following an unknown path

wu mama

We found out this week that Lawrance's mom has stage 3 liver cancer.   We've been told to expect her time left on earth to not be very long. 

My husband and his siblings are in the midst of making lots of decisions, trying how to provide the best care for their mother and father right now.  

We would very much appreciate prayers for the Wu family right now. 

The one praise this week has been that Wu MaMa accepted Christ as her savior on Wednesday.  After Lawrance shared his testimony, a dear Christian friend invited Wu MaMa to believe and she did. Father is merciful to the end.  I am so thankful for his patience and mercy!!  Praise Him!

So, in the midst of a heartbreaking situation there is hope. 

Right now, I will just leave it at this . . . we thank you for going to the Father on our behalf.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

(Psalm 121)

great is the Lord

Running through my head this morning:

"Great is the Lord, He is holy and just, by His power we trust in His love.
Great is the Lord, He is faithful and true, by His mercy He proves He is love."

"For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods" (Psalm 96:4).

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3).

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, Great is the Lord! (Psalm 40:16).

野地的花 wild flowers (aka the flowers of the field)

A beautiful song . . .

My unpoetic English translation:

Wild flowers wear beautiful clothes
Birds in the sky have never had to be "busy"
Merciful-Loving Heavenly Father daily watches over us
He so loved the people of the world that he prepared a path to everlasting life

Every single need the Heavenly Father already knows
If your heart is full of troubles, allow him to get rid of them for you
Each day Merciful-Loving Heavenly Father is taking care of us
He is the All-powerful Lord: Blessed are the people who depend on Him

___
The original BEAUTIFUL Chinese version:

野地的花，穿著美麗的衣裳，
天空的鳥兒，從來不為生活忙。
慈愛的天父，天天都看顧，
祂更愛世上人，為他們預備永生的路。

一切需要，天父已經都知道，
若心中煩惱，讓祂為你除掉。
慈愛的天父，天天都看顧，
祂是全能的主，信靠祂的人真是有福。

___
Here is an a capella version of the same song recorded in Taipei during the Franklin Graham conference last fall.  (The first 30 seconds is talking that can be skipped in order to get to the song.)

faith like potatoes

Lawrance and I picked up this movie based on a true story yesterday afternoon not knowing what it was all about . . . .

It was EXCELLENT!  We both really enjoyed it.

I don't often recommend movies . . . but this I would recommend.

Has anyone else seen it yet?  What'd you think?

the secret of heart-peace in the time of distress

If this world were governed by chance—no amount either of philosophy or of common sense could keep us from worrying; but we know that our Father is taking care of us! No little child in the best and most caring home, was ever carried so carefully or so safely in the love and thought and care of earthly parents—as is the least of God's little ones in the heavenly Father's heart! "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them!" Matthew 6:31-32. The things we cannot help or change are in His hand, and belong to the "all things" which, we are assured, "work together for good, to those who love God."

In the midst of all the great rush of events and circumstances, in which we can see no order and no design—we well know that each believer in Christ, is as safe as any little child in the arms of the most loving mother!

Amid all life's trials and disappointments—our faith rests upon the character and the infinite goodness of God! We should have the faith of a little child—in a Father whose name is "Love" and whose power extends to every part of His universe! Here we find solid rock upon which to stand, and good reason for our lesson that we should never worry.

Our Father is taking care of us!

In a world like ours, there are many things which incline us to worry. There are disappointments which leave the hands empty after days and years of hope and toil. There are resistless thwartings of fondly cherished plans and purposes. There  are bereavements which seem to sweep away every earthly joy. There are perplexities through which no human wisdom can lead the feet. There are experiences in every life—whose natural effect is to disquiet the spirit and produce deep and painful anxiety.

If we are never to worry, what are we to do with these things which naturally tend to cause us worry? The answer is easy—we are to put all these disturbing and distracting things—into the hands of our Father!

"Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7. God is taking care of you—not overlooking the smallest thing, and you have but to cast all your cares and anxiety upon Him—and then be at peace. It is trying to carry our own cares, which produces worry! Our duty is to cast them all upon Christ! This is the secret of heart-peace in the time of distress, from whatever cause.

(By J. R. Miller, "Don't Worry!" 1912. Public Domain as seen on Grace Gems.)

interview with an atheist about evangelism

My mom shared a link to a video of an atheist that agrees with the quote I posted yesterday . . . that it is a cruel mercy for Bible-believing Christians to not be sharing the their faith with those around them.

Video is from this site: The Great News Network, who have given permission to repost as long as there is a link back.

Thanks for sharing this, Mom!

Father, continue to help me have a burning passion and boldness to share Your Good News with those around me who live in total darkness.

sharing the good news

We currently have a team of six (from Missouri) here serving with Hokkien Harvest, the mission team I partner with, for the week.

Yesterday, Wednesday, they came to Tainan and shared the Good News with Taiwanese college students. 

What a privilege to witness new life begin!

I invite you to join me in praying for both the team as they still have a few more days here with us and for your new brother and sisters in Christ!! 

blessings on door frames

I know Chinese New Year was two weeks ago, but I've been on vacation since then and am just now getting around to blogging about it.  In past years, I just haven't blogged about Chinese New Year since I couldn't blog in "real time."  But this year, I set a few short autoposts before I took off on vacation (worship, candy, blessing fruits), and for the rest of this week I want to share a little more about some of the customs and traditions that surround this all important holiday. 

So, let's talk today about red papers.  In the first two photos below, you can see one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world and her father pasting red papers around the door to their home and place of business. 

Each year new "spring couplets" (春聯) are posted around the door frames of homes.  They are left up all year--or until they come down on their own accord.  Some get quite weathered and/or faded as the year passes, but they are left till the following year, when they will be replaced by new papers. 

These spring couplets can either be purchased factory made, handmade, made to order (while you watch the guy paint/write), or you can make your own.  The characters on the papers are written in either black or gold ink--but the paper is always, always red.

My friend's grandfather made the single four word "blessing" (not "couplet") that hung on my door when I lived in Kaohsiung.  The video below shows a man writing the words for blessing that was hung on my Taiwanese father's home.

These "spring couplets" aren't simply lines from poems.  They are often "lucky words" or words that tell people how to treat others (kinda like the Chinese version of the "golden rule"). If Christian families in Taiwan want to paste "spring couplets" they will choose verses from Scripture or phrases that proclaim how great God is. 

I'm not sure why, but calling them "spring couplets" doesn't quite capture it all.  There is also usually a third paper that is pasted on the top of the door and is written horizontally. 

In addition to the "couplets," the words "blessing" and "spring" are written on squares of red paper that are at an angle so they look like diamonds. 

And, not always, but commonly, these two words are hung upside down (like the gold character in the photo where the man is looking at couplets that are for sale). 

Why are they upside down?  Glad you asked.  In Chinese when you say "your blessing is upside down" it sounds like you are saying "your blessing has arrived."  It's a homophone thing. 

(One couple has posted many kinds of factory made "spring couplets" into a flickr set.  Worth a quick look if you want to see some of the things that were for sale this past Chinese New Year here in Taiwan.)

Another red thing that gets pasted on both doors and windows throughout Taiwan at this time of year are papers depicting gods.  Perhaps he is (they are) the door god(s), but I don't know.  On the main door of the home, usually five papers get pasted.  Additional "god papers" are then pasted on to every window and every additional door--both inside and outside. 

According to my Taiwanese friends, the Taiwanese believe that by hanging these papers over the doors and windows of their home they are protecting their home from evil spirits.  The papers are part of the baibai table on New Year's Eve, and are pasted up after that.

Is it possible that pasting red papers on door frames once a year has ancient roots in the blood of the lamb and passover??  I don't know, maybe.

I do know, however, that God loves the Taiwanese and wants to bless them like they never been blessed before. 

isn't He good?

This Sovereign Grace Song has been playing on repeat in my head again:

Your goodness
Found us in the darkness
Rescued us and freed us
Cleansed us from within
You saved us
Freely You forgave us
Counted us as righteous
And heirs with Your own Son

Isn’t He good, isn’t He kind
Hasn’t He blessed us time after time
Isn’t He good, all of our days
With endless mercies
And ceaseless grace
Oh let us sing: He is good

Your mercies meet us
With the daybreak
And every breath that we take
Points us to Your grace
Your power
Keeps us till the hour
Every knee will bow and
Worship Christ alone

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV)

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, NLT)

worship

Reading through the biblical account of the Creation and the Fall get me excited.  They are my second favorite part of the Bible "to story" to people who have never heard it before.  There is some really great stuff in there that as people who've grown up with the story just totally miss.  (Note to self: this is a post topic for another day.)

But, the other day, in the midst of being excited about reading the opening chapters of Genesis, I saw something I'd never noticed before: it was during Seth's lifetime that men began to worship (call upon the name of the Lord or be called by the name of the Lord). 

I read my Bible with colored pencils near by so I can mark themes (kinda my own version of Kay Arthur's inductive study).  One of the things I love marking is worship.  So, perhaps that is why this time I actually saw this verse.  This verse left me pondering much and asking lots of questions.  I did look it up in a commentary, so I could get some of my questions answered.

All this thinking about worship reminded me of a post I wrote last January  . . . I share it with you again:

Do you wanna know what verse my kid-brother (13 yo) counts as his favorite verse in the Bible?

I'll give you a hint: it comes from today's chronological Bible reading.

Sam's favorite Bible verse (if memory serves me right) is Job 1:21: "And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" (And this is coming from a kid who had all of his birthday presents and all  of his Christmas presents from 2005 stolen during multiple break-ins in the course of just a few months.)

I, however, tend to favor the verse right before Sam's favorite: "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped" (Job 1:20).

In a matter of seconds--in the time it takes to utter a few sentences--the greatest man of all the people in the east tragically lost each and everyone of his ten children, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and all but four of his very many servants. 

And what does the grief-stricken guy do? He worships.

I love that word: w o r s h i p. 

It has become so much more meaningful to me living here in Taiwan. I have seen people worshiping great, big, HUGE idols, people worshiping tiny 12-inch tall idols, people worshiping old trees, people worshiping even the stumps of old dead trees, people worshiping stones and tablets, people worshiping ancestors (both those from generations long ago and those recently deceased).

My idea of what is worship has changed so much since living here. Before it was only something I did with others.  It was something I did in Church--it was singing songs and listening to sermons.   What I did alone was "quite time" or "devotions."  When I was a new believer, I did not know I could or should bow before God of All and worship.

Don't get me wrong.  I knew and could teach others and wax eloquent about the fact that our daily act of worship was how we lived our lives. And, I knew that worship is a coperate act we do together when we gather as believers.

Don't get me wrong.  I know that people in the western world "worship idols"--TV, football, blogging, movie stars and so on. I know that.

But that is not what I am talking about.  This is different.  It is markedly different. 

We, in the West, do not kneel before our TVs and computers clasping our hands in front of us and make a choice to actually, physicaly bow before a graven image of the "god of entertainment."  But, I have friends, coworkers, students, neighbors who do make the choice to kneel before an idol, clasp their hands around sticks of incense and worship.

Watching them worship has changed the way I myself worship the Almighty.  I cling to that word "worship" in the Bible more so now than ever.

Job, upon hearing that all he owned was destroyed, did what?  He worshiped. 

The scholars from the East followed a star and traveled miles and miles, why?  They wanted to worship. 

What did one of my favorite characters in the Bible, Gideon, do after hearing the interpretation of his dream?  That's right, he worshiped. 

Moses, Joshua, David, Samuel . . . they all "worshiped." 

Often the Bible simply tells us "he worshiped."   Sometimes it says "they bowed their heads and worshiped," but, many, many times it is written as "and he fell down and worshiped."

When was the last time you "fell down worshiped"?  When was the last time you stopped activity, put aside the reading plan, the prayer request list, and memorization cards, and worshiped? 

Don't get me wrong.  I am not saying don't do those things.  I am not even saying those can't be "acts of worship."  But, I am wondering, when was the last time you (and I) fell down, face to the earth, and worshiped the Most High God?

I wanna be like Job, and Gideon, and Moses, and David, and Samuel, and . . . . .  I want my first response to the proclamation of good news to be that I worship.  I want my first desire after hearing bad news to be that I worship. 

And so, after she clicked save, she knelt before the Most High God and worshiped.

Originally posted on January 4, 2006.

Reading through the biblical account of the Creation and the Fall get me excited.  They are my second favorite part of the Bible "to story" to people who have never heard it before.  There is some really great stuff in there that as people who've grown up with the story just totally miss.  (Note to self: this is a post topic for another day.)

But, the other day, in the midst of being excited about reading the opening chapters of Genesis, I saw something I'd never noticed before: it was during Seth's lifetime that men began to worship (call upon the name of the Lord or be called by the name of the Lord). 

I read my Bible with colored pencils near by so I can mark themes (kinda my own version of Kay Arthur's inductive study).  One of the things I love marking is worship.  So, perhaps that is why this time I actually saw this verse.  This verse left me pondering much and asking lots of questions.  I did look it up in a commentary, so I could get some of my questions answered.

All this thinking about worship reminded me of a post I wrote last January  . . . I share it with you again:

Do you wanna know what verse my kid-brother (13 yo) counts as his favorite verse in the Bible?

I'll give you a hint: it comes from today's chronological Bible reading.

Sam's favorite Bible verse (if memory serves me right) is Job 1:21: "And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" (And this is coming from a kid who had all of his birthday presents and all  of his Christmas presents from 2005 stolen during multiple break-ins in the course of just a few months.)

I, however, tend to favor the verse right before Sam's favorite: "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped" (Job 1:20).

In a matter of seconds--in the time it takes to utter a few sentences--the greatest man of all the people in the east tragically lost each and everyone of his ten children, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and all but four of his very many servants. 

And what does the grief-stricken guy do? He worships.

I love that word: w o r s h i p. 

It has become so much more meaningful to me living here in Taiwan. I have seen people worshiping great, big, HUGE idols, people worshiping tiny 12-inch tall idols, people worshiping old trees, people worshiping even the stumps of old dead trees, people worshiping stones and tablets, people worshiping ancestors (both those from generations long ago and those recently deceased).

My idea of what is worship has changed so much since living here. Before it was only something I did with others.  It was something I did in Church--it was singing songs and listening to sermons.   What I did alone was "quite time" or "devotions."  When I was a new believer, I did not know I could or should bow before God of All and worship.

Don't get me wrong.  I knew and could teach others and wax eloquent about the fact that our daily act of worship was how we lived our lives. And, I knew that worship is a coperate act we do together when we gather as believers.

Don't get me wrong.  I know that people in the western world "worship idols"--TV, football, blogging, movie stars and so on. I know that.

But that is not what I am talking about.  This is different.  It is markedly different. 

We, in the West, do not kneel before our TVs and computers clasping our hands in front of us and make a choice to actually, physicaly bow before a graven image of the "god of entertainment."  But, I have friends, coworkers, students, neighbors who do make the choice to kneel before an idol, clasp their hands around sticks of incense and worship.

Watching them worship has changed the way I myself worship the Almighty.  I cling to that word "worship" in the Bible more so now than ever.

Job, upon hearing that all he owned was destroyed, did what?  He worshiped. 

The scholars from the East followed a star and traveled miles and miles, why?  They wanted to worship. 

What did one of my favorite characters in the Bible, Gideon, do after hearing the interpretation of his dream?  That's right, he worshiped. 

Moses, Joshua, David, Samuel . . . they all "worshiped." 

Often the Bible simply tells us "he worshiped."   Sometimes it says "they bowed their heads and worshiped," but, many, many times it is written as "and he fell down and worshiped."

When was the last time you "fell down worshiped"?  When was the last time you stopped activity, put aside the reading plan, the prayer request list, and memorization cards, and worshiped? 

Don't get me wrong.  I am not saying don't do those things.  I am not even saying those can't be "acts of worship."  But, I am wondering, when was the last time you (and I) fell down, face to the earth, and worshiped the Most High God?

I wanna be like Job, and Gideon, and Moses, and David, and Samuel, and . . . . .  I want my first response to the proclamation of good news to be that I worship.  I want my first desire after hearing bad news to be that I worship. 

And so, after she clicked save, she knelt before the Most High God and worshiped.

Originally posted on January 4, 2006.

cruel mercy

When the sun shines--the ice melts. When the Sun of righteousness once shines with beams of grace upon the soul--then it melts in mercy and tenderness.

Mercifulness is a melting disposition whereby we lay to heart the miseries of others, and are instrumental for their good. We must chiefly be merciful to the SOULS of others. Indeed soul-mercy is the chief of mercies.

That is a cruel mercy--when we see men go on in sin, and we let them alone. And that is a merciful cruelty--when we are sharp against men's sins and will not let them go to hell quietly.

Fond sentimentality is no better than cruelty. The surgeon cuts and lances the flesh—but it is in order to a cure. They are healing wounds. So when we lance men's consciences and let out the blood of sin, we exercise spiritual surgery. This is showing mercy.

"Rescue others by snatching them from the fire!" (Jude 23). If a man had fallen into the fire, though you hurt him a little in pulling him out--he would be thankful and take it as a kindness.  Some men, when we tell them of sin say, 'O, you are unloving!'  No!  it is showing mercy.

If a man's house were on fire, and another should see it and not tell him of it, for fear of waking him--would not this be cruelty? When we see others sleeping in their sin, and the fire of God's wrath ready to burn them up--and we are silent--is not this cruelty?

(Thomas Watson, 1660, "The Beatitudes." Public Domain as seen on Grace Gems.)

evangelism

I "share" the posts I read and think others would benefit from reading.  But sometimes, simply sharing them in my sidebar is not enough.  For example, there are parts of this clip below from Pulpit Magazine written by Jesse Johnson that I would totally highlight, underline and draw stars next too if I could mark up a computer screen!!

All believers are to be active in evangelism. In fact, all four Gospels end with Jesus commanding believers to bring salvation to the lost (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21). Jesus’ last earthly words were another repetition of this same command, to bear witness to the gospel (Acts 1:8). It is not an overstatement to say that all Christians should be driven by a love for evangelism. After all, it is our mission in life.

But while all Christians are called to be active in evangelism, not all Christians are equally gifted at this particular calling. Acts 21:8 and Ephesians 4:11 both imply that some have the gift of evangelism and some do not. But God in His wisdom has still called all Christians to evangelize.

Thus, one of the marks of a Christian is a love for evangelism. If you are fearful, evangelism gives you the opportunity to trust God for courage. If you are timid, evangelism gives you an opportunity to trust God for confidence. Christians are slaves to Christ, soldiers in His service, and sons of God. Our master, our general, and our Father has given us our orders: to reach the lost with the hope of the gospel.

As Christians, we love what God loves, and God loves the lost. As we become more and more sanctified, we become more and more like Christ. This growth causes us to grow in our love for those who are still God’s enemies.

Tiffany and Becca's adventures--days 2 and 3

On the 2nd and 3rd days of Tiffany and Rebecca's trip to Taiwan, we went east to help with the end of a week long mission trip/English camp. 

But first we had to cross the mountains and drive along the beautiful coast.

I'll have to go into more detail about the camp later when I have more time.  But, God was at work in Taimali and it was a blessing to be able to be a small part of it.

One of our responsibilities was to cook and serve 300 hot dogs!  We cooked them in an out door kitchen.  I have three words to say about that: IT WAS HOT!!!

Friday evening we had a celebration event.  Taimali is an abrigional village of the PaiWan tribe.  So, during the worship time of the celebration, some of the ladies started doing a traditional group dance around the sitting area.  So, we joined in as well.  It was a great experience.

But, perhaps the best part of the whole weekend was that 16 people were baptized Friday night!!!  Praise the Lord!!  (I promise to write more about that experience later.)

i want to be a mommy

(I know nothing about Kellie Coffey except for this song.)

Many women in my family (including me) have PCOS, which is the leading cause of infertility in women.  1 in 10 women have it. 

The powerful emotion that this song evokes causes tears to stream down my face.  I long to have a family, to be a wife, to be a mom . . . this singer has tapped into my heart of hearts, but even she has more than I do.  She has a "husband to love." 

It would be so easy to be bitter and envious.

But you know . . . in reality--in the nitty-gritty-in-your-face-this-is-life reality--I would still choose to be single and childless if it means God is better glorified in my life.  Oh, make no mistake, being a wife and a mother is something I really, really want!!!  But glorifying God is something I want even more.  (Clarification: Not that he wouldn't be glorified if I became a wife and a mom, but only He who knows how he can best be glorified in my life.)

Tears continue to fall.

He is all-powerful--He can do what he wants when he wants. 

He is all-good--He is a gracious, loving Father who gives good gifts and keeps his promises.  He has met my greatest need of all and blessed me way beyond I deserve. 

What right do I have to be bitter or envious?  None whatsoever.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two Additional Thoughts
First, you know what else? Even though her song is powerful and brings tears to my eyes each time I watch it, I am not sure I would be willing to die in order to become a wife and a mom.  Namely, the pragmatics of it just don't make sense.  If I died to become a wife or a mom, well then I can't really be a wife or a mom now can I?  I'd be dead. 

Second, after I first heard this song . . . I later thought about the One who HAS died for me.  . . it is humbling.  I am grateful for His tender loving mercy and everlasting grace.  How undeserving I am!  . . . yes, the tears are falling again.

The Beauty of Truth

The beauty of truth is that it sets us free.

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32).

I know . . . I've experienced this truth--that the truth sets us free--several times.

As a kid, lying was probably the sin I struggled with most.  I didn't lie straight out, I stretched the truth or made up my own "stretched facts."   I blurred the lines between reality and my imagination.  But, still it was lying.  I distinctly remember one day--maybe in third or fourth grade--sitting in the cafeteria and telling one of my stretched stories.  I remember being so convicted.  I realized that I couldn't keep all the details of all my stretched stories straight.  It was liberating to discover that if I told the truth and only the truth, I didn't have to worry about keeping anything straight.

In college, I sinned and then was convicted by the Holy Spirit; I struggled for an entire summer with the guilt of not confessing it.  The moment I went to the person I had sinned against and confessed, the moment I told her the truth, I was able to breathe freely again. 

A few years ago, I suffered from depression.  Part of it was hormonal, and while hormonally imbalanced, it was easy for me to believe "warpy thoughts."   So, part of getting out of the deep dark pit of depression was washing away the lies I had been believing with Scripture.  I remember one of my friends telling me: "no wonder your depressed, anyone who believes that would be depressed."   Her speaking truth to me and encouraging me to feed on Scripture again, helped set me free from the chains of depression.

Satan is the father of lies, and shoots flaming darts at us.  "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).  He loves to keep us bound and imprisoned.

Oh, but our Heavenly Father delights in truth in his inward being (Psalm 51:6).  And it is Him who sets us free.  His truth sets us free.   What a glorious thing to delight in! 

Truth . . what a very beautiful thing indeed!

This post was submitted to the Carnival of Beauty sponsored by following an unknown path.  This week the theme is The Beauty of Truth and is hosted by Bethany at Picturesque Life. Join us next week for The Beauty of Babies--right here on my blog. 

redeemed, redeemed!

I woke up this morning singing this . . .

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.

Refrain
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.

Refrain

I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.

I don't even know when is the last time I actually heard this song being sung or played, but I tell ya it was ALL I could think of this morning!!

Just in case you were wondering, it is one of the thousands of hymns penned by Fanny Crosby.

to die is gain

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).

Look upon your dying day as a gainful day. There is  no gain compared to that which comes in by death.  A Christian gets more by death, than he does by life.  To be in Christ is very good--but to be with Christ is best of all, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" Phil. 1:23. It was a mighty blessing for Christ to be with Paul on earth--but it
was the top of blessings for Paul to be with Christ in heaven! Seriously consider these things--

By death you shall gain incomparable crowns!
   A crown of life, Rev. 2:10; James 1:12;
   A crown of righteousness, 2 Tim. 4:8;
   An incorruptible crown, 1 Cor. 9:24-25;
   A crown of glory, 1 Pet. 5:4.
There are no crowns compared to these crowns!

By death you  shall gain a glorious kingdom! "It is your Father's pleasure to give you a kingdom!" We must put off their rags of mortality--that we may put on our robes of glory. There is no entering into paradise--but under the flaming sword of this angel, death--who stands at the gate. Death is the dirty lane through which the saint passes . . .
  to a kingdom,
  to a great kingdom,
  to a glorious kingdom,
  to a peaceful kingdom,
  to an unshaken kingdom,
  to a durable kingdom,
  to a lasting kingdom, yes,
  to an everlasting kingdom!

Death is the dark, short way, through which the saints pass to the marriage-supper of the Lamb!

(Thomas Brooks, 1675, from "Words of counsel to a dear dying friend,"
Public Domain as seen on Grace Gems.

Grace Gems has Brooks' comforting seven page letter, "Words of counsel to a dear dying friend in it's entirety.")

 

the splendor of flowers

 

The lens of my camera loves to focus on flowers.  Maybe that is because the amateur photographer behind the lens loves to gaze upon flowers. :)

Each flower is unique and special and beautiful.  How creative God is!!

And, if he takes time to dress the flowers in splendor, how much more does he care for us? 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  (Matthew 6:25-34, emphasis mine)

How great God is!!

This post was submitted to the Carnival of Beauty sponsored by following an unknown path.  This week the theme is The Beauty of Flowers and is hosted by Ellen at MzEllen & Co.  Join us next week for The Beauty of the Holy Spirit. 

P.S.  Can you tell that the bottom left-hand photo is the flower that is in the logo for the CoB?

worship in taiwanese

I've enjoyed the video clips of worship that are on this missionary blog: First Term on the Field.  So, this past Saturday night, I decided to capture a little worship in Taiwanese to share too. 

Nothing, not even babies, makes my heart leap higher for joy than listening to people worship the King of kings and Lord of Lords in their own language!

Did you hear it:  "gwa ay jew gwa bay ging by nee"? 

It means: "My Lord, I come to praise you!"

This video is actually of a group of Taiwanese Believers from Taipei who came down south to share the Gospel in Kaohsiung County alongside Grace Family Church for three days. 

Taiwanese sharing Good News with other Taiwanese in Taiwanese--How awesome is that!?!?

Ging by nee, Lord!!

ticking or twitching?

The clock in my living room held its two thick hands at 12 and 10 for about a week. 

But, the battery was--not dead--it was dying.  So, the second hand was--not ticking--it was twitching. 

With great effort but little success, the long, skinny second hand continued to try to reach for the that big nine on the left.  Twitch, twitch, twitch.

It still hung on the wall.  It still looked like a clock. 
It still told time, even if incorrectly.  It still was moving, even if unsuccessfully.  Twitch, twich, twitch.

Sometimes, I feel like my living room clock.

If my clock had feelings, I bet it was grateful when its battery was changed so it could tick like it was supposed to. No longer just stuck on the wall lying to anyone who bothered to glance at it, it is now ticking. It is now blessing those who look to him for help.  Tick, tick, tick.

I know it is that way for me.  I am, always, oh, so grateful for a charged battery so I can tick like I am supposed. 

So . . . how about you?  Are you ticking or twiching these days? 

If like my clock, you're struggling to reach that nine on the left, submit to your Maker so He can charge your battery and empower you to tick like you are supposed to.

remembering

One Saturday night my freshmen year in college, my roommate and I went to find ice cream at 10 pm in the middle of winter.  Finding none and forgetting that coffee contains caffeine, we opted for large coffees at a bookstore.  When we got back to our dorm room just before curfew, we tried to go to sleep, but obviously could not.

So, instead of fighting it we both pulled out photo albums of mission trips we'd taken during our high school years.  We sat on that bottom loft bed, side-by-side till the wee hours of the morning flipping pages, pointing to pictures, and telling each other story after story of God's goodness, God's power, God's love.  It was a night I will never, ever forget.

For me the beauty of photographs is that they help us remember who our God is . . similar to the stones of remembrance in the Old Testament.  Looking at pictures from days gone by . . . whether they be family photos, vacation photos, mission trip photos, or just old random snapshots . . . I can't help but remember how faithful God has been in keeping His promises.

Even photos from the "rough times" in life, still speak to how He was faithful to carry us through--that even in bad situations He still remained all-powerful and all-good.  Even photos that are before I was born--of my grandparents when they were children or of my parents on their wedding day--these older photos serve as a testimony of how God has worked in and through the various generations of my family.

For me, the beauty of a photograph is that it inevitably causes my heart to swell with praise and thankfulness to the Most High God for all that He has blessed me with and for all that he is.  Now isn't that a great reason to flip (physically or virtually) though photo albums!?!