the previous week, I have recently felt the Lord was giving me freedom to follow Him and His rhythm for me: including a Thursday sabbath day. The beauty of it is this rhythm is (1) not that weird, as another friend just told me he takes his day off on Thursday, too , and (2) meant to complement the other rhythms He has established for other people and ministries around me, just as different rhythms can work together to complete an entire symphony.

Please don’t get me wrong! I love what I do, which is probably why it has been so easy to get to this point without even realizing it. Just yesterday, someone I deeply respect said something that resonated with me in that way that makes you uncomfortable because of it’s accuracy: “intimacy trumps excellence.” Excellence is one of my highest values in anything I do, work or play. Taken too far, it can also be called, “obsessive perfectionism.” What has been missing during the past weeks and months in my pursuit for excellence in Global Impact ministries is my pursuit for intimacy with God. How faithful of Him to call me out on this before I got too far! The striving and that burned out feeling every Thursday morning is partly due to a need for that rhythm of Sabbath rest, but it is also partly a result of missing God and the time to just enjoy Him in His presence. I want my life to reflect as closely as possible the reality of what waits for us in Heaven, and it seems a rhythm of worship and intimacy is a key characteristic of the life we can anticipate.

Please pray we as the Body of Christ will be diligent and obedient to observe His rhythms of work and rest for us, not only so we can serve Him with all His energy that works so powerfully in us, but so we can simply enjoy Him and bring delight to Him as He fits all of us and our work together into His perfect design.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.  Matthew 11.28-30

Reflections of Praise

There is always so much for which to praise God. Sometimes, it’s just overwhelming to try to reflect and remember all of it all at once. Thankfully, He gives out his blessings over time so we can handle it! As I’ve been learning more about some exciting ministries, God has “coincidentally” put people from those organizations in front of me. Even more incredible is the boldness He has given me to initiate conversations and set up meetings so I can learn more. (If you know me at all, you know how uncharacteristic that is.) On top of that, I got to spend a few hours catching up with a teammate from last year while visiting the U.S. Center for World Mission. That place is like holy ground. Felt the Lord confirming some of what has been on my mind regarding how to proceed. That’s more encouraging than anything else!

Please pray

• for our India team. They seem to be adjusting back to U.S. life, but it’s always a little difficult to figure out how to be as intentional about God’s global purposes at home as you are during a dedicated ministry trip. Pray they’ll see God’s heart in their daily purposes as clearly as they did in India.
• for our hosts for next year. I’d like to have that pretty settled in the next month or so, but communication across continents seems slower, even if it is online and in English! Pray for wisdom in how to establish key partnerships.
• for our teams for next year. It would be nice to have them settled before the year is over so they can have at least 6 months to spiritually prepare and raise support. Pray for God to speak to those He has already assigned to go.
• for our operations. As the vision grows clearer, the task also grows! Please pray for my own growth as I learn to draw more on God’s power and to assemble and delegate to willing partners.

Looking Ahead

While catching up with my teammate from last year, we got on the topic of waiting on God. We know there’s a time to wait on God for His timing and direction. That’s usually the answer when we don’t know what to do next. Lately, though, I’ve also been learning that sometimes God just wants us to step out in faith on the last thing He told us to do. It might seem as if He hasn’t told us enough. That first step is in that general direction, but we don’t have the specifics about what the step looks like. Rather than being a reason to wait, the “not knowing” factor is what helps our faith grow. I suppose if we knew, it wouldn’t be faith. It would be obedience (which isn’t a bad thing at all!). Obedience and faith aren’t the same thing, but they’re often related to the same action. We need both, but faith is what made it possible for Abraham to please God.

As I continued to reflect more on the topic, I remembered a similar season a former student and I went through together. We came to the conclusion we would always feel like we were waiting for something to happen as long as we were in this lifetime because we were actually waiting for Heaven and being in the full presence of God. All the other stuff we’re waiting for is like a temporary fix, but it can never satisfy us completely because it can never compare to God. In essence, our earthly lives are one long waiting-on-God period. The steps we take, if they are out of obedience and faith, aren’t meant to take us only to our goals, but through those milestones to our ultimate desire: God.

As much as I love what I get to do, I know it will never satisfy. The steps of faith I need to take to accomplish this mission won’t end when we reach a stated goal; they only lead us further and closer to God. Please pray we will all keep Heaven and the fullness of God in front of us as we continue walking in His assignments for us.

we walk by faith, not by sight  2 Corinthians 5.7

Reflections of Praise

What a crazy month! It’s amazing to say we trained a team, sent them out, and received them back within a month. Actually, they had been preparing and training for months. Had the opportunity to go to Ohio, which is a different culture altogether (“let’s go to Texas and hunt wild boar!” and “we don’t have to lock our car doors”) to this suburban California native. Thoroughly enjoyed meeting the India team members and was blessed by the Acts 2 community they live with through their sending church. Although I’m sure they had their ups and downs as a team (what team doesn’t?!), overall they seemed to have a positive and fruitful experience. Gave a children’s message, which was actually fun! Found out the Veggie Tales theme song is more widely known than Jesus Loves Me. Also had an unusually restful weekend! For those who encouraged me in that, thanks! In fact, I was so relaxed I almost forgot to play the doxology during 2nd service. It was a little weird to not try to be productive. Along with spending time seeking the Lord, I played hours of sudoku at the most challenging level possible and listened to music really loud. So weird how that actually clears my head and heart! Glad I got that out of my system… Now, I’m ready to plan for 2010.

Please Pray

• for the India team as they re-enter into their main mission field of Ohio and reorient themselves to the work God has prepared for them there
• for Paul, our main host in India
  • that he will have time to rest and to reflect on the last two weeks
  • he can discern how to use as much as possible of the fruit of our team’s work for his ongoing ministry
• for new hosts for 2010—I’m praying for hosts in three parts of the world…if you sense there’s a general area God wants WFI to enter, let me know!
• for two new domestic programs designed to equip and encourage worship leaders to engage in the Great Commission by using their gifts and talents
• for a growing network of partners and supporters—for the next few months, I’m praying for a total of 10 churches to really get behind this ministry and take it on as one way they help the Kingdom advance

Looking Ahead

No matter how hard I try, I never seem to get the hang of “cease striving and know that I am God.” There’s an oxymoronic observation for you! In the last three months, I had enough coffee and all-nighters to make you think I was a college student cramming for finals week. Except finals week lasted for three months. One of the things that resulted from this past weekend’s time of solitude was the challenge to discover what it is like to work hard, but to depend on God even harder. In my finite mind, those two don’t co-exist. However, they’re both in the Bible, so they must work together somehow! The verses He led me to are Psalm 90.17, Psalm 127.1-2, and Isaiah 55.2. “Finals week” could go on indefinitely; the only way it will end is if I consciously make a decision to cut it short. If the Sabbath was created for man, and not man for the Sabbath, then it seems to makes sense the same principle can apply to work. The list of things to do will never be completed until I reach Heaven (and even then, we’ll be plenty occupied!), but it can be more like Heaven if I choose to eliminate things that may not be mine to do in the first place. As summer kicks in, please pray we will experience truly restful labor in, for, and with Jesus Christ.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11.28-30

Reflections of Praise

This past month, I was very grateful to have spent the first 3+ months attempting to set up a schedule and system! Although it still needs a LOT of refining, it served well enough to allow me to focus on building a foundation for communication. I am now no longer a coding dummy…I’m just not a coding expert, nor will I ever be. Nor do I want to be.

with WFI board & staff—more bars in more places

It all came at  a price, though. I’ve had several dreams (nightmares?) about PHP and CSS this month. As I write this, I also realize my mind is pretty mushy. I had to look back at the calendar to even see what happened beyond yesterday. I almost forgot one of the highlights was finally meeting the WFI leadership board! We could be part of an AT&T commercial if we were in the right order. It was such an encouragement to meet with them, receive their input, and be prayed for. I’m thankful for a group of godly men to provide leadership.

India 1 team is getting ready to leave, and the date keeps coming a lot faster than I expect! They’ve been on a faith journey of their own as they prepare for two weeks on the other side of the world. Despite significantly lowering the total from what we first anticipated (which in itself is a gift from God), they were still facing having to raise the last $5000 this past month. One of the guys works for a coffee shop and, out of the blue, a non-Christian customer gave him $1000! I haven’t met Micah yet, but besides being a testimony of God’s faithfulness, it is also a testimony of Micah’s witness at work through his relationships with customers. If you feel God leading you, please go ahead and give to the India 1 team! They only need about $1000 more. [Select "Global Impact" from the drop down menu on the WFI site and let me know.] Any overflow can go into my account, so don’t worry about it. We’re all on the same team, anyway. It would be such a blessing to me to know they are sent out with an abundance of support from the Body of Christ.

As for the India 2 team, we decided less is more. Because of the timing of when I came on staff and the different changes in strategy as a result, Scott and I thought it would be best to continue praying and recruiting for 2010 instead. We would rather send a team that is prayerfully prepared than send a team just for the sake of sending one. Cutting back on teams this year will allow me to invest time into solidifying policies and schedules to help run this ministry a little more smoothly. I’m so glad we have a history to refer to, but let’s face it: with cross-cultural ministry, it’s never a completely smooth road. I’m glad God made me to prefer more exciting roller coaster rides to slow-paced ones.

Please Continue Praying

• for the India 1 team:
  • God’s protection over them as He prepares them to go and while they are overseas
  • that I provide thorough logistical service and wise spiritual guidance
  • for their final fundraising efforts, especially one last concert on June 14
  • for their time of training June 15-17: the ability to begin disengaging from life at home to focus on the task ahead
• for discernment, joy, and fruitfulness as I invest one more month into developing a support-raising system and process (also, thank God for helping me learn as much as I have this past month!); please also pray for protection and healing of my right arm, which is feeling the effects of too much computer time
• for opportunities to build significant relationships, share the vision of WFI, and develop a much-needed and stronger support network
• giving children’s message on June 21…love speaking to kids, not so excited about all the adults who will be watching (and I heard something about a video camera, which really isn’t necessary!)…pray for steady voice and calm heart

Looking Ahead

I attended one of my favorite high school students’ final school concert tonight. [I have about 80-100 favorite students. ] They closed out the evening with “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It was kind of thrilling, but a little surreal, to hear such affirmation for the cause of Christ in a public setting, especially since education is a very liberal channel of our culture. In particular, these lyrics caught my attention and encouraged me to continue pursuing God and His purposes in the midst of less-than-perfect conditions.

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
While God is marching on

It’s considered an abolitionist song, first made popular during the American Civil War, but the entire song speaks of the very stark reality of  God’s judgment and salvation…with no holds barred! The original lyrics actually call us to “die to make men free.” Technically, abolitionists don’t actually make people free; they just make freedom available. Understanding that is such a relief and an encouragement to continually offer our lives as living sacrifices to God! It reminds me giving up is not a valid option for me; choosing that will be my personal eternal loss because God will continue to advance His kingdom with or without my obedience.

We all hit seasons of weariness and discouragement in the spiritual battle that is part of being a disciple of Jesus, but truth like this set to music like this does wonders to fuel me toward His assured victory. What freedom we can have in Christ! It’s a big part of why I’m so excited about this ministry. Please pray we will all keep our eyes fixed on Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, so we can finish our earthly assignments well and with confident joy in our unfailing Holy God.

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5.15