I woke up today thinking about Missions and Missionary work and was compelled to share why I believe Missions matters.

I was born a refugee – that is not necessarily the greatest of conditions to be born into.
I think I was lucky that my parents, having escaped Vietnam, ended up in Hong Kong in the early 1980s. We were very lucky.
Sit down with a group of middle-aged Vietnamese “boat people” and they will share with you a plethora of stories that are beyond belief:

• Tiny 40-60 feet long boats that carried 200 people
• Boats breaking down at sea
• People dying of disease and dehydration
• Pirates attacking these boats, killing the men and raping the women

There aren’t often many happy stories found in the stories of the Vietnamese boat people.
We were and still are a people who were forced to leave our home countries due to political strife.

Worldwide, there are still thousands of Vietnamese people who are stuck in refugee camps in Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and various other Southeast Asian/Indonesian countries. Globally there are over 33 million people from all different nationalities who are displaced, whether it is outside or inside of their own countries. That is larger than the population of Canada.

These people have no voice, they have no home, they rarely have a face that Westerners can connect with and they have very little dignity.

The refugee camp I lived in was pretty big. I don’t remember much about it other than the fact that in any one room, we had three to four bunk beds one on top of another and there was about 2 feet of space for a person to sleep in-between the bunks. The refugee camps weren’t incredibly dirty or anything like that; however, the military presence of guards with machine guns and german shepherds still lingers in my memory. Life was simple at best – at least in my eyes.

It was Western missionaries who brought love, compassion and aid to our refugee camps. Two years before I was born, my great aunt and my mother gave their lives to follow Christ after attending a local church established by the Western missionaries. I believe the missionaries may have actually been Canadian because years later, my mother had attempted to find her missionary mentor in Toronto and I believe we had found her.

These missionaries were a blessing, and I honestly don’t think I realized the impact they had on my personal spiritual formation until years later.

I went to school at the age of three (the standard age in Asia to start attending school), and the school was actually run by missionaries. I remember vaguely that my teacher was a Caucasian woman who spoke English. The only thing I remember from school was her teaching us the song “Go Tell It On the Mountain”… a song that has stuck with me since my childhood.

It was the missionaries and churches worldwide who met our plight and tried to find sanctuary for the people at the camps. A local church in Calgary, Alberta had reached into their hearts and sponsored our family to Canada and we have been here since 1989.

Missions is important and as Western churches, we cannot stop doing it – by doing missions, you are not only bringing relief and development and aid to a people group, but you are bringing something eternal and lasting to these people and it is the message of the gospel. If it was not for the missionaries who met us in our time of need, I don’t believe that my family would have given their lives to God.

If your church is currently not involved in missions, I implore you to encourage them to do missions (whether it is local or overseas). People need compassion and love and they need to know that they have value in the eyes of their fellow humans and value in the eyes of God.

There is a need for missions worldwide and we are losing missionaries to retirement and attrition; parents are also discouraging their children from doing missions as well. In a world with so much need for love and compassion, I believe it is our call to respond to that need.

-end-

They loved to fight, valiant horsemen with swords and horns and arrows.  But did they fight for her?  Sitting home, left behind to wait on a king who no longer thought of anyone or anything but darkness, watched by lustful eyes fueled in all his deceit by his selfishness – what good was it for strong men to fight if their homes crumbled in their absence?  Would this be her whole life, waiting for people to die, watching decay and singing of dirges?  How could a shieldmaiden ward off the subtly corrupting whispers that truly threatened her kingdom?  An enemy manifest, however terrible, is easier to defy than ghosts in the shadows.  And she yearned, for morning and for restoration and for love. 

A brother she had, whom she loved.  A king she had, like a father to her.  A people she had, who would follow her.  They that went with the puissant soldier on the paths of the dead went because they would not be parted from him.  She stood alone weeping as she watched him go, but he from whom she could not be parted was her uncle.  Where will wanted not, her way opened.  Disregarding formation, she rode close to him.  In the battle she learned that what she wanted more than death, more than glory, was to preserve the beloved lives of her friends.  Alone she stood, facing death, shielding self and kindred from his icy blows. 

And then she wasn’t alone.  Her little companion, brought out of sympathy, stood up and began a change in the woman.  Valiantly, for no other reason than that the desperate woman should not die alone, he reached up to stab at death.  Together they brought him down.  Together these two unlikely heroes suffered, both sleeping in the triage houses in the city.  More came, not for glory or to make whole again their human weapons.  The healers came to restore the broken, to call back the fevered wanderers. 

She woke in the middle of a journey.  No healer had she been; her hand ungentle, left to fight its own battles.  And here at last beside her, appointed also to stay at home, stood a man who could outmatch any of the revered men of valor she had known.  Yet he spoke not of the love of fighting, but of love for that he defended.  He did not love being a ruler, but loved that which he stewarded.  His own glory meant nothing, but he wanted to do what was wise and brave and therefore praiseworthy.  He would forfeit his life to keep an oath. 

Her reflection stood before her, cast in new light.  She also fought, stewarded, took pity, and offered her life.  Now she saw what it was for, and it went deeper than opposing the things she feared and hated.  As the days passed, the man grew to love her.  No more did she miss someone to stand for her, to speak for her, to plan for what pleased her.  He was there.  And her heart changed, or else at last she understood it: to be a shieldmaiden no more, but to be a healer and lover of all things that grow.  Turned from the dark battle and dirges to the life that had been crumbling, she found peace and love and bliss. 

To God be all glory,

Lisa of Longbourn

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. (Can you believe it; it’s almost 2010.) And we all know that New Year’s Eve is synonymous with Champagne and sparkling wine. But do you know the proper way to open and serve sparkling wine? No worries, because I just produced this video to help you open and serve your sparkling wine like a pro by showing what to do and what NOT to do. (Don’t try this stunt at home, I’m a professional.)

I also suggest a couple of accessories from IWA that can help you open the bottle and keep the leftovers…like there will be any. HA! By the way, if you need sparkling wine, such as the 2001 Windsor Vineyards Brut, North Coast, Platinum Series shown in the video, it not too late to order some for New Years Eve.

Happy Holidays and a special thank-you to Bill and Cathy Fallis of Vine Tasting Wine Bar & Bistro in downtown Windsor, CA. for letting me use their beautiful wine bar for my video.

Please read I Timothy 6:6-19

When you stop to think about it, from the very beginning, the fall of mankind in sinfulness came about because of greed and selfishness. It’s the, “I want what I do not have and am willing to break the rules in order to get it” that gets us, hence the warnings and exhortations in today’s passage. Desire for wealth brings temptation. The love for more personal gain is foundational to our fall. Command those who are rich to verify where their faith lies. “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” Store up your treasures in Heaven.

What a contrast to what our world today proclaims. We are often labeled or perceived as “misguided” if we put others ahead of ourselves, that is unless we  know that they’ll owe us one. We are delusional if we are committed to setting aside a percentage of our holdings for use by the church, unless we can then use it to manipulate the church to support us in some cause.

Can we actually fulfill these biblical exhortations? Is it possible to stand as a beacon of light in this world of moral decay? Can we really show them the truth through these archaic beliefs and methods? These questions approach the topic from the wrong perspective. We must recognize and accept that the Word of God was written long ago, but God is always in the now. He’s not just yesterday. His word is current and applicable to our lives in every moment. These are not archaic beliefs and methods. They are a heartfelt passion. They are the signs of life in our dying world today. They are the beacons of light shining into the darkness, drawing the lost and curious. When we have surrendered our hearts and lives to the shaping and molding of the Holy Spirit, we will live out the love and passion for God’s kingdom in all that we do. That means that He sanctifies our wallets, our homes, our businesses, our entire lives. All we have is His for the using. Let’s give it up.

I love Braveheart; it’s a manly movie.
There’s something about going out to battle that makes it feel so right … fighting for a cause that you believe in. I’m not saying that war is a good thing – but there is something that riles up deep inside of you when you feel incapable of responding to a cause that you know you should be fighting for.

I love the scene in Braveheart where William Wallace addresses the armies of Scotland and asks them if they would trade their comfortable lives for just one moment to fight for a cause worth fighting for. It’s a powerful scene – it evokes emotion and action; when you are watching the particular scene, it almost makes you want to jump up and say “YES I WILL!”
Sadly, it’s just a movie – but remarkably, your life is lived in the same manner.

We shrink away from our battles, we shrink away from discomfort and suffering. We shy away from justice and we rather “live and let die” than go out and do something about a problem and risk dying because of it.

I was having a discussion with my buddy yesterday during our men’s group and we were talking about living a life less ordinary. That we felt God desired us to do more than to be content and complacent. That too often we trade God’s way of life for a peaceful, comfortable and safe life. Yet Jesus calls us for more than that… to live much more than that.

Would you trade your whole life to live for God wholeheartedly? Are you satisfied living in “content” lifestyle?
Or would you trade it all for the moment to make a decision to do something with your life?

I talked to a friend today while we were at church and she shared some of her concerns regarding her life. She didn’t want to settle for going to university and getting a job and getting married to some dude and having kids. She didn’t want that lifestyle; it was a lifestyle that was promoted by our North American church culture – the safe Christian lifestyle. She wanted none of it!

I believe God calls us to a life less than ordinary. I believe the world is a place that needs Christians who not only can share the message of the Gospel but go a step further and get down and dirty to help the poor and oppressed. A life less than ordinary means that we can go to bed at any time knowing that tomorrow will be a tough day; it means that we might have to live in a war-torn country to bring the message of peace and justice to a nation. It might mean that we may never own a house, a car or that white picket fence that we’ve always wanted. It may mean that we could be hurt or endangered or worse. That’s a life less than ordinary and too many of us are unwilling to trade the comforts of our beds and our lifestyles for something more… something that makes us alive.

I believe this generation is the generation that will say they will refuse to do nothing.
I believe this generation is the one that will step up and say “no more” to consumerism.
I believe we will stare selfishness in the eyes and ask it to think of someone else.

I heard a powerful quote the other day while listening to a sermon, the pastor said this:

“There is nothing more fulfilling on this Earth than to take your mind off of yourself.” (sic)

I was dumbfounded – it was such simple truth.

Would you trade it all for a life less than ordinary?

Sharing the Gift of Kindness has been the focus this month at The Tree! 

A group of women made cookies and took them to NCH to the nurses. 

I am sure they were greatly appreciated!

It’s All Because Of Jesus!

The coming of Christ brought the culture of the kingdom into clear focus, particularly in terms of how it is lived out in this present world.  Nowhere is it clearer than in the book of Matthew, which, more than the other Gospels, features the theme of Christ as King.  And nowhere are the details of kingdom perspective and practices more specific than in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

From an earth-side point of view, this Sermon is a radical expression of the kingdom in contrast to the normal patterns of life in this dark domain.  Unfortunately, many have felt that the Sermon on the Mount was Christ’s prophetic statement about what life will be like in the literal millennial kingdom when He comes to reign on this earth.  And while that is certainly true, it ignores the fact that the perspectives and practices portrayed in this Sermon are eternal qualities that emanate from the very nature of the King Himself.  It would be a gross distortion of the eternal nature of righteousness to say that we can ignore this kingdom point of view and wait to express these practices until he reigns as King of the earth.  He reigns as King within our hearts now.  We, as His subjects, live presently under His authority and gladly submit all we are and have to Him.

To be specific, the Sermon on the Mount maps out 10 life perspectives that translate into clear kingdom practices in our lives.  These 10 perspectives form our attitude and action in every area of life and express an accurate reflection of the King who reigns within.  The 10 categories deal with a radically different perspective on people, a new sense of purpose, and unique perspectives on personal relationships, personal godliness, prosperity, inner peace, personal accountability, prayer, spiritual perception, and the authority of Christ’s proclamation.

Not unlike the Ten Commandments, these 10 perspectives of the kingdom become a means of managing our inner world and also measure how far we have come in terms of kingdom behavior.  They create, as well, a point of accountability by which we can ultimately give a good report to the King.

UNDERSTANDING THE SERMON

Before we can hope to apply the King’s point of view, there are certain keys that enable us both to understand the meaning of the Sermon and the effective implementation of the perspectives.

First, Jesus intended that eternity be kept in clear view.  If there is no world beyond, then little in the Sermon makes sense.  For instance, you can give away a coat if possessions that truly matter are already reserved for you in heaven (Matt. 5:40; 6:19-20).  If there is a better, safer, long life beyond, then the Sermon’s demands on our lives are reasonable and applicable.

Second, since righteousness is the centerpiece of Christ’s rule, it becomes the highest law in every deliberation of life.  If we are to err in any direction, we should lean toward that which advances righteousness rather than that which would give ground to unrighteousness in our lives or the lives of others.  According to the Sermon, it would be better to be personally taken advantage of than to give cause for another to act unrighteously.

Third, throughout this kingdom proclamation, Jesus views life from the priority of that which is internal.  In contrast to the religious environment of His day, He moves beyond the outward scenery to the inner landscape.  With the King, people are like fruit.  It’s not how good they look on the outside; it’s the inside that validates the quality.

Fourth, it’s clear that the Sermon values that which is spiritual over that which is material and temporal.  Given a choice, the kingdom perspective always defers to the former.  The soul is of greater priority.

Fifth, we must understand and welcome the tension that is inherent in Christ’s teaching.  Jesus is imposing the standards of a perfectly pure kingdom culture onto a fallen and treacherous world.  If at times the Sermon seems to contradict this present world’s sense of what is reasonable, it’s because this world’s point of view is inevitably in conflict with Christ’s kingdom.  The fault is not with the Sermon but with the imperfect world.  True wisdom belongs to the King.

Sixthly, in applying the perspectives and practices that are taught in the Sermon we should not expect God to treat us in ways that we are unwilling to treat others.  If we are ruthless, unforgiving, and evil with others, then it is presumptuous for us to plead with God to be patient, tolerant, kind, and forgiving with us.

These then are the grid through which the Sermon must be filtered as we seek to understand and implement its teaching.  The Sermon is, in effect, the manual for managing the world within.  These guidelines are the essence of what it means to express eternity through the daily management of our lives.  No one will be able to ignore the reality of a righteous, conquering King when our redeemed world within is governed by these practices.

To God be the glory!

’til next time,

Danny

With a possible book being published on the horizon and a confusion about the name of the blog, I’ve decided to rename the blog itself to make it easier for people to find and to relate. Since “You’re My Shadow Today” is nowhere in the website (current and future www.servernotslave.com), I’ve decided to rename the blog.

Friends and family have all suggested that I rename the blog (and pending book) to be “Server Not Slave”, since it’s so catching – and I tend to agree with them. It is rather catchy don’t you think?

Anyone with a link to the site on their blogroll, please go ahead and change the description to “Server Not Slave”.

Thanks to all for the support.

We cling to the old

I heard someone explaining how they don’t wear freshly purchased clothing right away.  They buy them and wait for the right time to bring out the good stuff.  It made me laugh to hear this strategy until I realized I embrace a similar one.  I love wear old ratty clothing.  But, not wearing “good” clothing is about more than comfort.  I just don’t want to wear out my good stuff! 

This strategy keeps me in my old stuff. 

The more I think about it, the more I realize we all love preserving newness by not using it.  Here’s another example.  We keep driving the old car so the mileage on the shiny new one stays low.

Clinging to the old may be a great strategy regarding our stuff, but it’s devastating when it comes to living the Christian life.  Paul said it this way, “We are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

Christian serving expresses freedom not obligation.  Using the “written code” is below believers.  It may feel safe but it’s deadly.  How might your Christian service actually be expressing obligation?  How might serving become an expression of freedom?

Grace Freak Dan, breaking bondage in 300 words or less.
www.graceunplugged.org
www.leadershipfreak.wordpress.com

Human trafficking is a horrible atrocity.
Please contact your local (or home) church, your denomination and your local government and find out what they are doing to combat this horrible atrocity.

It’s not just happening somewhere around the world, away from your way of life. It’s happening in YOUR city just as much as it is happening on the streets of Thailand or Cambodia or elsewhere!

Borrowing a slogan from World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine campaign years ago: REFUSE TO DO NOTHING.

I believe God has given us a voice to be the voice demanding justice for those who are slaves.

Check out the following organizations:

http://www.ijm.ca/ (International Justice Mission Canada)

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ (Not For Sale: End Human Trafficking)

—-

If you are a Christian who has legal training, please considering joining IJM and their crazy ministry!

Be the voice for the voiceless, speak up in your youth groups, your churches and your school and ask people to get together to end slavery!
If you are a pastor or a church leader, get this message out. Let’s mobilize our churches so that we can shake the foundations of the slave trade and free those who are in bondage to slavery.

I am continually reminded that we are given freedom and resources for a reason: let’s be Jesus’ hands and feet to the world.

During the final days of the “waiting season” (Advent), we gathered to do a mini mission trip locally.  By “we”, I meant 28 participants of mostly teens, volunteering adults & few kids.

Click on image to see all Advent 09 mission trip photos

The event started out with a morning prayer at the chapel.  We offered God our effort and seek his blessing before the mission.  Our sponsor and champion, Padre Marco reminded us that when we go out to visit the sick and elderly, we visit the Christ in them.  With that in mind, we headed to Wellington Oaks, a rehab facility south of downtown Fort Worth.

After the prepping, we began the Christmas carol at 10:30am.  The following songs were chosen and sung to the elderly patients at the rehab.

1. Deck the Hall

2. O Come All Ye Faithful

3. O Holy Night

4. Silent Night

5. Trời Hân Hoan (The Heaven Rejoices)

6. Little Drummer Boy

7. Jingle Bell

8. Santa Clause is Coming to Town

9. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Most of the songs were great; except for “O Holy Night” when we felt humble and reminded that our capability is limited…  Those high notes are sure hard to hit at 10:30ish in the morning. hahahaha    Special thanks to co Nhiem for assisting us with practice at her home on Friday evening.  It turned out to be quite a fun and social event of the evening.

At the completion of the carol, every body reached out to the patients by visiting them.  We gave the elderly there hand-made “chocolate roses” (artificial rose with a chocolate kiss) and heart shape Christmas cards.  Thanks to c.Hanh and a.Tam for spending hours making these gifts.  Anh Tam also helped organizing the meet.

We then returned to church and gathered at parish rectory.  We greeted our pastor [Fr. Louis Do] and our own parochial vicar [Padre Marco] to sing them the “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”.  They welcomed the teen’s wishes and encouraged us to continue our journey of faith.

The apostolic event ended with a luncheon at Pho Ngon.  In the spirit of Christmas season, the restaurant owner gave us a special discount, while all enjoyed the foods and pleasant dining environment.  Please show your appreciation by dining at this restaurant from time to time…

Final thought.  God is good, and He continues to shower us with joy, funs and fellowship as we wait for Jesus’ coming.  So thank you for another wonderful turn out, but more importantly the opportunity to share God’s gifts to our fellowmen.

God bless us all and have a Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

FiC Season greeting to all

(I’d better write this now while I am still in the mood to )

It was with great indescribable joy when I witnessed the closure of the Musical. All these times I’ve been awestruck by just how faithful our Lord is and how much He has provided us with. He provided us with the perfect cast (even when we ourselves didn’t realize it), inspiration for the song tunes and lyrics, resources (the beautiful and big bean bags! the ‘home’ furniture!….), help (our very experienced makeup team! the amazing props team! the sound and lights team! the grounds decorations team! even aunty difang who whole-heartedly helped us with distributing food!) and the list just goes on and on and on.

For the production committee, over this year we really witnessed the growth of ourselves, seeing how strong our bond has become, how we have grown to love and respect each other and work together as a team. And I say – we have indeed grown A LOT in the past one year.

So much, so much to give thanks for. Where do I even start? All the tears, fears, frustration… it has not been for naught, for the God we work for is faithful and is the only one worthy of our hard work and adoration.