An Example of a True Worshipper's Heart

I was in the shower this morning listening to how quiet the new fan is in my bathroom.  I could barely tell that it was on.  I hated turning on the old fan, and often did not, especially when Shelley's parents are visiting, because I didn't like disturbing the entire house with it's rattle.  I have heard that for most people, the in-law relationship is difficult.  Not for me, and for that I am very grateful.  Shelley's parents are true examples of the kinds of Christians that Paul exorts us believers to be.  He says we must be humble and serve one another.  Peter says, honor each other above yourselves.

     For one, it was Papa who replaced the fan, finding a new one after his standard exhaustive search of every home improvement depot in the area for $13.48.  We laugh every time he says it.  The rest of the fans were no less than $50.00.  And this little guy is practically silent, keeping the mirror and walls totally free of moisture.
     I later thought of the e-mail thank you I would like to send them.  I need to send an e-mail because I won't be able to remember all they did for us on this latest trip, and it be fun for them to see the list in written form


I'll share it with you:
Dear Papa and Mama,
thank you so much for your recent visit where you

• picked our grapes and made grape juice and jelly,
• trimmed our yard
• raked our leaves
• mowed the grass
• put up blinds in 4 different rooms
• found a glider for the baby room
• hung the mirror in our bedroom
• tightened the screws on our bed
• picked up our new deep freeze from Bi-Mart when I was at work and installed it
• mom emptied our small freezers and packed the deep freeze
• dad found and installed the new fan in our bathroom
• did the dishes
• did the laundry multiple times
  
• helped me load, unload, load, unload, and unload (at midnight) the music gear after our several ministry concerts, and house concerts
• performed with us at Friendly St. Church
• helped the arborist take down the 150 foot douglas fir, pulled the branches, moved the garden beds and other plants to prep for the job
• came to our ultrasound with us
• cleaned the floors in the kitchen,
• and probably some other things that I can't even remember.
• mended the torn quilt on the bed
• were cheerful and fun the entire time

    
This was an average visit for them, and they are in their seventies!  Every time, we completely enjoy the time with them.  They are fun to be around, never bring negative talk, and are wonderful Christians to fellowship with.  Over the two years we've lived in this house, they have painted our living room, put in flooring in our laundry room and painted it, plus countless other fixes, and upgrades to our home.  I am sharing this with you because it is such an awesome example of two people who have pure servants' hearts.  They don't complain about these jobs, but do them with joy, making us feel like they are lucky that we let them do it for us!  Every time I hug them goodbye when they are leaving, they say, 'thank you for your wonderful hospitatlity, and for such a good time.'  Imagine that?  They thank me, the son-in-law!  They are always saying that I am such a blessing to their daughter.  I don't take this lightly, because I know how hard the in-law relationship can be.  I have to add that Shelley's wonderful brother Kevin has been a huge part of some of these jobs.  He has replaced 4 doors in our house, in addition to working on and helping with some of the other jobs.  Being the son, he is an example of the home he was raised in.  He could certainly not want to give his time and talent to us, but he has the servant's heart as well.
     In addition to all of the house things, they are a blessing to our spiritual growth.  They have been pastors together for 47 years.  Last week at our worship night, I asked Papa if he would come up and share anything the Holy Spirit was placing on his heart.  Sure enough, the word he shared was enough to nudge one of our friends we were discipling to give her life to Christ a few minutes later!!  She said the words he shared caused her to want to come forward for prayer, even without us giving a formal invitation for salvation during the service.  Part of what he said had to do with what true worship means.  He said that in God's word, worship means to bow down.  To submit our bodies to service to Him.  As we go about our daily lives, we can worship the Lord by asking Him how He can use us that day to serve others, and be an example of His love to them.  

 1 Samuel 2:11 (New Living Translation) ¹¹ Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
 Matthew 16:25 (New Living Translation) ²⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

  Matthew 20:27 (New Living Translation)
²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

How powerful that night was for me.  I have observed this lifestyle for 15 years that I have been married to his daughter, seeing him be a servant to many, including his son-in-law to whom he had no obligation to serve.  He could have been the domineering i'm-older-therefore-superior type of father-in-law, but he has never been that way.  They could have had reservations about their only daughter marrying a black man, but they did not.  They cared ONLY that I loved the Lord.  When they saw that, they considered me family, and there has been no doubting of where I stood with them from that moment on.

     What an example to me as a Christian, a husband, a minister of music, a counselor, and soon to be a dad.  I see the humility, service, and generousity that comes from the power of the holy spirit being allowed to grow in your heart year after year.  

I close with a passage of the November 13th day of the devotional Streams in the Desert by Mrs. L.B. Cowman.   

The most saintly souls are often those who have never distinguished themselves as authors or allowed any major accomplishments of theirs to become the topic of the world's conversation.  No, they are usually those who have led a quiet inner life of holiness, having carried their sweet bouquets unseen, like a fresh lily in a secluded valley on the edge of a crystal stream.

p.s.  PRAISE REPORT - At the time of this writing, the current news had not developed:  On their last visit, Mom looked that the housing section of the Register Guard, and was attracted to a house in Veneta on... Heavenly lane.  We have prayed for years that they could find a property here in Eugene, but finances have not been in the flow.  They lost a ton of money to a wicked former business partner.  They currently live in Abbotsford, BC where they pastored a church for 10 years, and have stepped down from that position to do music ministry full time.  The pollution there is so bad, that Mom's voice is hoarse half the time.  We would all love to be here in Eugene together. 

     They went and looked at the house.  It is brand new, never been lived in, and the builder is a Christian!  This is a large, very well built house for not much money because of the current market!!!  They are in the process of purchasing that house!  I have no idea how they have the finances to do that, but I only see the favor of the Lord on their lives all the time.  Now that our first baby is coming, you can imagine the excitement.  This is something that looked impossible for a long time, but with God, all things are possible.  He has made it so this house was waiting just for them.  He is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek Him.  Amen.  May you be encouraged and blessed by the Lord today.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

How good does it feel to give someone something they need?  Sometimes the Lord blesses us with some extra money we have sitting somewhere, and then a family member or friend shares with us a financial struggle they are having.  There it is in our hands to give to them.  That moment feels better than the moment of receiving the money.  It is truly more blessed to give than receive. Acts 20:34-36 - You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. ³⁵ And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.
   It is all too easy to think of obedience to God as drudgery, having to follow his laws like cranky children grumbling while we take out the trash.   Our parents had to get on our case about it because we kept stalling, so by the time we do it, we have made it a major grind, when really, it was just a small request.  In our relationship to God, it goes even further.  When we obey Him, we experience blessings that we cannot even describe.  We also get to take in the fruits of His favor here on earth.  We only know this when we have fellowship with Him.  I tuned into Joyce Meyer's show where she sits down and interviews guests.  Her guest was a pastor from London who was talking about the incredible emptiness that people experience from their pursuits of money, houses, sex and other temporary things.  He said that is a big thing that drives people in London.  She confirmed that they do that here in the States as well.  What they continued to discuss is that people can make 100 million pounds, or dollars, and then still feel just as unsatisfied as when they began the drive to make the money.  The flip side of this is that God could bless us with wealth or things.  He does want to bless us even with abundance, but if we know Him, we can then use that money to bless others.  So it is not that God does not want us to have things, or success, it is just that if we are living for Him, we don't feel empty, we feel fulfilled to then give that stuff to other people.
    We see the importance of our relationship with the godhead established from the very beginning.  In Genesis, God made promises to Abraham, blessed him and his nephew Lot with possessions and land.  They had so much so, they had to divide it up and move to totally different parts of their land to have space for each other and their lives.  After he rescued Lot from the king of Sodom, he met Melchizedek the first priest of Scripture, and an honorable God worshiping man and gave him a tithe of the goods he was had from the spoils.  This offering to a 'King of Peace', the representation who Jesus was to be in the flesh.  Abraham honored the lord with the firstfruits of his house.  Then, when the king of Sodom wanted to give Abram the goods for the taking he refused it to ensure that glory for his wealth would go only to the Lord and not to the king of Sodom.  He had his priorities in the right place.  There is a proverb that says the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous.  and 
     So let's absorb, memorize, speak, and follow God's word about giving.  We hope to experience the plans that he has for us.  To prosper us and give us a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11.

Doing things God's way is great.


Here are some other passages on giving:

 Proverbs 15:6
Great wealth is in the house of the righteous,But trouble is in the income of the wicked.  

Isaiah 32:20 (New Living Translation)

 ²⁰ the Lord will greatly bless his people.
      Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.
      Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.

Luke 6:38 (New Living Translation)

³⁸ Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.^[a]”

Psalm 112 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 112

 ¹ Praise the Lord!   How joyful are those who fear the Lord
      and delight in obeying his commands.
 ² Their children will be successful everywhere;
      an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
 ³ They themselves will be wealthy,
      and their good deeds will last forever.
 ⁴ Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
      They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
 ⁵ Good comes to those who lend money generously
      and conduct their business fairly.
 ⁶ Such people will not be overcome by evil.
      Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
 ⁷ They do not fear bad news;
      they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
 ⁸ They are confident and fearless
      and can face their foes triumphantly.
 ⁹ They share freely and give generously to those in need.
      Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
      They will have influence and honor.
 ¹⁰ The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
      They will grind their teeth in anger;
      they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.


     

Can We Witness with Jesus Style Empathy?

      Shelley and I like to read to each other. Each of us will be reading a book word for word, and then periodically will share passages and pages to the other person. It really becomes like we both have read both books, because we are sharing the depth and substance of the material. We really enjoy Christian books that are based on understanding our identity in Christ, and how we can strive toward the destiny God gave us.
      She and I are the kinds of people who really want to make a difference for the kingdom. The enemy has put a lot of barriers in front of us to make us ineffective. The devil has many schemes to take us off track to live a life that is totally self-absorbed, focused just on survival, or on trying to get pleasure every day. A life of partying, and nothing much else can ensue. Both of us have lived for long periods of time where we weren’t living for the Lord. Through His redemption and forgiveness, He gently helped us come back to a daily walk with Him. What a sovereign creator we worship amen?
      Through this, we have grown to understand that He has a purpose for all of us who know Him to make a difference for others. We also have compassion for those who don’t know what living for God is. We know what it is like, and how subtle the pulling away from Him is. Junky movies, junky TV, junky food, promiscuous sex, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking pot, or taking other drugs, etc. all becomes the stuff that we crave daily, and habitually becomes the substance of our life. It replaces understanding the excitement of prayer, being in a praise and worship service, reading the bible. All of the things of the spirit seem mundane, and no fun when the flesh is in control. But thank God for the ways that He is constantly trying to reach us even in the midst of living a life where sin rules.
      The Lord puts sermons, Christian people, and miracles right in the middle of our vacant life to remind us that He is real and loving, and He alone will fill the hole in our heart. Can we witness to others with this kind of empathy? If we didn’t ever stray away from the Lord, never have had a prodigal experience, can we open our hearts to be compassionate to those who have, or to those who have never known the Lord. Some Christians I see don’t have that ability much at all.
      We have one close Christian friend who is trying to help Christians have a more loving message to those they argue the abortion issue with. She is also trying to save unborn lives by working for organizations that educate about the perils of going through with one.  She had an abortion many years ago, so she knows firsthand the emotional pain.  She is very understanding of the people who don’t know anything but what they have been told about going ahead with the decision to have one. I admire her boldness to engage with both believers and unbelievers in this conversations, because she gets hit with criticism from complete strangers on both sides. But I believe that she is demonstrating an example of an authentic Christian walk. Yes, it's a touchy issue.  It gets messy as does ministry in many ways.  But God's work can't be done without action and the trials that come along with facing satan head on.  This is the way that Jesus lived His life. He was accused of being a drunk, hanging out with sinners, etc. He was betrayed, beaten, and bloodied.  That's how evil is.  But he won.  He told those who didn't understand, “it is the sick who need a doctor.”
      The true difference for reaching unbelievers is helping them realize that God knows their struggle. If we come across as if we don’t know their struggle, then How does that become the “salt and light” that Jesus said we are? God is light. We are made in His image and likeness. We are to reflect His true nature. He sent His only son to die for us in His incredible empathy for our struggle against sin. We then must remember how much mercy has been shown on us, by then being the most merciful people on the earth. I read today’s paper about the sentencing of a drunk driver who killed 4 people near my house last January. One of the family members who spoke to him in the emotion filled court-room said that they forgive him because their Christian faith commands and leads them to do this. How stunningly powerful!
      I don’t think there is any other religion or faith walk where anyone would do this under those circumstances. But the Spirit of the Living God will certainly cause the heart to rise above the noise of the flesh, and cause the sweet song of Amazing Grace to ring in the air once again, as it has millions of times since the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This grace can be reflected through us, and our ability to have the compassion that says, “I understand your sin, because I too have fallen short of God’s glory. So the best way I can help you is to demonstrate the salvation He has given to me, by being compassionate to you when you know you don’t deserve it. Then you might understand who Jesus really is, and it is through Him alone, that you will receive eternal life.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

I simply must fix my eyes upon Jesus, and not the natural circumstances right now. I feel like Goliath is standing in my field, mocking my God and I'm looking for those stones. They are the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. If I keep my head in the Word, that power overcomes the feeling that I am too small for the situations I must get through.

Solomon said "wisdom has built her house", and I can tell that Solomon understood after what he went through with indulging himself that following God's laws of life are the only wise way to do things. A person can be the richest person on the earth and be a fool about it, and then come away totally empty inside. it is much of the basis for ecclesiastes where he laments over the fact that we can work, and toil, and it will all feel meaningless unless the Lord is at the center of our motivation and plans.

Wait for the Lord

Feb 16, 2009 Wait for the Lord

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:13-14

Feb 16, 2009. When we are in a waiting time, what are we doing with ourselves during that time? We may wait for a dream to come to pass for 8, 10 years, or more. What are our thoughts, what is our attitude before God. He wants us to take that time as opportunity to prep to be ready to receive the blessing. We should be in the Word and praise to Him daily, growing in all of the ways He has designed us to grow, so we can be equipped and effective for Him. His spirit will make us strong to achieve the goal. His spirit will give us wisdom to solve the difficult decisions we have yet to come. Certainly so.

If we are impatient, grumbling, comparing ourselves to others who seem to be betting what we want way before us, we miss out on the quiet times, and rest with Him al along the way. He is sparing us from burdens by not giving us things before their time. Let's try to walk in unison with God's timing, and enjoy that he "makes me lie down in green pastures".

We can constantly realize that God knows every atom in the universe. Do we question how things are supposed to work? I am always changed when we go for a vacation to the coast, or anywhere out in nature. I can just sit and gaze on the beauty, and get filled with peace that God totally knows my needs, and is working at changing things for my benefit at all times.

What are we trying to hear from the Lord every day?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

March 26

What are we trying to hear from the Lord every day? How can we do better for Him, knowing that regularly, we fall short of our best. What scriptures pick us up off the ground? Today on our walk we ran into a woman who used to come to every show in the early 90s. We haven't seen her since then. She told us she is now going through a divorce of a 14 year marriage. She feels judged in her family because it is the only divorce out of 8 siblings. I noticed her bracelet which had images of Christ and Mary. She said, she's never alone, and that her faith is carrying her through. Shelley gave her her gideons bible she just happened to be carrying with us. We spent the rest of the day praying for her comfort through this time। What are some scriptures in the word that can help people is this kind of situation? As we stood there, we looked to the south, and saw the huge cross that sits on the campus of Eugene Bible College up on the hill. I said to her, "to some the cross is offensive, but what it is, is the power of resurrection, and of God saying to us, I went through your pain too, I can comfort you, and I understand your brokenness."

1. Isaiah 61:3
   and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
   Isaiah 61:2-4 (in Context) Isaiah 61 (Whole Chapter)

I often sit and read Isaiah 61 the whole chapter. Shelley and I wrote a song of that chapter word for word almost in its entirety. It is the gospel prophesied, and what Jesus read when he started his ministry. It is the word that gives us such comfort that we have a loving father who is all about restoration, and redemtion. No matter what personal trials we are going through, we can say to ourselves and to others "all is well, because I know the Lord, and my salvation is secure". We can then encourage others in the Lord, and notice that the anointing that falls on us from praising God, has just lifted us from the fleshy feeling of pain of our troubles. The peace that surpasses all understanding has just guarded our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is an e-mail that I wrote to a colleague who was telling me that her husband works for a Muslim who is open to being witnessed to on the subject of the gospel. The thing he cannot understand is how God could sacrifice His son.
*************
I have been thinking about your husband and his witness to his boss who I have encountered. I am praying for his salvation, and for your husband's favor in that. I was reading Acts 2 yesterday, and the second half is an awesome way to describe the entire gospel to someone like that who has such a concern for how or why Jesus would have an assignment of going to the cross. But the reality is that his death lasted for only 2 days, and was exalted to become the King of Kings.

Acts 2:22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'[e]

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,[f] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '[g]

36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Cal

*************
The more I read the gospels, the more I understand their power for salvation unto mankind. God has made such an effort to bring us to Himself, and the bible is the gateway to a fulfilled life here on earth, and to eternity when we "put off the tent of this body."

I have a thought today, that the very idea that we have a concept of God, and the word God is proof enough that He does indeed exist. Shelley was not feeling well today, and as I was checking on her in the bedroom, she was watching "The View", a show we never watch because spicy t.v. is not our daily faire. But today, the moment we saw had them discussing somebody believing in God, and one of them said "I really don't know if there is a God or not" blah blah. And then I had a thought.

The very fact that we even have word God, proves that there is a God. Science has shown that people cannot conceive of something unless they have been given the idea of it. Where has the idea come from in the first place? In our imagination, our emotions, our quiet time while contemplating life and death, our time of looking at nature, there is a sense that there is some entity extremely powerful that brought all of this order into existence.

In this modern day, the most compelling evidence is the historical documentation of the man who walked this earth followed by miracles, signs, and wonders: Jesus. I read Acts Chapter 2, which gives historical account of the most amazing person that ever lived. No one has claimed to be God, was a true healer, promised salvation, and raised himself from the dead, all while fulfilling a schienc boggling 300 prophecies of it all taking place.

People choose to reject God based on our own flesh bend on self-destruction, nothing else, nothing more. We know that God is our creater, comforter, and everything. If we would just stop blaming Him for our problems, and accept that people choose to do dumb things, thus wreaking havoc on our reality. Focus on all of the things that go right. They are far more than the bad. Even through the difficult and tragic, if we know Jesus, the core of our soul can be at peace.

Memoirs from China

Thursday, March 19, 2009
Memoirs from China - Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes for our goodwill music missions trip to Beijing and LangFang, China. During that time we ministered to roughly 12,000 people in schools, the University of Beijing, an orphanage, and Beijing International Christian Fellowship. We performed in some form, 10 times in 12 days.

We really wanted to do a bunch of blogging on the trip, but a packed schedule and a very tired body made it impossible to complete the task. When we got back to our hotel every night, we felt like we had about 5 minutes of energy before my head was begging for the pillow. That was enough to plug in the video camera, try to transfer the files. We recorded TONS of video and took lots of pics. The kind of keyed up energy we were expending during the day going to our locales, and performing was like nothing we have ever done before. This was our first time to China, I don't speak the language, and we were there working, not touring, so it was very intense the entire time. The final layer on that was the fact that the government was having it's annual meetings in the same hotel as most of what we were doing. So the presence of guards, and secret service agents everywhere was unsettling also.

The other reason we were hesitant to blog, was because of security. We didn't want to say anything that might contradict the rules of the government, and get us in a jam. We weren't really completely sure don't know how tight the watch is, but I have heard that the internet is regulated, at least for the Chinese. Later in the trip an English professor told me it is hard for them to monitor all of the English e-mail, because of the translation, and the sheer volume. We decided to take no chances though. While we were riding in a taxi with one of our friends who lives there, he informed us that one is advised not to talk certain ways in taxis and buildings, etc. While we were there, the government was having their annual meetings across the courtyard from where we were doing a lot of our events. So the tension was a bit high. It being our only time there, we had no other frame of reference to know if the presence of guards and barriers was normal in any way. As we were leaving Beijing International Christain Fellowship, a Chinese man with wild hair, dandruff, and crusty nose, ran up to us and said with wild eyes, 5 years I stand outside this church, his eyes darted toward the guards, he said, "if they find me, they put me in mental hospital!" he then ran back toward the front of the church and disappeared into the crowd.

Since the foundation of our trip was to minister in Church, as we were prepping to leave, we were not totally understanding the rules of Christianity in China. What we found out from the people we met there is that if you are not a Chinese citizen, it is ok for you to practice Christianity. If you are Chinese, and you attend a registered church, you will be punished harshly. So the church where we played was made up of Korean, African, Singaporian Australian, and every other nationality you can imagine. Everyone had to show a passport to get in.

There is a meeting chapel in the section of the hotel where the BICF offices are. This was in the main section of the hotel where the government meetings were being held. No regular citizen could walk into the front doors of this hotel. We had to go around the back side and up the stairs to the chapel. We learned later that through the week, 14 different groups of the BICF have their service ther in the chapel. This is in addition to the two services in the two enormous sanctuaries they have in an auditorium across the courtyard from the hotel.

I have been coverting the video files to the format where I can work with them. Then I am looking at them, and... Now back at work and gigs with Shelley it is just in the cracks of time that I am able to do this. But I am getting to it. In the meantime I am posting my first memories. Shelley and I have been reeling since the trip, and are writing our thoughts down as much as we can as they pour out of our minds.

So, the following are some of our - Memoirs: Thank you all for your prayers and support for us on our trip to China. It was rewarding, challenging, and intense. Having never been to China, it was certainly and eye opening experience to see how millions of people live their lives. I have so much respect for how hard they have to work to squeak out the meager living they are able to have. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the wonderful people we saw riding bikes, working hard, dealing with the smog and traffic just to get through their day.

During our time we performed at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship for 6 different services, at International Academy of Beijing (2nd grade to 8th grade), at the University of Beijing, and at the Shepherd’s Field Orphanage. We also performed a concert at BICF.

We did 11 performances in 12 days. The entire time, we were harrowed by driving conditions that seemed to have absolutely no rules or courtesy, a language that we had little grasp of, and food we were not accustomed to. (No, having Panda Express a few times does not help). All of these things make coming home a little sweeter, our family and friends a bit dearer, and appreciation for life deeper.

We pray for the amazing people running the orphanage, being able to have a hospital, taking care of kids discarded by their own government. We hope those kids are adopted by people who find their way to Shepherd’s Field.

We are thankful for the safety, and freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness here in America, and we will never take it for granted. It will be a long time before I complain about my quality of life here. I have it so good to not feel watched at every turn, or listened to in case I say anything critical about th government. I don’t fear for my safety going to church. It is legal for me, but very dangerous for a Chinese national living in China. It took a bit to wrap our heads around the fact that all of the people attending the churches and Christian oriented schools are not Chinese. It is legal for foreign people to worship freely. It was very odd to be at a church service, and look out the windows seeing the guards in place because the government meetings were in the same building as the church offices.

We felt like we were living Orwell’s 1984, smushed against 3 other science fictions movies all at once. We were fascinated by the fact that 500,000 foreign people live in Beijing. We met multitudes of Koreans, Americans, Canadians, Australians and Africans. The city was one very, very large building cluster of a mix of new and old, skyscrapers, and messy condo apartments, smokestacks, and luxury hotels.

One thing that travel always reminds us of: People are loving and beautiful no matter where you go.

Reflection: Reflecting on this trip, I am left with so many emotions –

The images of the bikes weaving through the traffic is forever burned in my memory. The lives of so many hanging on the balance of cars that seem to have no regard for the bikes. Rules that don’t exist on the streets, it is a go or be gone in front of mentality. So often the bike was holding a child on the back. The precarious balance of life zooming by in a mind-numbing blur of human activity and determination to live another day. Never did I see a helmet, or a wreck miraculously. So often, I saw close calls. I noticed the drivers kept their speeds at just a cautious pace, because they were constantly having to slow down when their darting out was timed just a bit late. Shelley described it as a study in constant near misses.

Desperation – When you go to the market place, the passion to sell you their goods is overwhelming. It is such that many people would not enjoy the experience. We quickly turned it into a fun game with the gals, and they enjoyed playing it with us. It turned tension into laughter. One time, the fun ended when one really nice young man kept pulling me back into his booth when I needed to leave. I was going to return later that day, but he just couldn’t believe me. He was begging me to buy the shirt and tie, and kept dropping the price. He even pulled out the bag and the wrap even as I was telling him I was going to return to get another color. I finally convinced him that I was going to return. What upset me was the desperation. What is going on behind the scenes that develops that? Our prayers go out to China. As Shelley says "There's a lot of love in China". We saw the dedicated people who have given their comfortable lives up in other countries to go there to serve. It is an awesome calling.

Faith - There is a lot of faith and the love of God pouring into China. The Lord knows they need it just like all people need to know God's love. One does not feel love, or even a "like" vibe from the Chinese government. That type of rule is anti-individual creative spirit. and anti God. We saw the despair in so many eyes while they were doing their dirty job. The determinaation to make it through another day. The returned "ni-hao" when you bow and say "hello" to someone in Chinese. Humanity is the same wherever you go. People want to live a good life, and to be accepted. The folks called there to take care of orphans, or to help a church thrive in the midst of a country where the government is hostile to the idea that their own people would chose to follow the "prince of peace" change our lives. We want to be more passionate to share the love of God wherever we go. We are not ashamed of the Gospel, because the alternative to being a gentle servant is to crush millions of your own people, and we just can't be having that.

Faith is a good thing, even if it gets sticky in the political arena. Debate is the worst it gets here folks. At least we have the choice to walk into a church or not on any given day. At least we can chose to reject God. At least we can argue different issues that some would say are true and others say are not, and debate the laws of them with a government that allows us to have the issue to debate!

Please folks, lets pray for each other. Let's keep making this country one we are proud to say is America, is the land of the free. Let's not mock this reality, and downplay it by not realizing how good we have it. Let's try to be better citizens, and let people go in front of us. Let's try to be the best customer someone encountered in their workday. Let's love more, give our friends and families an extra hug, kiss and appreciative word. We live amazing lives here in this land called the United States. And let's pray for those trying to make this world a better place. Let's do our job to use what we have to help others as well.

Our Upcoming Trip To Beijing

Dear friends,

I consider you all a part of our ministry team. As believers, we are one body no matter what building we attend for church. When we connect, communicate, and pray for each other, the body is operating as a tool for the Lord. So when I know people are following our ministry, they are a part of our team that desires to be a powerful tool that breaks down barriers, pours the oil of healing over people, and helps lead people to salvation!

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:14-16

Our trip to China will be mission to serve the Chinese people, in different venues and schools we will be in, scheduled by our host. The itinerary is developing as we speak. We do know this:

March 1 we will be doing a service in conjunction with the seminar with Dr. Eckman (our host) on the heart of God for his children.

March 8 We have a concert in a huge auditorium holding 1500 people or so.

We will also be doing praise and worship services, and performing for students from elementary to college.

We are obviously looking forward to the opportunity as it is our first trip to another continent together. It was prophesied over us at Eugene Christian Fellowship in 1999 that we would sing, and evangelize "stepping on foreign soil to preach the Gospel to the nations." This was at a conference at Eugene Christian Fellowship. We received a word from the pastors who had travelled there to minister, who had never met us. Each of them "saw" music, and missions over us. We know God has been preparing us for "such a time as this" with our time in LA, and our work here in the Northwest. We will be carrying your hearts, and love with us as we connect with the Chinese people.

This trip is the first fruition of our record label founder Penny McCoy. Her vision is to reach "the ends of the earth" with the inspirational, healing message of the Gospel. We are seeing it come together, and are honored to be a part of the team helping it go from a vision to a manifested reality. Of course, what we are doing is in faith. The label is brand new, so the expenses are flying out faster than they come in at this point, and that is understood by all of us involved with the label's vision. We can't expect the label to take care of every little thing we feel we need. We have always trusted God to provide, and He has abundantly.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:9-11

We do know the importance of intercession, and communication, so we are letting you know we will gladly receive any financial, and prayer support you can send our way.

Our address is 3453 W. 15th, Eugene, OR 97402 and you can make checks out to Callan Coleman.

I will be keeping a journal and blogs of our trip. I don't know if it will be possible to be on the internet, as I read that they restrict internet there. But I will journal and post the blogs when we get back if that is the case.

I also hope to be able to webcast some of our trip, even with the time difference. I will be filming and taking pictures as much as is physically possible.

As always we thank you for your constant support, love, and encouragement. Remember to sing songs, plant seeds, and live the life!!!

We Love You,
Cal and Shelley
Agents of Unity