My Territory – My Space

After moving to Asia, we discovered that there is a lot of discussion about Territorial Spirits. Wikipedia states that Territorial spirits are national angels, or demons, who rule over certain geographical areas in the world. Well, today we are not here to discuss this concept instead I would like to give it a bit of a twist.

We have been Christians for MANY years and it is interesting to notice that among Christians there can be a bit of an attitude that lets others know that THIS is MY community for MY church. Or this is MY denomination, the right one. Actually we could even go back into our childhood and talk about feelings like . . . THIS is MINE.  We may laugh at this idea, but it is actually a serious issue.

This problem of claiming territory or space is not limited to the US. Believe me, you can find it worldwide. Starting new churches . . . some in the area feel that that is their territory and you are not welcome. Wanting to plan a city wide event? Believe me, feelings of ‘I AM IN CHARGE AND WE WILL DO IT MY WAY” also exist. Oh I could go on and on. Instead of feeling that we are on the same TEAM, there is rivalry, jealousy and lots of competition.

Several years ago we heard a sermon by Pastor Oh Beng Khee in SE Asia. It was REALLY outstanding, and he made the point that THERE IS ONLY ONE BODY OF CHRIST. Anything that any of us do to damage or hurt that body is hurting Christ. Oh, he had a lot to say and he was speaking to Pastors and Church Leaders across denominational lines.

We live in challenging times. Please pray with us that during these days, followers of Jesus Christ will join together to reach their community, city, nation and the WORLD for Jesus Christ. We need a lot of LOVING during these days. Pray that Christians will allow Christ to tear down walls and seek ways to LOVE people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pray for churches across Taiwan

Pray for churches in Malaysia

Pray for churches in Singapore

Pray for churches in China

Pray for churches in Korea

Pray for churches in Japan

Pray for churches in the Philippines

Pray for churches in Indonesia

Pray for churches in Thailand

Pray for churches in Hong Kong

Pray for churches in Mynamar

Pray for churches WOLRDWIDE to have a spiritual awakening that will SHAKE the WORLD.

Something Old Something New

When we were married, I did follow the tradition that I wore something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. It had no special meaning for me other than it had been done by many in my family before me and was kind of fun to carry out that tradition.

Well, we all know for sure that the “OLD” always follows us around with our past tucked away in our memories. However, “NEW” seems to always bring a special flavor into our lives and add a bit of spice. I’m sure many of you are already aware that for the first time a TV series about Jesus is now available. In these stories, it has the OLD — the Bible stories — clearly presented, but also has a bit of Jewish history, Roman history and “what might have been” intertwined throughout the story.

I am currently going through the stories. You might want to check it out for yourselves. I love the characters who portray Jesus, the disciples and others in the story. They bring with them a realness, a crusty side of life that I believe the Bible portrays. As a well known quote states:  Respect tradition, but have a passion for the TRUTH. So as we view anything, we also must have a passion for the TRUTH.

Check it out for yourselves and add a little something NEW to your day. You can download the app for FREE or even find it on YouTube. Click below to view the first episode.

 

It is amazing how Biblical media continues to grow . . . among the Hokkien and far beyond. Pray for God to continue to raise up not only Hokkien people to creatively share God’s message, but people in every people group to proclaim the love of God in old and new ways.

LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR

HOW DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS?

During these days of the pandemic, we are SURROUNDED by opportunities to serve and love others. Hey, we all know that Jesus said, LOVE your neighbor like you LOVE yourself. Well, some of us, of course, need to work on the LOVE YOURSELF part too. However, assuming that we are in love with ourselves, Jesus is telling us to look outside of our situation and love others. His story from the Good Samaritan is very deep and far reaching going beyond acquaintances, cultural barriers, financial responsibilities. . . well you know.

We were very touched to once again see how partners in SE Asia are living this LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR truth through their actions in daily life. AL is an elderly woman who has been living in a very bad housing situation. J and A, our partners and their team have tried to provide food and money. Her bedroom only has three walls and the rain comes in. Her family has not reached out to help her. So our partners are giving offerings to purchase 2 containers that will provide a home for her. Money will also be used to set up the containers properly. There are so many needs to address during this time. Formerly some people similar to AL, were able to sell a little food here and there to survive, but this pandemic has brought havoc into a lot of homes. It is a real crisis and uniquely different for each individual and family. So LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR never goes out of style. So it’s LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR day, , week, month and year all the time. How is God using you? Do you have a story? We would love for your to share. Blessings on you all!

Pray with us for:

1. AL’s container home to be purchased and installed.
2. Pray for God’s peace and protection for AL.
3. Pray for the salvation and the restoration of AL’s family.
4. Pray also for J and A and their team as they continue to help many families who struggled with both their finances and health.
5. We praise the Lord for J And A and their team as they continue to LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORS.

 

SOMETHING NEW!

We can say that one thing is for sure in this world, and that is few things stay the same. That is especially true in electronics and the IT world. For years we have used the website, Bible.is to read the Bible in English as well as Taiwanese/Hokkien. They have done a wonderful job providing the written and audio Bible in more than 1300 languages. Amazing. It is such a precious gift AND it’s FREE.

Well this week I went to the Bible.is site and discovered SOMETHING NEW! They already had choices such as: read only, listen to  the audio Bible OR listen to a dramatic audio presentation of reading the Bible. They are ALL great options. However, I had no idea that they have now also added a movie portion to the Bible in the Gospels. In English, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all available. In others languages, such as Taiwanese/Hokkien, only Mark is currently available with the movie. However, in Taiwanese/Hokkien you can listen to the entire New Testament. More is coming and this is all amazing. I love to follow along in the story as the reader reads. I love this film and I highly recommend that you check it out. No matter what language you are searching for, just click COUNTRY or LANGUAGE and enjoy this precious gift to us. Pass the word along. It is definitely a very exciting way to study the Bible.

Hats off to Bible.is for their passion and hard work to make the Bible available in so many formats.

We would love to know what you think. You can write to us at hokkien@pobox.com. To connect and view the English site just click HERE.  Blessings on all!