The following represents my thoughts on Ted Cruz’s current situation.
All that is hidden shall by revealed. What is kept silent shall be shouted from the rooftop. It is a devastating spiritual reality that Cruz, the lying Christian wolf in sheep’s clothing, is being taken down on Easter weekend.
We would all do well to remember that it is the Holy Spirit that converts people, and not us. We would do well to remember the judgment of God is executed by God, not us, on his timeline, his methods and for his reasons. Cruz is going down because he MOCKED GOD AND MOCKING GOD ALWASYS RESULTS IN JUDGMENT.
The more I look at this current Cruz situation I am reminded of Jimmy Swaggart going down. GOD WILL DEAL WITH CHRISTIAN HYPOCRITES ALL BY HIMSELF. One of the reasons I have not been so frantic about Cruz is I KNEW God would deal with this fraud. Cruz has tried to deceive God himself with his campaign.
God grinds slowly, but thoroughly. The only person I feel sorry for in this is Cruz’s wife and kids. He has betrayed and abandoned them. Cruz would do well to remember: Do not harm the little children or it would be better to tie a millstone around your neck and jump into the sea.
Cruz has managed to offend God, insult man, betray and abandon his wife and kids, as well as bring shame on Christ and his Church. Yep, God has shown many times he will take down arrogant frauds who abuse his trust.
The National Enquirer has legal teams that vet every single word of every single story they publish. If the NE didn’t think it was covered, or faced a MULTIMILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT, the story wouldn’t have been published. Gawker was just fined nearly $125 million dollars for the Hulk Hogan sex tapes. Do you think the NE would publish this and face that kind of lawsuit if it wasn’t true? Sorry, the story is true; it has been covered up by the msm.
The real losers in this sorry mess will be: Cruz, the mainstream media and Cruz’s wife and kids.
THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE TO THE MSM CREDIBILITY WHEN IT COMES OUT THEY SPIKED THIS STORY SIX WEEKS AGO WILL BE FATAL AND YOU CAN BE GD SURE TRUMP IS GOING TO POUND THEM INTO HAMBURGER OVER IT.
Here is the Url of some of the many essays I wrote over at gold-eagle from 1998 to 2007.
My e book “Day of the Dogs” is now on SmashWords. The Url is here
The Url of my Amazon Kindle e books is here for the USA
The Url for my e books at amazon United Kingdom is here.
The e books are Day of the Dogs, Strike Destroyer, and Ezekiel’s Islamic Confederacy.
I also have a donation account at go fund me.
The link is here. https://www.gofundme.com/2ov29s


Sunday, June 8, 2014
NEW ministry alert! Kitchen Fellowship Ministry
Do you want to develop NEW and CLOSER relationships with people in your church? Do you want to develop them in a relaxed and casual atmosphere? Then the new Kitchen Fellowship Ministry is the one for you!
This ministry is open to all regular attendees and members ONLY and is a 6 month commitment.
Groups will meet in a host's home and focus on relationship building through food, fun, and fellowship. No fancy attire, no fancy china, just simple, fun relationship building!
If all this sounds like something you'd be interested in, sign up in the front of the church at the next service. Any questions can be answered by calling the church or asking a greeter at service.


Travel & Parking
Participants will be able to park in the following church parking lots:
6424 St. Joe Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Shoaff Park Baptist Church
6651 St. Joe Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Packet Pick-Up for the Summer Sunset Relay will take place on event day at Shoaff Park at the Riverlodge Pavilion. Pick-up starts at noon. You'll pick up based on your team name.


Ten years ago, the Israeli artist Micha Ullman realised his floor sculpture “STUFEN” in St. Matthew’s Church in Berlin’s Kulturforum: seven steps filled with Israeli sand leading into the church’s subfloor.
Image above: Micha Ullman, Drei Gruben, 1975, Herzlia, Israel © Courtesy Artist
A homage both to the seven days of creation and to the history of the people of Israel as the enduring foundation of the Christian faith. The human body, which gives the work its measure, remains invisible. Micha Ullman’s works revolve around the invisible centre of the human body – be it the lying body in his work “STUFEN” or the cubit in his work “Sandtisch”. The body as the whence and whither of human perception remains invisible in Micha Ullman’s abstract formal language – and yet is all the more present in its absence. The anniversary exhibition “KÖRPER” traces this invisible centre of Micha Ullman’s work – and thus opens up new connections and points of contact in his multi-layered oeuvre.
The exhibition is curated by Alexander Ochs, curator of the “PURPLE PATH” programme at the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, and Pastor Hannes Langbein, Director of the St. Matthew’s Foundation.
Sponsored by the Verein Ausstellungshaus für christliche Kunst e. V. Munich.
Sunday, 27.November 2022 – Sunday, 19. February 2023


At the end is just the beginning for Joseph…the beginning of his destiny! The beginning of his dreams coming true! This week, begin to focus on “but God meant it for good” in Joseph’s life. There are so many times in our lives that we don’t understand how “all things work together for the good for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Prayerfully consider that from a child’s point of view and look for ways to show the good coming out of something they consider bad. Encourage yourself in the Lord and journal the times you’ve found these truths in your own life – it will bring you to a place of willingness to dedicate your entire life to the Only True God.
You will need a couple of poster boards to display the life of Joseph. On one poster, display the bad things in his life and those who participated in his suffering. On the second board, list the bad things and how God used those things to prepare Joseph for his destiny as well as how it blessed others. This exercise will be life changing, especially if you make your own “board” in your journal.
1st Day: Genesis 41:1 – 41:14, Ezra 6:15-17, 1 Kings 3:15-4:1
2nd Day: Genesis 41:15 – 41:38, John 10:21-23, Acts 79-16
3rd Day: Genesis 41:39 – 41:52, Psalm 30
4th Day: Genesis 41:53 – 42:18, Numbers 7:1 – 7:17
5th Day: Genesis 42:19 – 43:15, Numbers 7:18-29
6th Day: Genesis 43:16 – 43:29, Numbers 7:24 – 7:35 | Shabbat Chanukah
Sabbath: Genesis 43:30 – 44:17, Zechariah 2:14-4:7 | Shabbat Chanukah
Have your children make a list of people who have wronged them, hurt their feelings, or anything they consider “bad.” Discuss ways to give and ask for forgiveness…and bring your children to a place of repentance with others and with God.
Tis the season to make latkes! Be creative with this recipe by adding cheese, onions, peppers…use your imagination and consider your taste buds!
6 medium potatoes, peeled
2 eggs, beaten
¾ Cup fine matzo meal or all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Apple sauce or sour cream, to serve
Grate the potatoes and onion in a food processor (or by hand) – put this mixture in a clean dish towel and wrap and twist out the extra liquid. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and add the potatoes and onion. Combine well and put the oil in the frying pan to heat it up!
Drop a spoon full of the mixture into the hot oil and heat until browned well on both sides. Place on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. Enjoy!
Now for edible art! Make a pan of Rice Krispie treats…the recipe is on the box! Cut the pan out so as to create a Hanukkiah. Decorate with candy…eat this Hanukkiah as you discuss the miracles of victories of the Macabees. And then there’s the Taco Hanukkiah!!!
Blessings and shalom in your home….
New Moon of the 10th Biblical Month
December 29, 2016/The 6th Candle of Chanukah
HOPE IN GOD!
A friend shared this with me recently…”the biggest thing any of us needs in the world is hope and that is exactly what a genuine testimony of our Savior’s work in our lives gives. The hope Jesus brings should move you forward and into action. What we HOPE for doesn’t have to happen here and now. Time and again we see in scripture where God promises something and it is not fulfilled until decades later. If you’re like me that can feel discouraging, but God intends it as just the opposite. It is meant as a promise to give hope that sustains you and helps you grow until the proper time…God often tells me, ‘step by step.’ ”
Another friend said, “Do you know why they won? They had HOPE! The knew they had everything to succeed.” I had to add…and they were all in…even in OVERTIME! OSU VS MICHIGAN 2016
Do we live as though we have everything we need to succeed because we have a relationship with the One, True, Living God? Do we move forward step by step knowing that even a “mis-step” can be a step because the God we serve is bigger than any “mis-step” we may take? Do we take Him at His Word that who He intended us to be when He formed us in our mother’s womb is who, indeed, we will be? Has He changed His mind about your identity and purpose because circumstances, or people, or lies of the enemy has spoken something different to you? Will you give HOPE a chance and trust that He will lead you to your destiny and purpose?
Who doesn’t like a party? We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and winning the big game, but what about celebrating Yahweh? What about celebrating all Yeshua has done for us? Let’s consider – why do we do what we do?
For many years, I never questioned the many family traditions that I participated in – actually, I can’t even say I called them traditions – it was just what we did! In the late 90s when I was well into my 30s, I began to ask the questions “Why do I believe what I believe?” “Why do I see festivals in the Bible and I don’t do anything with them?” “Why isn’t Christmas or Easter in the Bible?” I must say that this line of questioning probably started with “WWJD?” I realized that I had no idea. Jesus/Yeshua was not a Christian…He was THE CHRIST – the Anointed One, the Messiah – who also was – are you ready for this???? Jewish. There was nothing about my life that looked Christ-like in regards to culture, traditions, or lifestyle. So, I went in search of the Jewish Jesus and began asking God what that meant in the area of looking more like Him. I ran across Isaiah 16: 19b
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
and thought I should look at what I had inherited. I grew up in the Church of God based in Cleveland, TN. I have been and will forever be grateful for my Pentecostal heritage but as I began to study church history, the pagan origins of the Western culture holidays, and the compromise both of those entities brought to my understanding of the Bible – I knew I had to make some changes in my attempt to be like Jesus. What did He do? How did he live? Why would that change in regards to His Father’s expectation of me? Who added to or took away from TRUTH?
Sadly, another layer was found in Mark 7. (NKJV)
7 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when[a] they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[b]
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men[c] —the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’;[d] and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’[e] 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Ouch! So, the traditions of man make the word of God of no effect in my life…what traditions should I be looking at? Do I throw the baby out with the bath water? In some regards, I realized, yes – they both have to go! Many things stayed, many things had to be scrutinized under the lens of the Word of God and filtered through the Holy Spirit. And walking out a Jewish lifestyle in a Greco-Roman denominational Christian world – what did that even look like? What plumb line was I going to use? Was I going to fear God or man? Was I going to respond to what God said about a subject or tradition? Was I going to be one of those who say, “Well, that’s not what it means to me?” It had to matter what it meant to God. I know…I ask too many questions!
Ice my cake and be done with it all! This was the Scripture that sealed the deal and turned my world right side up…
Jeremiah 10 (NKJV)
Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
I’m quick like this…those verses were a word picture that I didn’t hesitate to understand. I’m not an idiot but I had learned the way of the Gentiles – the pagans, the heathens, and those who are without God…I had cut down a tree and decked it with silver and gold and secured it so it wouldn’t fall over. I had “knelt” before it to get presents from under its branches. And I didn’t do it little! I did it in every room of my house and outside as well…all the while making a birthday cake for Jesus on December 25th. By the way, just to interject here – my birthday is in January and I don’t celebrate it in July. In this personal “revival” – I found Scriptural evidence of Yeshua’s birth being in the fall. (See below) How could I know Him and not know when He came to earth as an infant?
I could share many more of my “clue by fours” but at this moment, you’re either hating me or laughing at me. You may even be recalling your own revival and the sweet tender way God got His Truth to you. He was gracious and kind and gentle yet not relenting in His pursuit of His Truth setting me free – truly letting me go so that I could worship Him. There is nothing so freeing as walking out the Truth by the Spirit. No bondage, no legalism, no tradition, no shame…no religion – just relationship.
The process of becoming an Ivri (Hebrew) – one who crosses over actually took me about 3 years – 3 Torah cycles. Patiently, Yahweh helped me to separate the holy from the profane. He gave me His cycles of righteousness in His festivals as a way to experience Him in His intended manner. He allowed me to question and wrestle with what I was learning as He changed my perspective. A greater explanation of the Greek vs Hebrew thinking is found in Brad Scott’s teaching:
The next Celebration Station post will be closer to Hanukkah/Chanukah! Stay tuned for the weekly Praying the Portion and the Portion Study.
Until then – enjoy the journey!
What better place than the beginning to begin my weekly postings of the cyclical study of Scripture? These posts will include such family fun ideas as Scripture study, edible art, crafts, games, and links that will allow you to glean from other teachers who have a heart to train up a holy generation.
1st Day: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Isaiah 42:5-43:11
2nd Day: Genesis 2:4-19, Proverbs 3
3rd Day: Genesis 2:20-3:21, Psalm 1
4th Day: Genesis 3:22-4:18
5th Day: Genesis 4:19-22, John 1:1-14
6th Day: Genesis 4:23-5:24, Psalm 119
Sabbath: Genesis 5:25-6:8, Revelation 22:6-21
Pick a beautiful fall day and head outside for a scavenger hunt! The articles found will be used throughout the week to create a creation collage. Mom, Dad, or one of the older children (tweens and teens) should be armed with a camera. All the other participants are to be given a grocery bag or a gallon sized storage bag for their treasures. The photographer – “scribe” must spend time with each participant to capture the finds in living color.
Here is a list of treasures for gathering:
Grass, sticks, rocks, leaves, dirt, dead bugs, beans from a garden, flowers – anything that Yahweh created! NO MAN MADE ITEMS.
But first!!! All participants lay on the grass side by side except the scribe. The photographer will take a picture of the family and then a picture of a male – alone and a female alone. So that the scribe is not excluded…he or she could be the one photographed alone. (Think of Genesis 2) Don’t forget to take a picture of the family (or neighborhood) dog or cat. Note to scribe – take pictures of the sky, trees, all things nature as you do your part for the creation collage.
Ready, set, go! Let the gathering begin! Once the treasures have been found – celebrate by eating dirt! Yes, dirt.
Oreo cookies – crushed
Chocolate Pudding Cups (Chocolate ice cream or yogurt may be used as a substitute.)
In a bowl, mix one pudding cup with 3 crushed Oreos – the pudding cups will overflow with dirt if you try to put the cookies in them! Don’t forget to take pictures of those sweet dirt covered faces!
Creation Collage Supplies: Large white poster board, Sharpie marker, white glue and hot glue gun and sticks, treasures from your scavenger hunt, and printed pictures of your family finding treasures, and a typed and printed page of the Scripture below.
Isaiah 42: 5 “Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Place items on the poster board prior to glueing them down. Place Isaiah 42:5-9 in a prominent place on the board so that it will be a constant reminder of the Torah portion. Once you’re happy with the look of your creation collage – secure the items with the glue that will do the best job for that item. Sticks and rocks will have to be hot glued for sure! Using the Sharpie, put a #1 by the things created on day one, a #2 by the things created on day two, etc. This poster can be used as a teaching tool by push pinning an index card over the number and then “quizzing” each other.
Helping Hand – Day/Fall Festival Calendar 2016:
Ways and days is one of the many ways to teach the Biblical reckoning of time to our children but one that will most likely stick with them. You will need colored chalk, a jump rope, and you’re own sing songy melody for the following words.
Evening and morning, the first day…hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
Evening and morning, the second day…way, way, way, way, way, way!
Evening and morning, the third day…day, day, day, day, day, day!
Evening and morning, the fourth day…hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
Evening and morning, the fifth day…way, way, way, way, way, way!
Evening and morning, the sixth day…day, day, day, day, day, day!
Evening and morning, the Sabbath rest in our nest, nest, nest! Yes! Yes! Yes!
The first color of chalk is to be used to create a “hop scotch” for the first six days. Place the squares side by side on the sidewalk making them large enough to jump rope in the squares. Use only a single number in each square 1-6. Using a different color of chalk, have your child lay down on the sidewalk and trace their body. In a heart, write the word Sabbath on their sidewalk shirt. You will find after jumping roping through the days of the week, they will like the rest, rest, rest and they’ll get the point. 🙂 This exercise is a great way to stress the importance of “six days shall you work” as well as the fact that Yahweh wants us to number our days (Psalm 90:12) so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. It is wise to rest in our Heavenly Father and enter into the weekly rest He has given us. To place an emphasis on not only the day but the way, weekly take a portion of Psalm 119 to read and discuss with your family.
Enjoy your time with Yahweh and your family!
My God, My King, My Maker and My Husband, You are God alone. There is no other. I am thankful for Your Sovereignty! I trust You when You say yes and I trust You when You say no according to Your Kingdom purposes for my life. You are Good. I rest in You. I’m grateful for the way You work all things together for my good. Thank You for being about every detail of my life and the lives of my loved ones. What a joy to lay my life before You…
I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.
It is well. I have Shalom.
In Yeshua’s Name, Amen
Father in heaven, we remember our covenant with You – the ketubah – marriage proposal that You put before us at the mountain. We lift our eyes and look to You – our Husband and King. With our brothers and sisters, may we truly walk as Your people. May we tear down the temple of Baal – all those want to be gods that have exalted themselves against You and Your people. May we do what is pleasing to You. Help us to address the shrines – to not leave them standing but to destroy them as we destroyed the temples of Baal – in Yahshua’s name! Let no enemy be left standing nor be in a position to entice us to walk contrary to Your judgments, Your statutes, and Your commands. Every knee must bow at the name of Yahshua!
For the sake of Your Kingdom, cause Your people to rebuild the ancient ruins, to fortify You house – Your body and build up Your people in the most holy faith. Heal, restore and reconcile all things to Yourself is our prayer.
Come, Yahshua, Prince of Peace, Come!
Heavenly Father, in the name of Yahshuah, we come to You. We give You glory and honor, and praise. You are high and lifted up and Your train fills the temple…You alone are Sovereign! How can we minister to You? How can we be as the Levitical priests of Zadok? We desire to serve You well, love You well, represent You well. Consecrate the altar of our hearts – may our lives be a living sacrifice.
According to Your will,
Heavenly Father, there is none like You…we thank you for the building of our lives that You are faithful to complete…working in and through us in this season. We trust that You are drawing us to follow Your Word in order to walk in holiness and righteousness.
Cause us to follow Your laws and observe Your rules and faithfully keep Your commandments. Abide with us forever and never forsake us. Keep Your promises to David – Come, King Yahshuah, Come!
Oh Father, forgive us…forgive us! Please forgive us for the way we enslave others…in sin, iniquity, and transgressions. Forgive us for not participating with You in the release – the freedom of others – free of perversion, free of compromise, and free of lawlessness. We have profaned Your name.
Please be merciful…please relent from releasing us to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine. Do not make us a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. Please don’t hand us over to our enemies, to those who seek to kill us.
Thank You for Your Word: “ Thus said the Lord: As surely as I have established My covenant with day and night — the laws of heaven and earth — so I will never reject the offspring of Jacob and My servant David; I will never fail to take from his offspring rulers for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I will restore their fortunes and take them back in love.”
Restore us and take us back in love, in Yahshuah’s name. Amen!
Holy, holy, holy! The Lord of Hosts! Your presence fills all the earth! We are lost – we have unclean lips and we live among a people of unclean lips! Father, touch our lips with live coals from Your altar…cause our guilt to depart and purge our sin. You ask the questions, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” We respond, “Here we are, send us.” Let us proclaim:
For a child has been born to us,
A son has been given us.
And authority has settled on his shoulders.
He has been named
“The Mighty God is planning grace;
The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler” —
In token of abundant authority
And of peace without limit
Upon David’s throne and kingdom,
That it may be firmly established
In justice and in equity
Now and evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts
Shall bring this to pass.
In Yahshuah’s name, Amen


ZECHARIAH: THE LORD REMEMBERS
The Lord remembers His promises to His people and speaks to Zechariah through night visions among the trees. The eternal truths of God’s passionate love for His people, the necessity of repentance, the fountain of forgiveness and the imminent return of the King of Glory are truths that can never fade away. Awake, awake O sleeper and embrace the divine Spirit that opens our hearts like a flower unfolds to the dawning light. By His Spirit of grace and prayer, Zechariah is a glorious ballet of unearthly beauty!
Dance Divine School of Ballet 40th Anniversary ballet will be presented at the Reilly Arts Center Saturday, May 21st at 2 PM & 7 PM.
Admission is free and seating will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Please visit our Dance Divine School of Ballet Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.


Breaking Blog Silence: after almost 3 years, I’m reengaging in the blogosphere and excited to see folks have visited The TIPing Point in China in the meantime. My great friend Mike Redeker just started his blog and gave me a great excuse to break the “silence” and start posting here and other places. Be sure to check out his blog as I promise he’ll always serve up some great truth to ponder or be amused by, along with some great pics from around our great planet.
Cheers from the great nation of Texas!:)
There are three purposes for this blog.
1) I’m in search of thoughts that will outlive myself. Thoughts about God and His creation.
2) I’m looking around this world to photograph God’s glory in every day life.
I love people. I love talking to people, dining with people, listening to people. People are like a book with many chapters in their lives. Most stories go to the grave without being shared. That is a tragedy. Our stories can encourage others. They can help the next guy say, “Hey they are like me!” Each individual on the planet is created by God for a purpose. I’m not claiming to be better than anyone else. I’m a messed up human attempting to follow Christ. That being said, here is the final purpose:
3) I want to encourage you. I want you to allow God to bring out the best in you.
Now more than 10 hours ago, I left Beijing after what seemed like the 10 months I spent there had lasted about 10 minutes, but had also somehow been more like 10 years. How so much adventure and fun and amazing, supernatural work could get packed into such a "short" time on this incredible journey of joyful uncertainty that has officially come to a close has only one explanation (see also below). I have a lot of unpacking to do when I get back, and not just with my luggage. So much was packed into these last days and weeks and even the final minutes of my time that I am thankful for and want to unpack with words here, which I will. My original connecting flight home was even canceled and let me have some bonus face and talk and prayer time at the airport with one of my great friends, Kyle, who had already returned from his faithful time on the journey in China with TIP.
For now, before my laptop battery dies as I cruise the last couple of hours to Dallas at 40,000 feet above the earth, enjoying the free in-flight wi-fi on Alaska Air, I want to share the lyrics to a song new to me that my great friend, teaching partner in TIP, and amazing sister in Christ, Dorothy, shared with me moments before I boarded the plane in Beijing. I can’t imagine a more special message to receive during my last minutes in the place where I enjoyed so much of what God is doing in the great land and people of China. I got to listen to and read them for the first time in the Starbucks where we were supposed to rendezvous before we even knew each other, but didn’t, when we both first arrived last August 5th in Beijing Capital International Airport. So amazing to consider all that has taken place since then….I’ll write it about all of it more in the coming days.
Praise God that He allowed me to participate in all that took place this last 10 months! I will never be the same.
To all my friends in the TIP family and all my friends all across China, I have so much I could and want to say, but for now this is my parting wish for each of you:
"I Wish You Jesus" by Scott Wesley
I could wish you joy and peace
to last your whole life long.
I could wish you sunshine
or a cheerful little song.
I wish you all the happiness
that this life could bring
But I wish you JESUS
more than anything.
I could wish you leaves of gold
or may your path be smooth.
I could wish you treasures
so that all your dreams come true.
I wish you all the paradise
that every day be free.
But I wish you JESUS
more than anything.
For when I wish you JESUS
I wish you everything.
Watch this sometime and share it with someone you care about:
This morning I woke up wondering if God designed that we would need sleep everyday to remind us of the Resurrection of Jesus when we wake up. In ways that echo and provide a shadow in a sense of this event, the daily pattern of rise, live the day, sleep, wake again gives a picture of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. I wonder why do we have to lie down to sleep? Why didn’t God just design us to not need sleep in the first place?
But to wake up daily in the knowledge that, even if it’s hidden behind a line of clouds in a storm, or a hazy day fogged over with pollution, the sun will rise and light the day. In an odd sort’ve way, lying down nightly foretells the eventuality of the grave for all of us, but the morning renews the reality that we will live on beyond the darkness, beyond this life, beyond physical death.
And praise God for His provision that the life both here and beyond is intended to be full of Him, even in the brokenness and suffering of this world that is not ultimately our home, just like our beds are not ultimately the place we are to exist. The vastness and magnificence of the universe is meant primarily to display His glory that we might praise Him, and not ourselves, and awaken and surrender fully to the desires He originally intended for all of us to have to be in a relationship with the Creator.
So I praise God that I woke up today, that the sun also rose again, and today we can celebrate that the One who created everything also rose 2010 years ago and proved His defeat of death, sin, Satan, and even self so that we, as the first two women to see Him that first Easter morning did, would worship Him with all our life, in all we do. Just as the angel instructed them, so am I instructed to “come and see” that it is just as He said–He is not here, He has risen, just as He said–and then “go quickly and tell.”
So I will go eat some french toast now, watch some live Final Four streaming, and look forward to carrying out today’s assignments to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
” So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
If you’re reading this and don’t know this Jesus who is celebrated today, invite you to come and see, and consider Him who today we celebrate, and Who is not asleep, but alive and risen indeed. Just as He said….
Thanks to my friend and teammate, Geoff Hill, for creating and sharing this fun four minutes that gives a glimpse of some of the TIP events and our students and facilitators during our monthly English-only sessions…think summer camp for English!
Enjoy it here also… 🙂
I look ahead as March Madness rolls on toward its climax this coming weekend while I look back on the beginning of this month here on its last day and wonder how it seemingly just evaporated into a time vacuum. For me, March began not with madness but series of sudden events and a mad dash to join my kids in Southeast Asia while their mom returned to Canada to be with her family that lost Dabney, her stepmom, to a sudden and fatal heart attack. This came only days after my family and this world lost a great one when my uncle, the senior most male member of our family, also passed away suddenly from a stroke. Maybe all that’s why March, 2010 "suddenly" seems to be over.
So much took place in this month I can hardly recount it all. Two deaths, the birth of my new nephew, an unplanned, week-long tour of Southeast Asia with my kids to Bhutan, Thailand, and Laos, the lost passport and visa adventures of leaving China and moving in and out of 3 countries, hiking, temples, archery, special time at an orphanage with 29 children cared for by one adult couple, feeding and washing 33 elephants rescued by a most unlikely and diminutive lady, planting 120 trees where 30,000 others had been added in only the prior 10 months, and Muay Thai kick boxing with some semi-professionals. And then there was plenty of after arriving back in Beijing as a both a final blast of snow and Spring arrived in the same week while we were redeveloping training plans and programs for next year, participating in the close of our session with Dot’s amazing Genius Group of Gladiators from Class G, and joining our team to help lead worship at the English Fellowship service of Haidian Christian church. I’m aiming to unpack each of these separately here in a series of new posts, so hang on for more, including a few flashbacks from earlier this year as well.
Meantime, for now we can welcome April tomorrow and a new month full of more joyful uncertainty to experience. In store is a brand new session, TIP #35, with 100s of new students arriving, and when it wraps up a chance will arrive to visit bunches of TIP alumni students, as well as training the trainers for the dozens of new TIP facilitators that will arrive this summer, and preparing for the next chapter back in the great "nation" of Texas when I return in just 2 months for a new adventure with Teach for America. I have a feeling they will pass quickly just as March did.
This has been a very unique week that has unusual events unfolding. After two relatively sudden deaths in our family, my uncle and dad’s oldest brother, Don, and Sue’s stepmom, Dabney, both from that great southern state of South Carolina, Sue is headed home to Canada for the funeral and to care for her dad who is not well. I am leaving tonight to be with our kids in Bhutan and travel with them to Thailand and Laos before Sue returns there and I head back to Beijing.
Please pray for safety and protection in our travels and our kids, and the comfort and peace of our families who are mourning the losses of two very special people.
There’s no guarantee of tomorrow for any of us, so call someone special in your life today and tell them you love them while today is still today, and before tomorrow becomes a yesterday.